“Long distance running takes discipline,” Riverhead cross country coach Tyler Lobenhofer said following a meet early in the school year. “It’s a constant grind of challenging yourself. You can never get comfortable with what your best currently is.”

Jones constantly pushed his limit throughout his career, especially during his senior season, as he came away with five school records ranging across every season. 

In the fall, he set the school record in the Indian Island 5K with a time of 16:33.84 and it wasn’t close. He shattered the previous record by 20 seconds and two minutes ahead of the second place runner. 

“Chris was the best runner on the team since he was a sophomore,” Lobenhofer said. “But he wasn’t ever content with just being the best on the team. He wanted to be one of the best in Suffolk County and I think he can walk away and proudly call himself one of the best.”

But his reign in the fall wasn’t over – Jones broke the Sunken Meadow 4k record soon after with a time of 12:48.81. 

“I made a vow to myself junior year that I would run every day,” Jones told the Riverhead News Review after a meet in the fall. “And I’ve done that. Honestly I think I’ve only missed five days since I made that commitment to myself.”

Hard work pays off.

In the winter season, Jones set a school record being part of the 4 x 800m relay. Being part of a quartet with Victor Giron, Brandon Nieto and Franz Ortiz Galdamez, the group executed every baton handoff flawlessly and came away with a time of 8:33.62. That time got even better when the group got on the track outside in the spring. Jones led the team to a spring 4 x 800m relay record posting a time of 8:24.61.

Jones put his final mark on his time as a Blue Wave in the 3200-meter race at the Westhampton Invitational. Despite facing less than ideal running conditions, the senior secured his final school record with a time of 9:52.66.

Those records figure to be part of Riverhead’s history for years to come – setting the mark for the next group of long distance runners to beat. Jones will continue his athletic career at SUNY Cortland in the fall.

And now for the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcat Athletes of the Year

Morgan Lesiewicz, Shoreham-Wading River

It’s rare to see athletes competing in three different sports over the school year these days with many athletes choosing to focus only on their best sport. But Morgan Lesiewicz took it a step further and competed in four – including two in both the winter and spring seasons.

Lesiewicz was a mainstay in between the posts in soccer as she was the starting goalkeeper for the varsity squad since her eighth grade year. In the winter, she played basketball but also competed on the winter track team. In the spring, she manned the middle of the field in lacrosse for what is arguably her best sport but also competed on the spring track team.

As the goalkeeper for the Wildcats, Lesiewicz led the team to three consecutive Suffolk County titles and two Long Island championships in a row to close out her soccer career. Her senior season ended in the Class A New York State semifinals. She registered 109 saves in her final year as a Wildcat – many of which were crucial for victory.

“To play for this team for five years not only built me up as a soccer player and an athlete but as a person,” Lesiewicz said following the loss in the semifinals. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team, better coaching staff, better career – I’ll always remember this.”

In the winter, Lesiewicz joined the basketball team and helped them win the league title while also participating in indoor track.

Springtime meant lacrosse – Lesiewicz’s best sport. She owned the draw circle for the Wildcats while also scoring 11 goals and registering five assists.

“Morgan is a dedicated and hardworking athlete who consistently pushed herself to grow and improve throughout her time with our program,” SWR girls lacrosse coach Alex Fehmel said. “She brought a competitive edge to the field and always gave full effort which helped raise the level of intensity and practices and games.”

Lesiewicz also set a personal record in the spring for track. In the New York State outdoor track qualifier, she threw the shot put a distance of 36 feet and 10.75 inches – putting her fourth on Long Island. 

The senior four-sport star will continue her athletic career as a lacrosse player for Division I Lehigh University.

The post Graduation 2025: Athletes of the Year appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Liam Kershis did it all for Shoreham-Wading River during his years as a Wildcat. He consistently scored 30-plus goals every season dating back to his freshman year. In his junior season, he scored 59 goals and notched 38 assists while guiding the Wildcats to a Suffolk County title.

Kershis finished his senior year ranked fifth in all of Suffolk County, with 86 total points scored, before later being named an All-American. After starring in the Senior All-America game, he was named MVP for his final high school career hurrah. The scoring star was fiercely recruited out of high school and decided on Duke University to continue his academic and athletic careers. 

