“I had to put aside my ego for an opportunity to grow the program,” Mandery said. “Here, we’re able to work on things in practice and actually implement them into the game. It’s hard to get better when you’re losing by multiple goals every game.”

Mandery’s decision is paying off.

Riverhead defeated Hampton Bays, 3-2 on Monday afternoon at Hampton Bays High School to improve their developmental league record to 4-1.

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COPYRIGHT BILL LANDON Sophomore Katherine Gonzalez (left) celebrates her goal with teammates. (Credit: Bill Landon) Riverhead goalie Sky Hervan makes a save. (Credit: Bill Landon) Riverhead’s Brianna Banegas battles for the ball. (Credit: Bill Landon) Riverhead senior forward Ellie Cammarota crosses the ball. (Credit: Bill Landon) Senior midfielder Evelyn Velasquez fires upfield for the Blue Waves. (Credit: Bill Landon) Freshman Maggie Morgan fights for possession. (Credit: Bill Landon)

Katherine Gonzalez opened the scoring before Ellie Cammarota scored twice to seal the game for the Blue Waves. 

The three goals matched Riverhead’s entire total for last season. 

“Division I was really hard for us,” Cammarota said. “We had to face girls that have been playing together since they were kids and play travel soccer and everything. To us, we’re all still learning the game, our teammates and everything, so this league is a great place to do that.”

The developmental league was created for teams that may need more time work on their basic skills before competing in more rigorous, multi-classification leagues.

These teams are not eligible for the standard Section XI playoffs but will rather have just a league winner. It is a two-year commitment for any school that decides to register.

A major measuring stick that the team has improved was their non-division matchup against Southampton this season. Riverhead took a 1-0 lead into the first half before being clipped 2-1. Last year, the Blue Waves were routed 5-1.

“Being in this league is definitely helping us get better,” central defender Kelly Lopez said. “We didn’t enjoy the season last year at all. Every game, we lost by a lot, and it’s hard to want to get better and work on things because every game feels the same. We’re blaming one another instead of trying to get better.”

The size of Riverhead’s girls soccer program has grown over the past few years. Riverhead is able to have a varsity and junior varsity team as well as two middle school teams.

“This is another reason why we’re in the developmental league,” Mandery said. “We’re starting to get more and more interest, and I want our core to be strong once we get back to playing in our actual division. My daughter is in the school district and by the time she gets up here, I want us to be at our best. If that means to sacrifice a few years playing at this level so be it. The fact of the matter is, we have to catch up. It’s hard to do that when you don’t have a chance in every game you play.”

Though it is a two-year commitment to be in the developmental league, Mandery hasn’t completely shut off the idea of staying longer.

“Every year we’re going to have to reassess,” Mandery said. “I know we have tremendous athletes out here on the east end. We just need time to get them coached up to the level these other kids out west are. It’s just a matter of time, but I believe in our girls. I know we have what it takes. They’re working so hard to improve, and I believe the future is super bright for those underclassmen on the team now.”

Riverhead returns to action Wednesday, Oct. 1, at East Hampton — the only team in their division that’s beaten them this year.

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Ms. Gilmore, who died after a medical incident at soccer practice in April, coached the Wildcats for 14 seasons and led the team to six Suffolk County titles, three Long Island championships and a state title while winning 165 games.

She turned the girls’ soccer squad into a powerhouse, guiding the student-athletes to a state semifinal after their second consecutive Long Island title last fall. 

Before the Sept. 27 game, members of the girls’ soccer team held a “Gilmore Game” banner and walked onto the field alongside members of the Gilmore family and the William Floyd team. 

Daughter Kayla Gilmore, who is currently in her sophomore year playing for the University of Maryland women’s lacrosse team, spoke about her mother and the coach she knew her to be. 

“Somehow she knew how to bring out the very best in me, and she did the same thing for her players,” Kayla said. “She wanted her players to be strong, confident women and she showed them how to do that. That’s the culture she built here [at Shoreham-Wading River].” 

Head coach Lydia Kessel spoke about Ms. Gilmore’s legacy and the way her team continues to play in her memory. 

