“We haven’t had numbers like this since like 2019,” Mr. Benedetto said. “Now, there’s three to four guys competing for a varsity spot. The last few years, it was, if you fit the weight class, the spot was yours. You can’t breed competition until you have numbers.”

That competition and drive directly translated to results on Saturday, Dec. 6, at the Andrew Peers Memorial tournament at Walt Whitman High School. After a non-league match against Rocky Point on Friday, Dec. 5, didn’t go as well as they hoped, Riverhead dominated on Saturday.

“Great bounce back from Friday,” Benedetto said. “They wrestled through positions and wrestled to win. Need to keep the momentum going.”

The Blue Waves won the entire event, totaling 270 team points. The win featured five champions, including Jayden Glennerster (110-lbs), Kamel Coaxum (132), Luis Manuel Delacruz (150), Colby Baran (165) and William Stackevicius (190). Riverhead had nine total finalists.

“These kids are hungry,” Benedetto said. “They really want to do well. Before, maybe we had two or three guys that wanted to do well. Now the whole team wants it. They’re all pushing each other and it’s a great sight to see.”

Many wrestlers came back to the program after taking time off. Baran, who has mainly focused on golf, is back after taking a year off. Kevonte Newsom is back for his senior year after taking two years off. 

“I think part of it is seeing the success of all the other sports like basketball, softball and baseball,” Benedetto said. “Once kids see that attention, they want it too. Wrestling is one of those only sports that you can shine on an individual stage. Winning in wrestling is unmatched.”

Another major part of the wrestling resurgence, Benedetto said, is the recruitment at the middle school level. There are talks of reviving the Riverhead kids’ wrestling program. 

“It’s a great effort by middle school coaches,” he said. “We have a ton of freshmen in the program. Joe Gianotti is relentless at Pulaski Street as a phys-ed teacher, just breaking kids down and not leaving them alone until they sign up to wrestle.”

The current struggles in wrestling at Riverhead are directly related to the numbers. It’s hard to argue otherwise. Riverhead has a rich history of wrestling, having produced eight all-state wrestlers and dozens of county champions over the years.  

“If we have to forfeit every other match because we don’t have someone at that weight class, it’s tough to win,” Benedetto said. “It’s tough to keep the kids motivated knowing we don’t have a chance every night. We’re ahead on the scoreboard and then we have to forfeit three weight classes, and all of a sudden we’re behind.”

Now there are wrestle-offs in practice constantly. Spots are decided by what’s shown in practice. Every weight class is earned. Two of the best wrestlers in the program, Zach Gevinski and Christopher Ramos, are in the same weight division.

“Those guys are going to make themselves better every day in practice,” Benedetto said. “Let them decide who is the better wrestler for that starting spot. It’s only making them better and our program better, seeing competition like that. There’s nothing wrong with Riverhead taking first and second in the county for a given weight class.”

With the numbers hopefully on the up-and-up for the years to come, Benedetto has one main focus this season. 

“Get everyone a few tough, hard-fought wins,” Benedetto said. “Once they realize that the hard work translates to success, the sky is the limit. Wrestling is a slow, grinding progression. Winning a tough, 5-4 decision when the stakes are the highest is something everyone needs to feel. It’s a feeling that can’t be replicated. If we get them to feel like a few times, they’ll be chasing that feeling for the rest of their career.”

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Flash forward 24 years later and, effective Dec. 1, Ms. Edwards was officially named director of health, physical education and athletics at Riverhead Central Schools.

“When I saw the position open up, I knew I had to throw my hat in the ring,” Ms. Edwards said. “When you love athletics and you love education and you love being around kids, there’s no job better. It’s my dream job. And most importantly, Riverhead is home.”

After a lengthy interview process in the spring with Bob Hagen, Riverhead’s new superintendent of schools, and the board of education, seeing her phone ring with his name plastered on the screen this summer instantly brought mixed feelings.