Playing with the best in the country for the perennial powerhouse Duke, Kershis has found his way into the lineup not only as a substitute but, more often than not, as a starter. 

“I’m settling in pretty well,” Kershis said in a text this week. “I’m getting good playing time. Love the guys and the coaches I’m surrounded by.”

Duke has sprinted out to a 7-1 overall record and Kershis has played in all eight games, starting in five of them. He’s scored seven goals and assisted on three others. The seven goals are good for sixth on the team as he continues to adjust to the ramped up speed of college play. His highest scoring effort was a two-goal game — which happened to be against his brother Alex’s team, Jacksonville University.

 “There hasn’t been that much of a difference,” Kershis said, comparing college play to his high school years. “I mean, everyone is more talented for sure, but that makes the offense easier as well.”

Fellow local standout Griffin Sumwalt played a major part in Riverhead’s lacrosse resurgence. As a senior last year, he led the Blue Waves to the playoffs for the first time since 2019. They posted their best record in school history (14-4) and even won their opening round playoff game against Commack. 

Sumwalt set school records in his senior year, including 83 points in a single season, 54 goals in a single season and 192 points in a career. His legacy as a Blue Wave will be written in bold letters throughout the record books for years to come. After the season, he was tabbed a USA Lacrosse Academic All-American. 

The senior attacker decided on the University of Massachusetts at Lowell to continue his athletic and academic career. He fits right into his new surroundings and has started five of the six games this season en route to a 3-3 record. The lefty sharpshooter has registered four goals and two assists to start the season.

“The college lax experience has been great so far,” Sumwalt said. “I feel like I’m settling in well. The competition is definitely high. I’d say the speed is faster compared to high school, but I feel right at home.”

Getting playing time as a freshman is out of the ordinary, but Kershis and Sumwalt are threatening to break that mold and become instant contributors to the D1 programs — further proof that East End lacrosse is a growing hub for the best talent in the nation.

The post Wildcat and Blue Wave alums succeeding in D1 college lacrosse appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Through their first three games this season, the Wildcats have posted a 3-0 record, scoring 16 goals while giving up only one. Energy and positivity are high and head coach Rob Marine-Mancuso is doing everything he can to keep his team on track from start to finish.

“I’m lucky to work with a hardworking bunch of guys,” Marine-Mancuso said. “It’s on them to not have that drop-off this year and keep the motivation running throughout the season. Even though we’ve had some early exits in the playoffs the last couple of years, it’s not like they haven’t been close games. We’ve just been on the wrong side of one-goal games.”

Last year, SWR dropped four of their last five games, including a 1-0 loss to Amityville in the playoffs. Though they were all by one goal, losing game after game dinged team morale and the Wildcats weren’t able to work themselves back out of that hole before the playoffs began. But that was last year. The players on this year’s team are committed to competing for a Suffolk County title.

“We have incredible firepower up front,” senior captain Patrick Morano said. “Any one of those guys can score us a goal on any given day. And our chemistry is on another level this year. Nobody is fighting with each other. We’re trying to put it all together and go far. Maybe even states.”

Goal scoring has been spread out pretty evenly through the first three games as Marine-Mancuso shuffles through his lineup, going deep down the bench and rotating players so they stay fresh. There’s not a lot of drop off from the starters to the backups.

Co-captain Samuel Sweet leads the team in points so far, with three goals and two assists. Sophomore Zach Makarewicz, who scored the second goal of the game against Bayport-Blue Point after catching up to a through ball down the right side, has tallied four goals in the first three games. Andrew Stiene has been busy setting up his teammates, assisting on four goals thus far. Tyler Nowaski, a junior, scored two against Bayport-Blue Point to up his total to three on the season.

“It’s great being so deep up front,” Marine-Mancuso said. “With the style of play we have, the ball kind of just finds the open person. There’s no room for selfishness in this offensive attack. Whoever finds the ball in front of the net is taking the shot. I feel comfortable with any of our guys to finish the opportunities.”

SWR’s varsity team rarely counts many underclassman but this year’s squad has five sophomores in Makarewicz, Evan Degroot, Owen Dubato, John Zoumas and Richard Cordano. Marine-Mancuso simply couldn’t keep them in JV. 