“What is comforting to know is that her legacy lives on in the players she coached, in the lessons she taught and in the love she had for this program,” Ms. Kessel said. “Even though she is no longer here, she is still guiding us.” 

The Wildcats girls’ soccer squad secured a 5-1 victory over William Floyd in the non-league game. The boys’ soccer team followed with a 1-0 victory over Garden City later that afternoon. 

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Sept. 22: Shoreham-Wading River 6, Mt. Sinai 1

The Shoreham-Wading River boys soccer team looks every bit of a championship contender now eight games into the school season. The 6-1 victory over Mt. Sinai marks eight wins in a row for the Wildcats as they continue their dominance on the pitch. Shoreham-Wading River got two goals from Evan DeGroot and a goal apiece from Zack Makarewicz, John Zoumas, Dominic Sencadas and Tyler Nowaski. Makarewicz is currently tied for first in Suffolk County in goals scored with 11. The Wildcats will travel to Rocky Point Thursday, Sept. 25, for a 4:30 p.m. game.

Sept. 20: Connetquot 7, Riverhead 1

It’s been an especially tough season for first-year head coach Nic DeZenzo. Through eight games, the team still remains winless. They’ve only scored five goals all season in facing off against the best of the best in League 1. Riverhead’s lone goal scorer in the game was Ian Rojas, who netted his first of the season. The Blue Waves travel to North Babylon (1-3-3) on Thursday.

Field Hockey

Sept. 19: Huntington 1, Riverhead 0

Playing at home, Riverhead traded zeros on the scoreboard with Huntington for three quarters in a tightly contested game. Huntington (4-3) got the breakthrough goal from Alexa Wasoski with just 3:49 left in the fourth quarter. Casey Hubbard made nine saves for the Blue Waves. With the loss, Riverhead’s record drops to 3-3. Centereach (2-4) comes to town Friday, Sept. 26, for a 4 p.m. game. 

Girls Soccer

Sept. 22: Southampton 2, Riverhead 1

Playing in the alternative league for the first time, the Riverhead girls soccer team has held its own, posting a record of 3-1 within division play. Outside of the division, they have lost all three matches. The Blue Waves got ahead early against Southampton as Gabby Re found the back of the net for the only goal in the first half. Southampton’s Addison Stevens, however, scored twice in the second half to give the Mariners the 2-1 victory. Riverhead will host Rocky Point on Thursday, Sept. 25. Game time is slated for 4 p.m.

Sept. 18: Shoreham-Wading River 2, Bayport-Bluepoint 1

After losing their first game of the season against Glenn, Shoreham-Wading River has now bounced back for two consecutive wins following a late winner against Bayport-Blue Point. The Wildcats trailed 1-0 at halftime before scoring twice in the second half. Olivia Pesso and Cali Greco scored for Shoreham-Wading River (4-1-2). A year after making it to the New York State final four, the Wildcats look poised for another run. They travel to Center Moriches (1-5-1) Friday, Sept. 26, for a 4:30 p.m. game. 

Boys Volleyball

Sept. 16: Shoreham-Wading River 3, Hampton Bays 2

Shoreham-Wading River needed all five sets to settle the match against Hampton Bays, pulling out the win 15-9 in the final set. Michael Pfeiffer, who had more than 100 kills coming into the match, added another 31 in the victory. Bubba Kelban had 45 assists. Shoreham-Wading River (4-1) hosts Bayport-Blue Point (3-3) Thursday, Sept. 25, for a 4 p.m. game.

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Riverhead lax alum Goodale training with Team USA

Growing up on her family farm in Riverhead shaped who Katie Goodale is as she blossomed into a prized Division I recruit. Being a natural defender vaulted her up the depth chart at Syracuse University and she left the school with a few records, including being the all-time leader in caused turnovers. Having graduated, she’s now onto a new goal: making Team USA’s roster. 

Blue Waves win PAL football titles

In the midst of the worst stretch in Riverhead high school football history, help is on the way. Both the 10u and 11u football teams won PAL championships under the leadership of two championship coaches. Rasheen Moore and Mike Heigh both won championships as members of the Blue Waves and now they’re trying to instill that old-school culture into the youth.