“He started talking about how much of a great candidate I was and saying all these nice things about me,” Ms. Edwards said. “Listening to all this, I was waiting for the ‘but.’ I had already programmed myself to accept not getting the position that I didn’t realize, there was no ‘but.’ He just offered me the job.”

After graduating from Riverhead in 2001, Ms. Edwards starred for Springfield College in softball, playing catcher. She smacked 26 home runs in her collegiate career, which set a school record at the time. Following her playing career, she coached at the college level in the Boston area before coming back to Long Island.

“My whole family is here,” Ms. Edwards said. “Family always pulls you back, and that’s exactly what keeps me here today.”

Ms. Edwards accepted a position to coach Pierson in softball and field hockey. During her time there, the field hockey team won a New York State Championship for the first time in school history, and the softball team made it to the state championships three years in a row.

“It was a crazy time because once we started getting success in softball and field hockey, other teams started following suit,” she said. “Baseball started getting good, soccer, every sport wanted that taste of success. At that point, winning becomes the expectation, which is exactly the mentality I want to bring to Riverhead.”

In 2013, Ms. Edwards got an opportunity to head into the administrative field, accepting the assistant athletic director position at McGann-Mercy, a private school in Riverhead. That assistant tag didn’t last long as she fully took over the program shortly after. She held the position until the school closed its doors in 2018.

“While I was at Mercy, I realized this is the job I was meant to do,” Ms. Edwards said. “The opportunity to make an impact on kids across the board and give them a true chance at success was so fulfilling. I wanted nothing more than to do it again.”

She decided to go back to school and received her master’s degree in physical education from Adelphi University. Edwards then accepted a teaching job at Wantagh while being the assistant softball coach for a few years before most recently heading to East Hampton High School to coach their softball team. 

“No matter where I went, I always wanted to come back home,” Ms. Edwards said. “I live in Riverhead. I was born in Riverhead. This was always my end goal.”

When Hans Wiederkehr, Riverhead’s interim athletic director, first heard of the hiring and met Ms. Edwards, he knew instantly she was the right person for the job. 

“Energy,” Mr. Wiederkehr said. “If you don’t have energy in this position, you’re done. And if it’s not positive energy, it’s even worse. She has the energy, and she legitimately wants the best for Riverhead athletics. It’s not just talk. Nobody wants this more than her.”

Mr. Wiederkehr will stay on board to help with the transition and to build off of what’s been done already. The main focus has been on youth sports. In partnership with the booster clubs, youth sporting opportunities have skyrocketed in Riverhead.

There’s football, soccer, basketball, lacrosse — anything youth-related, it’s been started. Most recently, there’s been an emphasis on kid wrestling taking root again.

“Our buildings are full with kids’ sports every day of the week,” Mr. Wiederkehr said, showing off a detailed sheet on his desk. “Parents have stepped up. There’s many volunteers that are committed to turning things around, and both of us are committed to helping do that.”

Another thing Ms. Edwards plans on tackling is the playing fields. 

“We want to make this place pristine and top-notch like our athletes deserve here,” she said. “We’re working hard with the grounds crew to clean this place up. Every day, we have a new project.”

To Ms. Edwards, the budget cuts excuse is gone. There are no more excuses. Riverhead will succeed.

“The fact of the matter is I care,” she said. “This is my home. I know all these long-time Riverhead families. I want the best for this town, and I believe in this town. Riverhead athletics is changing. We’re already seeing major progress. All I want to do is foster that success and make it an expectation.”

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It was a tremendous turnaround for the program, but entering into a new season, Riverhead is looking to build on that success and prevent a year-two hangover.

“The main thing is, I need the kids to understand that it’s a new season,” Fabian said. “Just because we had success last year doesn’t mean we are obligated to have the same success this year. We still have to have the same mentality of playing hard for the whole 32 minutes, every game.”