“They all had incredible seasons last year on JV and they deserve to be here,” the coach said. “If I didn’t see them getting significant minutes on the team I wouldn’t have brought them up. Having them on the team only pushes everyone else to work harder.”

So far, the overall group of players seems to be meshing well with their ability to communicate and pass the ball with ease throughout the field. 

“It’s our chemistry this year,” fullback Ryan Saville said. “We’re all on the same page trying to achieve the same goal. The more we can stay together as a team the more likely we’ll be playing some meaningful games at the end of the season.”

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“We look so good,” SWR head coach Adrian Gilmore said. “After the first game of the preseason Coach Ferguson and I, and we’ve been coaching together a very long time, we always call each other on the way home. After the first game we didn’t even wait for that phone call, we stayed at the field for 45 minutes after the game with smiles on our faces about how good we looked. The returning girls looked so good and so did the younger kids coming up.”

Photos by Bill Landon

The coaches see part of the keys to success to be how to replace the heart and soul of last year’s team in Grace Hillis. The All-State midfielder did it all for the Wildcats, scoring crucial goals when they mattered most and also trekked back to play a suffocating defense, refusing to let anyone pass easily. Hillis will suit up for Division I Old Dominion University this fall, and the Wildcats will surely miss her contributions. 

“Grace is one of those players that is like once in a lifetime,” Gilmore said. “We’re not going to be able to replace her. We’re going to have to switch some things and play a little differently this year. We hope to be more offensive.”

Ava Gengler, who was supposed to be a major part of last year’s team, ended up tearing her ACL and missed the entire campaign. A pure goal-scorer at heart, Gengler will be a focal point in her final season as a Wildcat. She already scored a hat-trick in one of the summer games. She’s picked up right where she left off.

“Ava was our missing piece to winning the state championship last year,” Gilmore said. “She’s a phenomenal player. She has great vision and controls the pace very well. With her back in the mix, we’re looking to score more goals this year. The goals that Grace scored I’m sure Ava will tally those up for us.”

Between Gengler and Olivia Pesso, who came on the soccer scene last year after spending the majority of her fall seasons being a part of the cross country team, the middle of the pitch will be a dangerous spot for any team that comes up against the Wildcats. Pesso drew praise all season long from coaches all over the league after she seemingly came out of nowhere.

“Liv has got a nasty shot and we’re trying to get her to trust in herself more,” Gilmore said. “For whatever reason it just seems like she holds back a little bit. Last year was her first year playing school soccer so she’s still getting used to everyone and the system. We expect a lot more goal scoring from her this year.”

Mia Mangano will also be a major part of the offensive mix after scoring 11 goals and assisting on six others last year.

Through the summer, Gilmore only fields one team, combining varsity and junior varsity players. She even brings up a few select eighth graders that she feels will benefit from playing against varsity competition. This allows her to figure out who should come up to varsity and who should stay in JV.

“We have such a strong soccer talent pool always coming through our system so I like to take a look at the program from top to bottom,” Gilmore said. “Some of these  eighth graders are playing amazing right now, and you can’t even tell that they’re so young.”

There’s only one spot that seems to be open for the taking, and Gilmore is rotating players to try to fill it. Whether it be a more experienced player or someone new coming up, there is plenty to choose from. Twenty-six players are on the roster during the summer and each of them get significant playing time.

One position that isn’t up for grabs is goalkeeper. Morgan Lesiewicz has been a rock at the back of the varsity defense since  eighth grade. More often than not, she was able to stop oncoming attacks, even at point blank range. She was a major piece of last year’s success and now she’s entering her senior season.

“She’s been in goal for us for so long and she’s a terrific player and leader for us,” Gilmore said. “She’s definitely the glue to keep everyone together with her communication and how hard she works.”

Shoreham-Wading River will begin their season with two non-league games against Commack and West Islip the first week of September. They are both figured to be top teams in the higher divisions heading into the season.

“We want to schedule the toughest opponents from the start,” Gilmore said. “It shows us what we got and it’s a good way to gauge what we need to do coming into our league season. If we’re able to beat these larger schools, that says a lot about our program here.”