Freshman Wildcat Mangano wins national tourney

After winning his first state title during the school season, Gavin Mangano took it a step further and brought home a national title in April after wrestling at the National High School Coaches Association tournament in Virginia Beach. Eighty wrestlers from all over the country were in his weight class and Mangano stood above them all. It was a perfect cap to his freshman season at SWR.

Riverhead alum Julia Morrow earns Hall of Fame honors

After being one of the best pitchers in school history on the softball circle at Riverhead, Morrow continued her domination at the University of Tampa. She is the only pitcher ever to throw a perfect game at Riverhead — and produced two more in college. The two-time All-American was inducted into the University of Tampa Hall of Fame on Oct. 17.

Blue Wave alums make it to The Show

Two brothers from Riverhead’s graduating class of 2013 worked their way up from the lowest ranks of MLB back offices to now being prominent staff members for the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies. Tyler Carroll is tasked with scouting for Texas and Connor Carroll works on the player development side for the Rockies. 

Softball: Blue Waves cap historic season

For the first time in school history, Riverhead’s varsity softball team went a perfect 18-0 after defeating Half Hollow Hills West in the last game of the regular season. The game went into extra innings and the Blue Waves came out on top 5-6 after Mya Marelli smashed the game-winning hit. Marelli also won Big Schools Pitcher of the Year before Riverhead lost in the Suffolk County semifinal.

Riverhead boys lax squad among school’s best ever

After taking its lumps as a young team for a few seasons, the Blue Waves lacrosse team finally emerged with a strong senior class this year, taking the program to levels it hasn’t seen before. Griffin Sumwalt finished his career as the all-time leader in goals and points scored. The team ended up posting a 11-3 division record — the best in school history.

SWR girls soccer win another title

For the second year in a row, Shoreham-Wading River’s girls soccer team won the Class A Long Island championship, sending the team to play in the New York State Final Four in Cortland. The Wildcats accomplished this feat without their star player last year, Grace Hillis, which made this year’s run that much more remarkable. Mia Mangano scored the opening goal as the Wildcats prevailed over Wantagh, 2-0.

Riverhead alum takes over fledgling track program

Ryan Budd has been a champion at every level. He won a first-ever Long Island championship as a member of Riverhead’s football team. Then,  at Central Connecticut State, he helped the team win its first title in history. He went on to coach at Wagner College and that team also won their first-ever championship. Now he’s up for a new challenge: Budd recently took the head track and field coaching job at Western Connecticut State University – a team that never existed before.

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Riverhead soccer has been historically bad but the last few years showed glimpses of a potential turnaround. A team that has rarely won at all since its inception, started to slowly gather some wins. From 0-14 three years ago, they improved to 2-13-1 two years ago and ended last season at 5-9-1. It’s not a night-and-day turnaround, but it’s progress. When Philcox took that long walk,after starting the season 0-2, he contemplated if there was really progress.

“It’s a mentality thing for us here at Riverhead,” Philcox said. “I don’t get it. We have tremendous talent individually. We have a team full of seniors that have been through it all together. But for some reason when the going gets tough, we fold.”

After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, the energy level dipped as it seemed like it was beginning to be another case of same old, same old. But with 30 seconds left in the first half, Lesther Rivera, last year’s top goal scorer with 15, took it upon himself to dribble the ball up the right side of the field and hit a left-footed curling shot from way outside the box that ripped right past the goalkeeper’s mitts and into the back of the net.

“Instantly, the mood of the team changed,” Philcox said. “All of a sudden we had belief and the game was within grasp. We started the second half with a fire we didn’t have all game.”

Riverhead dominated possession for the first 10 minutes of the second half. They pushed the ball forward, made the correct pass and defended a very high line. Riverhead didn’t have a shot on goal until Rivera’s strike late in the first half. They barely had any shots at all. But those 10 minutes in the second half, Riverhead was able to get off two shots, not at goal, but it was at least a sign of injected energy.

“Why don’t we start the game that way?”assistant coach Kevin Ghigliotti exclaimed post game.“I don’t get why we need to get a goal to want to be here and play hard. We should be working hard from the opening minute.If you don’t want to be here,just let me know and I’ll take your jersey. We have plenty of people on the bench that want your minutes.”