This year presents a major hole in the lineup. Riverhead lost two of its stars to graduation in Liam Lennon and Deshawn Watkins. Lennon was the team captain and voice of the team. He provided size, heart and hustle. He led by example. Watkins was a threat to score every time he stepped on the court. He averaged 16.1 points per game and scored as many as 41 points on one occasion.

“Those are big shoes to fill,” Fabian said. “Those guys were leaders on our team. We have a lot of talent returning, and everyone is going to have to chip in to have success. We need our top guys to be the leaders this year.”

Three starters return to the unit from last year. Peter Lagnena is entering his final year as a Blue Wave and in scrimmages thus far has been lighting up the net from deep. The shooting guard averaged around 12 points per game last year and is going to be stepping into a major role this season.

“We’re doing our best to put the best product on the floor,” Lagnena said. “We’ve all been working hard all off-season, trying to get better and blend together as a team. We’re truly a family on and off the court.”

Anaiis Mitchell, who has been the facilitator at the point guard spot since his freshman year, will need to take on the scoring load in his junior season. He’s shown flashes of his ability to get inside and finish strong at the rim — occasionally throwing down dunks in transition. He scored as many as 21 in a game last season. 

“I’ve always been a pass-first point guard,” Mitchell said. “I love to get everybody involved in the offense. But losing two of our big scorers, we all need to get more aggressive, including myself. I think we got a lot of great players this year and can find the same success if we believe in ourselves.”

In the off-season leagues, Landon Zaleski stepped up as a major contributor in the scoring column. He routinely scored 20 points a game by hitting outside jumpers and finding his way into the paint. A junior this year, Zaleski will be a major part of this offense and defense. 

Two transfers headline this year’s team. Josiah Rodney, who previously played at Riverhead before transferring to Southampton last year, is back this year. In his senior season, he’ll be able to score with the best of them and provide that key player inside for crucial rebounds. Arnezz Rountree, a guard from Bellport, will round out the starting five for Fabian. He’s got scoring ability, hustle and bounce.

“We definitely missed Josiah last year, so we’re thrilled he’s back with us,” Fabian said. “We expect him to be a major contributor. He can score off the ball and run the floor well. Arnezz is a flat-out true basketball player. He’s got a motor. He’s long. He’s lanky. He’s fast, and he works really hard.”

A major change this year has been the interest level in basketball in general. This year, the varsity team has 16 players and the JV team has 18. 

“The buzz is back in school,” Lagnena said. “People want to be on a winning team. I think last year showed what we can do and more want to be a part of it.”

Fabian couldn’t go deep in his bench last year and had to rely on the starters to play big minutes. In big games, the starting five would stay out the entire 32 minutes, barring foul trouble. By the end of the game, legs were gone, but they pushed through.

“We truly have depth now,” Fabian said. “I don’t mind going 9 or 10 deep in a game now. It’s going to be a massive difference in our ability to finish games. I have confidence in all the guys on the team.”

Also expected to be major contributors who played big minutes last year are Jack Bartolo and Sentrell Hires. The rotation is still being worked out, but everybody will have a role.

“Our job as returners is to make everyone feel comfortable,” Mitchell said. “The faster we can get a feel for what everyone’s role is going to be, the faster we’ll be able to find success. We did a great job this off-season figuring out what we have. Now we just need to put it all together.”

Riverhead opens its season on Thursday, Dec. 4, in a non-league home game against Ward Melville at 4:30 p.m.

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Riverhead Boys Basketball

Riverhead Girls Basketball

SWR Boys Basketball

Head Coach: Kevin Culhane (18 years)

Last Season: [10-10] (5-9 League VI), missed playoffs

Key Returnees: Zach Makarewicz, 11, guard; Tyler Lievre, 10, guard; Max Boerum, 12 forward; Carter Baumeister, 12 forward; James Cook, 12, guard

Key Losses: Dylan McClelland, Jack McInnis

First Game: Friday, Dec. 5: Westhampton Beach at Shoreham-Wading River, 6:30 p.m.