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“We don’t have that one person that can just take over their roles,” SWR head coach Alex Fehmel said. “We have to do it collectively as a unit. We don’t have that go-to player like GraceAnn or Abby … I think we have to kind of change our style to play together and include more people for us to be successful.”

Following two straight losses to start the season, the Wildcats finally got a peek of that togetherness in their 14-7 win against Kings Park at home Tuesday afternoon. With the rain pouring down, the Wildcats showed their dominance from the opening draw control.

Just over a minute into the game Reese Marcario found a streaking Madison Herr for the opening goal. Four minutes later the duo would connect on a goal again to make the score 4-0. Herr would go on to score four goals in the victory and Marcario assisted on three of them. Marcario and Herr could be the makings of another strong duo. Herr has already scored seven goals this season as a freshman.

“We really work well together on the field,” Herr said. “We have a strong two-man game and always seem to find each other. We have really quick feet and fast so it’s like we compliment each other.”

“We’re really good friends,” Marcario added. “We spend a lot of time with each other and it’s easy to communicate on the field. It’s all about timing and we’re pretty good at knowing where the other person is at all times.”

Marcario scored two goals of her own as well as Kings Park never really threatened to get back into the game after the Wildcats took a commanding lead. Shoreham-Wading River shared the love and got goals from Grayce Kitchen, Haylie Abrams, Kady Keegan, Sophia Minnion, and Charlotte Erb over the course of the game. They led by as much as nine goals late in the third quarter. 

“I think today was very good for us after our past two losses,” Fehmel said. “We were able to adapt to what we have been trying to do this season in this game. We came together and played as one and that’s why we won today.”

The two losses against Bayport-Blue Point and Islip were a learning experience for the Wildcats. Bayport-Blue Point went undefeated in the regular season last year and ended up knocking Shoreham-Wading River out of the playoffs. Islip played to a record of 12-4 last year and also made the playoffs. So even though the Wildcats started 0-2, they played top-of-the-line competition. 

“I’m glad we got those games early in the season,” Fehmel said. “We got the opportunity to learn from our mistakes. It’s obviously not the way we wanted our season to start off but there’s so many positives we can also take away from games like that. I feel like we came out a little flat against Islip. I was really proud of the way we played against Bayport-Blue Point. I actually felt more confident with our game after that loss. We just need to make in-game adjustments better, make the right choices and limit our unforced errors.”

The Wildcats (1-2 Division II) will try to build on this win and take it into Friday when they host Westhampton (2-0 Division II) at 4:45 p.m.

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SOFTBALL 

MARCH 26, RIVERHEAD 15, BRENTWOOD 0

After starting the season with a 7-4 victory over Patchogue-Medford, Riverhead absolutely hammered Brentwood on Tuesday. Sophia Viola, Mya Marelli, Deanna North and Jordyn Kwasna each registered two hits in the victory. Tiffany Perez scored three runs and stole three bases. Marelli was locked in on the pitcher’s circle, hurling five innings and surrendering only one weak infield single. Marelli also struck out 10 batters over the course of the game. It’s been a strong start for the Blue Waves who will look to continue to stack wins this season.

Upcoming schedule:

March 30: Riverhead at Westhampton, 10 a.m.

April 4: Riverhead at Whitman, 4 p.m.

April 5: Ward Melville at Riverhead, 4:15 p.m.

MARCH 25, BABYLON 6, SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER 1

Shoreham-Wading River’s first game of the season didn’t go as planned, as Meghan McGurk outbattled Katie Lahey on the pitcher’s circle. McGurk gave up only one run and struck out 12 Wildcats. Babylon’s Kerin Tanner did most of the damage at the plate , with five RBIs on three hits including a home run. Lahey scored the lone run for the Wildcats and reached base twice with two hits. 

Upcoming schedule:

April 2: Center Moriches at Shoreham-Wading River, 4:45p.m.

April 4: Shoreham-Wading River at Southampton, 4:30 p.m.

April 8: Miller Place at Shoreham-Wading River, 4:30 p.m.

BASEBALL 

MARCH 26 WILLIAM FLOYD 7, RIVERHEAD 1

Riverhead opened its season with a loss to William Floyd. After going 1-19 last year, the Blue Waves are looking for a bounce-back season. A hard-fought loss is a good sign against a strong Floyd squad. Jake Sambriski outdueled Riverhead’s ace Mark Gajowski on the mound. Sambriski allowed just two hits over five innings pitched and struck out five batters. Riverhead was leading 1-0 in the fourth inning until William Floyd’s Jonathan Bowden stole home to end the game. Bowden had three hits on the day.