But once those 10 minutes passed unfruitful, Sachem East got back into the swing of things and took over the game again,rarely allowing Riverhead to pass the midline. The Flaming Arrows’ third goal of the game basically crushed all hope of coming back, which could be seen in the Blue Waves’ body language.

“We have nine seniors starting,” Philcox said. “This is their last year playing for Riverhead. That should bring some fire in them. Knowing it’s their last chance to make a statement. To show the community that Riverhead can win. To show everyone we can make the playoffs for the first time. We have the talent to do it but they just don’t play well together.”

Sachem East dribbled through Riverhead’s midfield with ease and it seemed like everyone knew where their teammate was going to be without even needing to look that way before the pass. There was a confidence about their play and they had an understanding of one another. When Riverhead got possession, the ball was either kicked back upfield to the opposing team or a long ball was attempted that eventually didn’t hit its target. Instead of finding an open player and navigating through the defense, Riverhead was content with just getting it out of their zone.

“It’s like they’re scared to make a mistake,” Philcox said. “I would understand that from the underclassmen. But we have a group of seniors out there that have been in the program for three, four years. I know we’re better than this and I think it’s too early to start making drastic changes but we have to get out of the losing mentality and believe in ourselves. Coming into today I was feeling like we could get a 2-0 win today. I really believed it.”

Riverhead plays three underclassmen regularly — Hector Calderon, Rony Yanes and Chris Contreras — whether it’s starting or off the bench.At times it seemed like they might have been the best players on the field. They may be inexperienced but they’re committed to working hard and making an impact – even if that’s in effort alone.

“I guess we’re just used to losing; it’s comfortable,” Philcox said. “We need to have belief and that starts with our seniors. They need to step up. It’s now or never.”

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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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Shoreham-Wading River head coach Adrian Gilmore was told that it was done to accommodate Kings Park as the boys soccer team would also play their final at Diamond in the Pines. But in reality, in her mind it was really something else.

“They didn’t want to play us at home,” Gilmore said. “I don’t want to say that they were scared but our stadium has everything — great sound system, beautiful field, plenty of seating. It’s a perfect venue for a championship. There were two ways to approach the situation: kick your heels in the sand and fight and make it a distraction, or do what we did.”

Assistant coach Brian Ferguson, furious with the decision, decided to get a shirt made to fire up the girls. It said: “Any time, any place.”

Ferguson whipped out that shirt Wednesday at halftime in the Suffolk County Class A championship against No. 1 seed Kings Park (14-3-1) and it sparked the team going into the second half after playing to a 0-0 tie the first 40 minutes.

After Mia Mangano was fouled some 40 yards away from the net, three minutes into the second half, Grace Hillis stepped up to the ball with her eyes set on goal. The Wildcats were working on set pieces all week but this shot would involve no teammates.

“When she wound up and took that kick I just knew it was going in,” Gilmore said. “You know you just get that feeling. It was truly amazing.”

The strike was smashed so fiercely, the goalie barely had any time to react as it found the upper right hand side of the netting to take the lead 1-0. 

“It was a great feeling,” Hillis said. “I have been working on that shot all season. I just knew it had to go in. It was the best feeling watching the ball hit the back of the net.”

Hillis later scored on a penalty kick to seal the deal for the Wildcats and send them into the Class A Long Island final with a 2-0 victory over Kings Park.

“To have two goals in the Suffolk County championship is something she will remember forever,” Gilmore said. “For her to come up from her defensive midfield position and score two goals shows what kind of an athlete she is.”

“I just blocked out everyone and everything around me at that moment,” Hillis said of the crucial penalty. “I just focused on me and the goalie. I’ve done it a million times and I just had to slow myself down.”

The win marks the first time in history the Wildcats’ girls soccer team won back to back Suffolk County championships. The only time Shoreham-Wading River won the Long Island championship was in 2019. That team ended up winning the state title.

“I see a lot of similarities between the two teams,” Gilmore said, who’s been coaching the Wildcats for 10 years. “Both of these teams refused to lose. My 2019 team was wild. They’d be complaining with the referee on one end on a no-foul call and then full sprint to the other end and win the ball back. When you have that hunger to win, nothing gets in your way.”