“Out of all the years I’ve coached here, I think this team may have one of the best in terms of talent,” coach Kevin Culhane said in the summer. “I’ve had some great teams, but if we can put it together like I think we could, we might have a special year and surprise a few teams.”

The Wildcats can score with the best of them. Any one of their starting five is capable of making a major contribution on the scoreboard. They’ll rely on the hot hand on a game-by-game basis.

SWR Girls Basketball

Head Coach: Chris Coster (first year)

Last Season: [18-2] (14-2 League VI), Suffolk County Class A Semifinals Loss

Key Returnees: Kady Keegan, 12, guard; Anabel Keegan, 12, forward; Shealyn Varbero, 11, guard; Leslie Jablonski, 12, guard

Key Losses: Alyssa Bell, Grayce Kitchen, Morgan Lesiewicz

First Game: Thursday, Dec. 4: Mattituck at Shoreham-Wading River, 4 p.m.

For the first time in two decades, Shoreham-Wading River girls varsity coach Adam Lievre will no longer be on the sidelines. Lievre coached the team to the school’s first Suffolk County championship in 2023 and was close to winning another in subsequent years. He decided to step away from the team to spend more time with his two sons — one of whom (Tyler) plays on the boys varsity team. Chris Coster steps into a polished program and will try to continue the legacy Lievre leaves behind. 

Losing one of their best scorers, Alyssa Bell, to graduation, the Wildcats will need to fill the scoring gap left behind to remain competitive. Shoreham-Wading River always retools and rebuilds year after year.  Their athletes always shine when the lights are the brightest.

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Though Duff left the district to attend St. Anthony’s when sports were cut after two failed budgets, he continues to put Riverhead’s homegrown talent on the map. Though his high school may say St. Anthony’s on his bio, his hometown of Riverhead is right there next to it.

The 6-foot-6 wide receiver left his mark at St. Anthony’s, finishing with 132 catches for 2,606 yards and 26 touchdowns in his career. All three categories were the highest in school history. He helped St. Anthony’s win its first ever NYCHSFL Championship during his junior season. 

After becoming the No. 1 football recruit in all of New York, Duff had the luxury of sifting through nearly 40 collegiate scholarship offers. He eventually settled on Rutgers University to continue his athletic and academic career. Though many schools saw him as more of a tight end, Rutgers gave him their word he would play wide receiver there, which helped sway his decision. Ian Strong, Duff’s high school teammate, had committed to Rutgers a year earlier, so there was instant familiarity in the wide receiver room.

Now in his sophomore season at Rutgers, Duff has played his way onto the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, which is presented to the nation’s most outstanding college football receiver. With his size and speed, he’s a nightmare matchup for any defense — too fast for a linebacker and too big for a cornerback. 

On Oct. 25, he brought in six catches for a career-high 241 yards and a touchdown in a win over Purdue. That was the second-highest receiving total in school history. Through 10 games this season, Duff has corralled 53 passes for 923 yards and scored six touchdowns. The 923 yards receiving is good for fifth in all of the NCAA. 

Playing in the Big 10 conference, Duff plays against the best of the best. Rutgers currently holds a 5-5 record and is one win away from becoming bowl eligible. They will face off against Ohio State and Penn State to finish out the season. 

Even though he’s hundreds of miles away, Duff donates to the Riverhead PAL football program year after year. 

“Riverhead will always be my home,” Duff said after signing the national letter of intent with Rutgers two years ago. “I’ll never forget where I came from.”

He’s stuck to his word. The PAL program says there’s also been talk of him doing a skills camp in town. 

Still only 19 years old, Duff will be eligible for the NFL after his junior collegiate season. Ethan Greenidge, an offensive lineman who starred at Villanova University, is the most recent home-grown Riverhead talent to make it to the NFL. Every indication thus far points to Duff being the next. 