Upcoming Schedule:

March 30: William Floyd at Riverhead, 10 a.m.

April 2: Riverhead at Brentwood, 4 p.m.

4/03 Brentwood at Riverhead, 4 p.m.

MARCH 25 SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER 10, BABYLON 6

Shoreham-Wading River started their season strong with a victory over Babylon on Monday. With the game tied in the top of the 7th inning, Joe Martirano slammed a ball into left field that turned into an inside-the-park home run. The Wildcats scored two more runs in the inning to take a 10-6 lead. Babylon would load the bases in the bottom of the 7th inning but Christian Cox fielded a ground ball and threw the runner out at first base to end the game.

Upcoming Schedule:

March 30: Shoreham-Wading River at Babylon, 10 a.m.

April 1: Southampton at Shoreham-Wading River, 4:30 p.m.

April 3: Shoreham-Wading River at Southampton, 4:30 p.m.

Boys Lacrosse 

MARCH 26 WARD MELVILLE 14, RIVERHEAD 3

After starting the season with two consecutive victories against non-league opponents, Riverhead’s first game against a perennial powerhouse in the league didn’t go so well. The Patriots scored six goals in the first quarter and led 10-3 at halftime. Ward Melville’s Aidan Kilduff led the way with five points, scoring two goals and assisting on three others. Riverhead’s Zach Timpone had two assists in the loss. Griffin Sumwalt, Sean Payton and Nate Nentwich scored the three goals for Riverhead.

Upcoming Schedule:

March 30: Brentwood at Riverhead, 10 a.m.

April 2: Riverhead at Middle Country, 4:30 p.m.

April 5: Lindenhurst at Riverhead, 4:30 p.m.

MARCH 25 SHOREHAM-WADING RIVER 13, ROCKY POINT 3 

In a season filled with high expectations, Shoreham-Wading River dismantled Rocky Point in their opening game. The Wildcats scored early and often, keeping Rocky Point off the board until the third quarter. Andrew Cimino and Liam Gregorek each scored three goals in the win. Liam Kershis scored two goals and registered an assist. Brendan Meskill scored twice as well and eighth-grader Noah Gregorek scored his first varsity goal.

Upcoming Schedule:

April 3: Shoreham-Wading River at Eastport-South Manor, 4 p.m.

April 6: East Islip at Shoreham-Wading River ,12:30 p.m.

April 8: Glenn at Shoreham-Wading River, 5:15 p.m. 

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Head coach Mike Taylor has worked with this group of seniors since second grade — his son, Liam Taylor, is on the team — so it’s been a steady grind that will hopefully produce a fruitful return.

The Wildcats will be without a few key players who carried the load last year, but most of the team returns, and experienced seniors are scattered up and down the lineup. Alec Gregorek, who now plays for the U.S. Naval Academy, will be the hardest to replace after having an incredible season last year, scoring a Long Island-best 70 goals. 

“You can’t just replace Alec,” Taylor said. “You take three to four people and try to get the same out of them. You hope some guys step up and take some chunks out of the 100 or so points he scored last year. A lot of it is going to fall on Liam Kershis.”

Kershis, a five-star recruit heading to Duke University in the fall, has already been named a preseason All-American after scoring 59 goals and assisting on 38 others during his junior campaign. 

“We lose key guys every year,” Kershis said. “But we always have new talent coming up. And I’m confident that this team has what it takes. One thing that’s different this year is that we truly have the hunger to win. We’re coming for that state championship. We’ve got playoff wins under our belt, we’ve got a Suffolk County championship, but we don’t have a state championship. We’ve been wanting to win one since we were water boys on the team in fourth grade.”

Bill Landon photos

Shoreham-Wading River hasn’t won the state title since 2019, which featured a young Alec Gregorek manning the attack. Things could come full circle this year as there’s another young Gregorek in the starting lineup — Noah. The 8th-grader has been carving up defenses his entire life. The last of the Gregoreks, who have now sent five children through the SWR lacrosse program and on to prestigious colleges, Noah will play alongside his brother and senior captain Liam, who scored three of the Wildcats’ six goals from his midfield position in last year’s Long Island championship game. 