Shoreham-Wading River (13-3-3) will take on the Nassau County champion, Plainedge on Saturday at 11am. This time the game will actually take place at Shoreham-Wading River high school.

“We know we aren’t done yet,” Hillis said. “Yes we can enjoy the win tonight but we are back to work tomorrow and there is plenty to be worked on.”

“We have 48 hours to prepare,” Gilmore said. “We’re going to give them the best we got.”

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Boys Football

Sept. 13: Commack 49, Riverhead 12

Following a tough loss against Bay Shore to open the season, the Blue Waves found themselves in the losing column again against Commack. Riverhead got on the board quickly in the first quarter with QB Maurice Scott scampering into the endzone on a 4-yard run, but the offense failed to score again until the fourth quarter. Aidan Daniels scored the other touchdown for the Blue Waves on a 2-yard goal line burst. Commack QB Jeremy Weiss had a field day in the pocket, completing 8 of 11 passes for 202 yards and connecting on three touchdowns. Riverhead will travel to Patchogue-Medford (0-2) Friday in search of their first win.

Sept. 14: Shoreham-Wading River 46, Wyandanch 0

The Wildcats bounced back in emphatic fashion after an opening week defeat to Glenn with a resounding victory over Wyandanch. SWR piled on 28 points in the opening quarter and never looked back. Liam Kershis opened the scoring with a bang, evading tacklers on an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown. Kershis then caught a 24-yard pass from Tyler Hermanns for another score. Hermanns went a perfect 9-for-9 in pass attempts for 129 yards and four TDs. Kershis scored three times, three different ways — the last coming by way of a rush. The Wildcats will look to carry the momentum into the next game when they face off against Bayport-Blue Point (2-0) at home Friday.

Boys Soccer

Sept. 14: Whitman 4, Riverhead 2

After scoring just one goal in their first two league games, Riverhead was able to break through with two tallies against Whitman but unfortunately surrendered four in the process. It’s been a tough start to the regular season after a promising preseason. Lesther Rivera and Cris Gonzalez scored for Riverhead.

Sept. 14: Shoreham-Wading River 1, Glenn 0

In a rematch from last year’s playoffs, the Wildcats proved they are the team to beat this year with a 1-0 victory. SWR scored a late second half goal to seal the deal and hand Glenn its first loss of the season. Patrick Morano scored the game-winner off an assist from Sam Palmer. Goalkeeper and captain Kyle Rose was again remarkable between the woodwork, coming up with nine saves to preserve the Wildcats undefeated league record.

Girls Soccer

Sept. 15: Riverhead 5, Newfield 4

The Blue Waves kept the momentum flowing in their pursuit of a first-ever playoff berth in program history with the 5-4 defeat of Newfield. Despite relinquishing the lead late in the second half, they found a way to victory in the extra period. Riverhead’s star forward Alexis Ré was right in the middle of it. The senior scored all five goals for the Blue Waves including the OT game-winner. Tori Arm was constantly under fire in goal and came away with 17 saves.

Sept. 13: Shoreham-Wading River 6, East Hampton 0

The Wildcats are starting to get into a groove as the season rolls along and nothing is more evident of that than last Wednesday’s 6-0 defeat of East Hampton. Six different scorers found the back of the net in the rout. Bella Sweet, Olivia Pesso, Megan Halloran, Mia Mangano, Grace Hillis and Naomi Harris each scored. Johanna Ochsenfeld recorded two assists. 

Field Hockey

Sept. 18: Lindenhurst 1, Riverhead 0

Riverhead continued its tough start to the season with a 1-0 loss in heavy rain Monday. Scoring has been the issue through the first five games of the season as the Blue Waves have only been able to score two goals. The game against Lindenhurst was scoreless up until the third quarter when Shelly Banegas broke the deadlock with what ended up being the game-winning goal. Riverhead will try to secure its first win of the season against Copiague (1-4) Thursday.

Sept. 19: Shoreham-Wading River 1, Miller Place 0

SWR has been on absolute fire to start the season, winning six straight games. The Wildcats outscored their opponents 21-2 over the undefeated stretch with timely goals and incredible defense that has them atop Division II. The game against Miller Place went scoreless until the fourth quarter when Ellie Arena notched a goal with 5:31 remaining. Maddie Herr has been the catalyst for the Wildcats during the hot streak, scoring 8 goals so far this season to go along with 4 assists. 