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“Hey, I get it, it’s a results kind of business,” Riverhead athletic director Hans Wiederkehr said. “But beyond the scoreboard, things are changing. Kids are committed to getting better. Don [Nelson] is doing a great job bringing pride and accountability back. It’s going to take time. I know we’re all tired of hearing that, but the proof at the lower levels is there. And though maybe we didn’t get a win on varsity this year, those kids worked hard as hell and will be the foundation of what’s to come.”

Coach Nelson is committed to turning things around. This is the town he grew up in. This is the team he suited up for. But the change can’t happen without a focus on the youth programs. 

During one of the Riverhead football parents’ meetings this year, the seniors on the team were asked how many of them played PAL football growing up — only two players raised their hands. 

“We have a lot of things working against us,” Nelson said. “We have a varsity team with only 24 players and most of them picked up the sport late. We got guys playing both ways and getting exhausted against teams that have 40-50 guys on their roster and can keep their guys fresh. It’s not an excuse, it’s just reality.”

The football foundation at Riverhead has been building for the last few years. The youth programs are winning. Last year, the 10- and 11-year-old PAL football teams won championships in their respective divisions. This year, almost every team made the playoffs. Former Riverhead alum, Mike Heigh, who won the Zellner Award for the most outstanding lineman in Suffolk County in 2003 and won a Suffolk County championship at Riverhead as a player, has been involved in the PAL program, holding various titles over the past 15 years. He has witnessed a major change.

“The people in charge the last three years at the PAL level are committed to building every kid on the team, not just theirs,” Heigh said. “The sixth and seventh graders we have now have what it takes to win it all, if not at the very least put our name back on the map. They’re all being coached by guys that had success here as players. We’re here for the kids. We want nothing more than to bring Riverhead back to where we once were. We just need the parents to believe and have patience.”

Though the football program is still building, it’s hard to ignore what major steps have already been taken across all the other sports. And it’s being led by parents and kids that have decided to stay here and spearhead a renaissance. 

Riverhead softball won its first Suffolk County championship last year in school history. Riverhead baseball made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years last year. They hadn’t won a playoff game in 20 years. Last year, they won two. Riverhead boys basketball made the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and won its first-round playoff game.

The Riverhead boys’ golf team has won six consecutive league titles and advanced to the Suffolk County team semifinals in three of those six years. The golf team sent both boys and girls representatives to states.

The Riverhead girls’ wrestling team had its first Suffolk County champion last year. The track and cross-country teams have set school records. The list goes on and on. Maybe football is not there yet, but it’s coming.

Even with the chips stacked against them, Riverhead had chances to beat several teams this year. In the loss against Central Islip, Riverhead missed a two-point conversion that would have won them the game in the final minute. Against Patchogue-Medford and Brentwood, the Blue Waves went into halftime with the lead. 

“Those wins are going to come,” Nelson said. “I haven’t even had a full year here yet. We’re going to keep recruiting and keep getting these kids bigger, stronger and faster. Nobody is giving up. I’m not giving up. The coaches aren’t giving up. The kids aren’t giving up. They fought for a full 48 minutes every game. I’m proud of every one of these kids. We got a lot of talent coming back, and we’re going to work like hell to get this thing right next year.”

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It was the third time in six years that Riverhead had made it to the final four. 

“I tell the kids now that we’re no longer the hunter,” Riverhead head golf coach Steve Failla said. “We are the hunted. It’s something that we’ve grown accustomed to over the years now. I guess it’s a good problem to have and a sign of where we’re at as a program.”

Unfortunately, Sayville won the match, 7.5-1.5 (204-213 by total strokes) and later went on to win their first team championship in seven years, defeating Sachem, 8-1.

Riverhead, led by senior Colby Baran, had a terrific run this year. They hadn’t lost a match until Monday morning. In the playoffs, they defeated a perennial powerhouse in Southampton, 6.5-2.5 in the opening match. Baran shot a 3-under par 33 at Cherry Creek Golf Links. Then, showing the depth and promise of the team, Riverhead defeated No. 5 Half Hollow Hills East, 8-1.