“We have some young bulls on the team,” Liam Gregorek said. “We’re trying to keep them leashed but the talent level is obvious. They’ve learned from the best.”

“I remember Noah in diapers at our practice attempting over the back goals on the sidelines,” coach Taylor said. “That’s how special that kid is. He’s had a lacrosse stick in his hands from birth.”

Sophomore Andrew Cimino will fill the final attacking spot vacated by Steven Cain, who is at Marist University this season.

“We’re young up front,” Taylor said. “But having Kershis there should help them settle in. They’re incredibly talented but just need someone to help guide their decision-making sometimes.”

The rest of the starting lineup is all seniors with collegiate commitments — a tremendous asset for any team striving for a title. Alex Kershis (Navy), Ryan Wilson (Siena) and Liam Gregorek (Johns Hopkins) will run the show from the midfield. Each of them garnered tremendous playing time last year and came up with plenty of assists, goals and loose balls. Seniors Liam Taylor (Bryant), Daniel Greene (Rochester) and Kieran Clifford (Pace) round out a defense that seemed to really start clicking toward the end of last season. Jaden Galfano (Fairfield University) looks to build on a tremendous junior season in goal. Galfano saved 200 shots last year with a 60% save percentage.

“We have unfinished business this year,” Galfano said. “We’re not OK with how our season ended last year and we intend on making it to the states. The target is on our back and that’s fine. We like it that way.”

The Wildcats will open their season March 25 when they host Rocky Point at 4:45 p.m.

“We don’t have to win every game,” coach Taylor said. “What we have to do is get better every week and be playing our best lacrosse once playoffs come around. There’s a lot of similarities this year to our 2019 team. It’s just going to be a matter of how this team comes together.”

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GIRLS BASKETBALL

Feb. 9: Shoreham-Wading River 46, John Glenn 42

The Wildcats’ girls squad earned yet another big victory as they continue to stack up wins to try to earn a high seed for the playoffs. SWR has only lost to first-place Mt. Sinai in the league play this season and will figure to have another shot at the Mustangs once the playoffs come around. Friday’s game against John Glenn went into overtime, where the Wildcats scored six points and gave up only one two-point basket. Ashley Bell and Juliana Mahan each scored 12 points for SWR. Leslie Jablonski added another 10 points, six of them coming from beyond the arc. Shoreham-Wading River (8-2 League VI, 12-6 overall) had two games remaining following last week’s win: Feb. 14 against Hampton Bays and Feb. 15 against Southampton.

Feb. 12: Sachem East 54, Riverhead 30

After one of their most promising starts in the last five years, winning four of their first seven games, the Riverhead girls team won only one more contest the rest of the way. But despite winning so few games, the season was a major step forward compared to the recent past, in part because the team is still so young. Junior guard Logan Pilon had a terrific season, averaging just under to 12 points per game. Against Sachem East, Nariah Dent led the way in scoring, with seven, and Pilon added six. Kyleigh Lennon and Claire Normoyle scored five points each for the Blue Waves.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Feb. 9: Sachem East 57, Riverhead 49

Playing against a strong division opponent that has a chance at making the playoffs, Riverhead fought to keep the score close and scored 19 points in the fourth quarter, finishing the game strong. Though the Blue Waves have won only three games this season, optimism for a rebound campaign next year is very much on the players’ minds. AJ Austin and Carlsoe Mendez led the way with 12 points each for Riverhead. Deshawn Watkins scored 10 and Liam Lennon added seven more. That was the last game of the season for the Blue Waves. Division I is a tough place to play in Suffolk County. They’ll have the majority of players returning next year and figure to add a handful from a JV squad that finished around .500 for the season. 

Feb. 8: Center Moriches 67, Shoreham-Wading River 50

The SWR boys basketball team had a rough go of it this year after losing their star point guard, Alex Makarewicz, during the first week of the season. It was supposed to be an all-county-type season for Makarewicz, but a shoulder injury that dragged on from soccer just never got better. Tyler Lievre, son of SWR girls basketball coach Adam Lievre, has been coming on as of late and will be a feature player on next year’s squad. The eighth-grader scored a team-high 10 points against Center Moriches last Thursday after averaging around seven points a game on the season. The Wildcats finished the season at 4-16 record and will look to improve next year.