Girls Volleyball

Sept. 18: Hampton Bays 3, Shoreham-Wading River 0

 Hampton Bays continued their torrid start to the season, taking the Wildcats down in straight sets, 25-21, 25-17 and 25-14. Tania Quiros recorded 14 kills and 17 digs for Hampton Bays and Asha Pensa-Johnson added 11 kills and three blocks. Hampton Bays improved to 5-0 and SWR’s record fell to 1-2. The Wildcats will travel to Miller Place (0-6) Friday.

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Peter Bellard of Setauket outlined his proposal to donate the multi-purpose athletic fields to Riverhead Town, with a goal of enhancing recreation opportunities for children as well as for older people who may wish to play pickleball. He said he plans to fully fund the operation and would not be seeking assistance from the town, other than for the land.

“I think [indoor facilities] really are something that’s needed, especially in the North and South Forks, and Riverhead being so centralized provides so much of an opportunity for all those townships and especially for Riverhead as you guys are growing,” Mr. Bellard said.

The facilities would provide expanded opportunities for kids who play soccer, lacrosse and field hockey, for example, Mr. Bellard said.

The outdoor fields could be ready as early as this summer and the indoor training facilities by the start of the next school year, Mr. Bellard said. Riverhead Town residents could have a set time to use the indoor fields for free, he said.

The preliminary proposal comes on the heels of the Town Board approving a new bubble ice hockey rink at Veterans Memorial Park that will be donated by Wading River-based Peconic Hockey Foundation. Mr. Bellard said his plan is to locate the fields on land north of where the ice hockey rink would be located.

The outdoor fields would be 320 feet by 190 feet, so “they can be utilized on any level, whether we’re talking about children in kindergarten level all the way up to college,” Mr. Bellard said.

The complex would be built on about 4 1/2 to 6 acres of town land at the park.

His plan features a building with three fields, each 100 by 150 feet, or about 15,000 square feet each, a dimension that’s equal to about 1/4-size of a soccer field.

He plans to donate the outdoor fields and then build the indoor facility, which would total about 45,000 to 50,000 square feet. He envisions the indoor facility opening around 8 a.m. The time from 3-10 p.m. would be the primary used for school-aged kids. He’s also hoping to have a special event space that could be used for birthday parties and other events. The plans do not include lights for the outdoor fields.

In a letter to the town, Mr. Bellard, who said he’s a currency option trader based in Huntington, listed his organization as ““Conscience Bay Group.” The president and CEO of the organization, he said Thursday he’d be open to changing a name to something that “sounds a little more proper to what we’re trying to do.”

Councilman Bob Kern said Mr. Bellard has agreed to pave 72 parking spaces and stripe them. Mr. Bellard also said he’d plan to make donations to Veterans Memorial Park for upkeep on annual basis.

The goal would be to work in conjunction with Riverhead’s Recreation Department. Ray Coyne, the superintendent of Parks & Recreation, attended the work session and said he had just been briefed on the plan. Mr. Bellard said his group would supply items like corner flags and goals for the fields that could be used by the recreation department.

Councilman Ken Rothwell asked about maintenance of the fields, such as grass cutting. Mr. Bellard said that’s something he hopes to coordinate with the town. Mr. Rothwell said the buildings and ground department is a “little overwhelmed” maintaining current facilities. The town may need to adjust the budget for next year to have the funds to cover that maintenance, he said.

He also asked if there would be a managerial contract, similar to what the town is engaging Peconic Hockey Foundation for that indoor rink facility. In that agreement, the foundation is purchasing and erecting the facility, and once its ready, turning the keys over to the town, Mr. Rothwell said.

Mr. Bellard said he envisioned maintaining and operating the facility from the beginning and envisioned setting up a lease with the town.

“In an ideal world it would be a lease,” he said. “I would then be donating these buildings to the town and I’d be operating those buildings for the time of those lease.”

Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said there’s still a lot work to be done to sort out how an agreement would ultimately be written.

“The town attorney and recreation [department] will have to work out the details and present it to the board for approval,” she said.

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