“When we played Hills East, it was the first time we won a match that Colby lost,” Failla said. “Usually, if he doesn’t win, the team doesn’t win. So to come out and dominate like we did, I was super proud of the boys.”

But against Sayville, Baran was the only individual winner, and one matchup ended in a tie. 

“I’ve always said it’s the team that’s playing the best golf that day that will win,” Failla said. “Today was Sayville’s day. I thought we have been playing our best golf of the season in the playoffs, but today just wasn’t our day.”

Riverhead was also without their No. 3 golfer Mason Sidik, who was recovering from a procedure and couldn’t get back in time to play against Sayville. But with such a deep roster and constant competition during the season, it was the next man up.

One of those golfers who got an opportunity was Wes Kujawski. After being on varsity as an eighth-grader last year, during a competition in tryouts this season, Kujawski finished 11th on the team and was placed on JV. Now a freshman, Kujawski was the No. 1 on JV all season long. And once the playoffs rolled around, he got his chance again.

“I keep the competition up all year round here,” Failla said. “There’s no free meals on the team. Any spot is constantly up for grabs. Those that work the hardest will get rewarded.”

Every year, at the end of the season, Failla brings JV’s No. 1 golfer up to compete against the team’s No. 5 and No. 6 players in the lineup. A week into the competition, Kujawski had secured the No. 5 spot in the varsity lineup and started for the team in the playoffs.

“Competition is what gets us where we’re at every year,” Failla said. “There’s a reason we find success year in and year out. We’re ready to compete against other teams because we’re used to it every day in practice. The numbers speak for themselves.”

Baran is one of four seniors to play their final team match for Riverhead. His contributions over the five years on varsity will be greatly missed. He’s the only Riverhead golfer in history to make it to the New York State individual championships three times. 

“Anthony Caputo was the first to make it to the states in 2019,” Failla said. “Then Colby pushed that bar forward. All the success we’ve had just encourages the younger generation to golf. There’ll be another to push it even further. Riverhead golf is no longer in the shadows but beaming with pride. The local support we get is unmatched. We’ve got kids working at all the major golf courses in the area, and when I show up there, I’m not only congratulated on the accomplishments of the program but the type of young men we’re producing.”

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Because of this, the Wildcats brought a flawless 15-0 record and a top-five ranking in New York state into the playoffs. 

After defeating Islip 4-0 in the Suffolk County Class A semifinals, Shoreham-Wading River was tasked with taking down Elwood/John Glenn in the Suffolk County championships. The two teams played just two weeks prior, closing out the regular season, and the Wildcats narrowly escaped as Zach Makarewicz scored the game-winner in overtime that sealed the league championship.

It was one of those games that needed a response — that time, the Wildcats were there. 

But in the championship, Elwood/John Glenn got their revenge. The Knights got the victory in overtime with Jake Piacentini finding the game-winner with eight minutes remaining before penalty kicks. For the first time this season, the Wildcats looked up at the scoreboard at Walt Whitman High School on Sunday to see: Knights 2, Wildcats 1. Their season ended, leaving behind questions on what could have been.

Shoreham-Wading River got on the board first with 14 minutes left in the first half as Tyler Nowaski dribbled past two defenders flanking down the left-hand side before scooting it over to the center of the goal, where Makarewicz tipped it past the goalie with finesse. It was Makarewicz’s 21st goal of the season, which landed him sixth in all of Suffolk County for goals scored in his junior campaign.

Though both teams made runs forward, there were no true opportunities to score the rest of the game. It looked as if SWR would escape with a 1-0 victory until there was a blunder on the defensive end. The ball was played into the back line, where two defenders found themselves so close together that they were unable to get enough space to get a pass by the Knights’ Isaac Perez, who came running full speed to put pressure on the ball.

Perez got his foot on the pass, and the ball leaked toward SWR’s end of the field. With free rein, the senior sprinted ahead and found a trailing, wide-open Cooper Kassan, who found the back of the net for the 30th time this season to equalize the game at 1-1.