WRESTLING

Feb. 9: Shoreham-Wading River, Division II Suffolk County championships

Wildcats wrestlers competed in the individual county championships Friday afternoon. Here are some of the notable results.

101 pounds: Thomas Matias, 6th place

124: Chris Colon, 1st

131: Gavin Mangano, 1st

138: Jacob Conti, 4th

170: Nate Spuhler, 2nd

215: Wes Hodun, 5th

285: Zack Wilson, 2nd

The post Riverhead and SWR high school sports roundup appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Jan. 30: Ward Melville 63, Riverhead 56

Riverhead’s boys basketball team has had a season to forget in Suffolk County’s Division I, but they’ve been putting up a fight in every game they play. Against a playoff-bound Ward Melville on Tuesday, Riverhead (2-14) kept the score tight from start to finish — trailing by only three points at halftime. The Blue Waves just couldn’t put together a streak of baskets to take a lead and hold onto it. Deshawn Watkins, who has been coming on as of late, led the team with 14 points. AJ Austin scored 12 and sophomore sharpshooter Peter Legnena hit on three of his shots behind the arc. Ward Melville was paced by Devin Lynch and Luke Chitkara, who each scored 15 against the Blue Waves. Riverhead has four games remaining on its schedule: Feb. 5 against Central Islip at 4 p.m., Feb.7 at Longwood at 5:45 p.m., Feb. 9 against Sachem East at 4 p.m. and Feb. 12 at Walt Whitman at 6 p.m.

Jan. 25: Shoreham-Wading River 56, Babylon 48

There was some light at the end of the season for the Wildcats as they were able to secure their second league victory against Babylon last Thursday. Though the playoffs are off the table, securing some victories at the end of the season brings some enthusiasm into the next year’s campaign. Shoreham-Wading River (3-12) got out ahead of Babylon 19-14 after the first quarter and only added to the lead, holding Babylon (4-9) to just four points in the second quarter. Kyle Stella led the way for the Wildcats with 15 points, as he connected on three of his four three-point attempts. Max Julian, who is in his final season as a Wildcat, scored 11 points. Matt Arabio collected seven points, secured five rebounds and put his body on the line for two offensive charges. The Wildcats have four games remaining on the schedule: Feb. 2 at Pierson at 6:15 p.m., Feb. 6 against Mattituck at 4 p.m., Feb. 8 at Center Moriches at 6:45 p.m. and Feb.13 against Bayport-Blue Point at 6:30 p.m.

Girls Basketball 

Jan. 30: Ward Melville 51, Riverhead 25

Riverhead had a tough time scoring against playoff-bound Ward Melville and it ultimately sank any opportunity to win the game. Ward Melville (11-5) took a 14-3 lead into the second quarter and never looked back. Riverhead, which has won four games on the season, is very young and with most of the team returning next year, a renaissance is almost surely expected. Logan Pilon led all scorers with 19 points for the Blue Waves. Ward Melville, despite the win, didn’t have a double-digit scorer. Grace Balocca had nine points and Julia Dank added eight. Pilon has had a solid junior campaign, averaging 11.5 points per game on the season. The Blue Waves have four games left on the schedule: Feb. 7 at Central Islip at 4:30 p.m., Feb. 10 against Longwood at noon, Feb.12 at Sachem East at 4:30 p.m., and Feb. 14 against Whitman at 6:15p.m.

Jan. 25: Shoreham-Wading River 69, Bayport-Blue Point 63

With the overtime victory over Bayport-Blue Point, Shoreham-Wading River has won five games in a row and secured a spot in the playoffs. The Wildcats have been red hot, defeating every opponent in their way, led by Juliana Mahan — the lone starter remaining from last year’s Suffolk County championship team. Mahan scored a career-high 35 points against Bayport-Blue Point and will need to continue to be the team’s x-factor going forward for them to succeed. Alyssa Bell, who has been the 1-2 punch along with Mahan this season, scored 19 points in the victory. Shoreham-Wading River (10-6) has four games remaining until the playoffs start. Every game will be crucial for their playoff seeding. Remaining games on the schedule are Feb. 2 against Center Moriches at 7 p.m., Feb. 9 against John Glenn at 5:15 p.m., Feb. 13 at Hampton Bays at 6:45 p.m., and Feb. 15 against Southampton at 4:30 p.m.

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Jan. 12: Sachem East 62, Riverhead 47

It’s been a tough season for Riverhead after having high hopes to start the year. The squad hasn’t been able to produce wins despite being competitive in every game they’ve played. The game against Sachem East (4-5 League I, 8-5 overall) was no different. After finishing the first quarter ahead, 14-10, the Blue Waves scuttled away the lead in the second quarter, allowing Sachem East to score 21 points while only scoring nine. Alex Apicella led Sachem East in points scored with 19 and Danny Kozlowski added another 11. Riverhead’s AJ Austin had his best game of the season, scoring almost half of the Blue Waves’ points with 20. After being successful from beyond the arc during most of the season, Riverhead was only able to connect on one three-point basket against Sachem East. The Blue Waves have three games coming up: Jan. 18, Patchogue-Medford at Riverhead at 4:30 p.m.; Jan. 24, Riverhead at William Floyd at 4 p.m.; and Jan. 26, Brentwood at Riverhead at 5 p.m.

Girls Basketball

Jan. 12: Sachem East 53, Riverhead 32

After a very strong start during the season, Riverhead (2-5 League I, 4-5 overall) has taken a small step back, coming up against some of the strongest squads in League I. Sachem East got ahead in this one and kept the Blue Waves off the board the rest of the way. Riverhead managed to score only eight points in every quarter. Defense has been the key to the Blue Waves’ success in the early going and they’ll continue to need to rely on that the rest of the way. The two league wins thus far is an incredible accomplishment for a team that didn’t win any last year. In the game against Sachem East, Logan Pilon led all scorers with 21 points. The junior has been excellent on both sides of the court but will need some help in the scoring column. The Blue Waves have three games coming up: Jan. 18, Riverhead at Pathogue-Medford at 4 p.m.; Jan. 24, William Floyd at Riverhead at 4 p.m.; and Riverhead at Brentwood at 4 p.m.

Jan. 8: Shoreham-Wading River 58, Center Moriches 35

The Wildcats have been slowly coming along this season as the team continues to work through some inconsistencies. With athletes up and down the floor, the best is yet to come. It’s just going to take time. Juliana Mahan, the one returning starter from last year’s Suffolk County championship squad, is becoming a force to be reckoned with as the season progresses. Against Center Moriches, Mahan scored 16 points to lead the team to victory. The Wildcats led the whole way and never looked back. Vanessa Stewart scored 22 points for Center Moriches. Shoreham-Wading River (2-1 League 6, 6-5 overall) have plenty of time to prepare and improve for another run in the Class A playoffs. Upcoming Wildcats games: Jan. 18, John Glenn at Shoreham-Wading River at 5:15 p.m.; Jan. 20, Hampton Bays at Shoreham-Wading River at noon; and Jan. 23, Shoreham-Wading River at Southampton at 6:45 p.m.

Boys Track

Jan. 6: Riverhead and Shoreham-Wading River Section XI Crossover Championships

Riverhead and Shoreham-Wading River competed in the Section XI Crossover Championships, which included all schools in Suffolk County, large and small. Here are some notable results.

Michael Huebner (SWR) ran the 300m dash in 37.87 seconds, which was good for 4th place. Jake Smith (SWR) finished the 600m dash with a time of 1:30.37, which earned 9th place. Jarrell Winston (SWR) placed 9th in the 1000m run with a time of 2:48.15. Noah Wyszomierski (SWR) finished in 6th place in the 1600m run with a time of 4:47.19. James Hise (RIV) finished the 55m hurdles in 15th place with a time of 8.67. Riverhead took 5th place in the 4×800 relay with a time of 9:02.48. Logan Jung (SWR) earned 2nd place with a 6-01 jump in the high jump, and Kobe Boyle (RIV) tied for 7th with a jump of 5-06. Karter Doyle (RIV) finished 8th in the shot put event with a throw of 41-06.

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