It was a devastating blow to the Wildcats, who had all the momentum up until that point in the game. 

But the Wildcats, as they’ve done all year long, put their heads down and tried to answer. Just three minutes later, Matthew Thomsen had a chance to score on an almost wide-open net. The senior got the ball in the air on a perfect touch towards the net, only to have David Palencia, Glenn’s junior goalkeeper, dive across the net out of nowhere and make an incredible save. 

As it did in the season finale, the game between the two powerhouses went into overtime, where the Wildcats tried to manufacture the game-winner. 

“I thought we were the better team out there,” SWR head coach Dani Braga said. “I truly feel like we deserved to win that game. But honestly, I thought the officiating was very suspect today.”

Nowaski, who was a threat all game long, got a pass in the box with a defender draped all over his back in the first overtime period. As he turned to goal to try to attempt a shot, it looked as if the defender yanked him down for a clear penalty, only to get it waved away by the referee. There was also what looked like a handball in the box by the Knights later in overtime.

“There was a bunch of stuff like that over the course of the day, and I don’t know what to make of it,” Braga said. “To end the game that way with a team this talented is a tough pill to swallow right now.”

After the loss, Braga, who is in his first season coaching the Wildcats, walked around and acknowledged every player on the team with either a head embrace or a handshake. A win would have given the Wildcats their first County championship in 20 years.

“These kids have done everything I have asked of them all season,” Braga said. “They never questioned anything. They never questioned fitness. They never questioned positioning. They believed just as much in me as I believed in them. Sometimes this just game sucks.”

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After Chris Jones — who won the Riverhead News Review Athlete of the Year before heading to run for SUNY Cortland — the boys cross country team no longer had that low 17-minute runner to bring the team average down, regardless of what the other four runners would produce. With Jones on the roster, Riverhead made it to the New York State qualifier for three consecutive years. Without him, they needed a new formula in order to make it again. 

“It emphasizes the importance of every single athlete on this team,” Riverhead cross country coach Tyler Lobenhofer said. “We might only have 24 boys on the team, but 18 of them can run competitive times. That’s why we’re able to compete head-to-head against a lot of teams. This is the strongest pack I’ve ever had here. They’re all separated by just 10 to 15 seconds, and they have been continuing to push each other all year long.”

All-League award recipient Lester Soyos crossed the finish line first for the team with a time of 19:03.60. Grady Moore followed him with a time of 19:10.60. Dwayne Morgan, in his first year running cross country after already being one of the best hurdlers in the county, finished up at 19:24.20. David Dubon completed the race in 19:43.10 and Franz Ortiz-Galdamez rounded out the team’s performance chugging through at 20:58.70. The average of all their times was good enough for their fourth consecutive appearance at the New York State qualifiers. Riverhead was also racing without their All-League runner Darryl Austin, who suffered an injury.

“Would I have liked to get our time down to qualification standards earlier in the season?” Lobenhofer questioned. “Yes, of course. But I love to see that in the biggest moments, this team stepped up as a group. Last year, most of these boys could barely break 22 minutes on this course. Now we have just about everyone breaking 20 minutes, which is a testament to the hard work they have put in.”

All summer long, Lobenhofer emphasized winning a league championship this season. But after losing the first race of the season, effectively ending their chance at a championship, Lobenhofer witnessed what he feels was his proudest coaching moment of his career. 

“We talked about having the mentality to run with pain,” Lobenhofer said. “That’s what cross is really about. Being able to persevere through pain. Push when you don’t think you can push anymore. We lost touch with that a little bit. The day after the loss, we did 1,000-meter repeats on the track with active recovery. They ran all practice, pushing themselves. I’ve won county championships at Commack. We’ve sent athletes to states every single year since I’ve been here. That was by far my favorite coaching moment, seeing how that group responded when they were kicked down. From there on our goal was to make it to state quals and we did it.”

The group is only going to get stronger as they all return next year.

On the girls’ side, Riverhead hasn’t had an individual girl runner make it to the state qualifier since 2019. Sophomore Julia Chycherska wanted to change that. And she was so close to making the time needed coming into the final day of the regular season.

“This is what Julia has been working towards ever since she joined the team in eighth grade,” Lobenhofer said. “She’s a tremendous athlete, and I think her best days are right ahead of her.”

She was .9 seconds away from qualifying coming into the divisional race. 

“I told her at the start of the summer that she’s running with the boys,” Lobenhofer said. “I’ve never seen her smile so hard. She was up for the challenge. That really changed her training and mindset overall, I think.”

Chycherska, who earned her third straight All-League recognition this year, needed to break a 22:30 time to make the state qualifiers. She shattered it by 20 seconds and secured a top 10 finish overall in the race. 

“She’s got a different confidence this year,” Lobenhofer said. “You saw it today. She stayed up front the entire time and set a PR. That’s what she’s capable of doing every time out.”

Riverhead will compete in the New York State qualifier on Nov. 6.

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With the sixth seed in the Suffolk County Class B bracket, they were tasked with taking down No. 3 East Islip at East Islip Middle School in the quarterfinal round, a team they lost to earlier in the year, 2-0. In that game, East Islip got ahead with two goals in the first half. On Tuesday, however, it was a true battle of possession throughout the entire game.

Corner after corner, each team had chances to score through four quarters. Before the penalty, goalies came up with clutch stops and defenses reigned supreme.

“I think if you look at it from a full team standpoint, individually, I think we played our best game of the season today,” Shoreham-Wading River head coach Zoe Norton said. “When you look back at all the opportunities we had and the way we played defense and controlled the ball, it was easily our best performance of the season.” 

There were breakaways on both sides where a defender was able to trek back and stop an open opportunity in the howling wind on a teeth-chatteringly cold day in East Islip. Madison Herr, who was hounded all day by the defense after being one of the top goal scorers in Suffolk County this season with 20, made multiple runs forward and crossed the ball in front of the net but just could not find a teammate’s stick. With the few that did get through, the final shot was just not accurate enough. 

Every quarter ended at 0-0, and the game was forced to go into a seven-versus-seven overtime period, which only increased the stakes of the game, leaving no room for error.

With around four minutes left in overtime, the ball trickled over a stick and out of the circle on a Shoreham-Wading River corner attempt, eventually finding an East Islip player making their way back to defend the corner. After getting the ball and turning around, they had nothing but open turf ahead with no Wildcat in sight.

Sophia Giangreco, the SWR goalie, waited patiently as the attacker sprinted her way, and decided on a diving attempt in the final moment, missing the ball, and forcing the referee to call a penalty stroke. Disgruntled Wildcat fans immediately griped at the call of a penalty in a pivotal moment of the game.

“As tough as that game ended, I agree with the call that it was a stroke,” Norton said. “The goalie went for the ball and didn’t get the ball and a player obstructed the play coming back stick and fouled her intentionally as she was trying to shoot the ball. I don’t like the call, but I agree with it.”

East Islip’s Emily Mooney then came up and delivered the game-winner to send East Islip to the semifinals.

“That was the absolute worst way to end a season,” Norton said. “For four quarters, we were up at our end the whole time. Sophia was amazing in the goal, keeping them off the board. We made so many plays but just couldn’t score the ball. I just feel for the seniors that gave their all for this program.”

There’s not much to say after a loss so heart-wrenching like that, but Norton spent a good amount of time addressing the team post-game.

“I know how it feels because I’ve been there before as a player,” Norton said. “There’s nothing that anyone can say that would let it sting less. I’m just so proud of them. We deserved to win that game. I have a lot of kids that this isn’t their main sport but they make it their main sport for the season. They all worked so hard this season. It’s just unfortunate that it had to end the way it did.”

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