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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Then the results came back: She had scored in the top 3 to 4% nationally out of the millions nationwide, earning recognition as a commended student by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

“I’ve always enjoyed all of my AP classes,” said Brooke, now a senior taking her fifth AP course, language and composition. “My experience with the AP program as a whole has been good.”

Riverhead High School’s Advanced Placement program has grown dramatically over the past two decades, more than doubling its offerings from fewer than 10 to more than 20 courses today. Nearly 600 students take at least one AP course during high school, with 51 graduates earning AP Scholar designation last year by scoring 3 or higher on three or more AP exams.

For students like Brooke, the rigorous program does more than bolster college applications. It teaches them they can handle challenges and succeed under pressure.

Ollie Earl, a senior, is among those who have benefited. He got his start with AP World History as a freshman. Now, nine AP courses later, he’s heading to college to study political science, confident that he can handle whatever comes next.

“I was ready for a new wave of learning,” he said. “Even that first AP World History had more work in it than any other classes. But I did great with it, and I really enjoyed it. It met my expectations, it made me happy.”

Ollie has taken his fair share of difficult courses. One that stands out from the rest is AP Chemistry. He wondered, at times, whether he would make it through. He did — and now knows he can tackle college-level work.

“I’ll meet the challenge even better, because not only do I have the experience of working hard behind me, but I’ll also have the kind of excitement that you get from learning something that you really genuinely want to learn,” he said. “I am very proud of myself, and I feel confident in my ability to get through hard classes.”

Fellow senior Aidan Foss remembers the jolt of his first AP course. World History as a freshman was unlike anything he’d faced, and Chemistry tested him even further.

Twelve AP courses later, he has developed the study skills and resilience he’ll need as he pursues political science and history in college, with hopes of becoming a lawyer.

“I actually know what I’m getting into when I go to college,” Aidan said. “It’s still going to be a shock, but not as much, because I’ve taken AP classes.”

Senior Saara Hossain chose AP courses to challenge herself. Of the seven she’s taken, AP Seminar stands out for its college-style research papers — work that will help as she pursues international relations and foreign languages in college.

“I’ve really enjoyed my AP classes,” Saara said. “The ones offered here have been really helpful.”

To Principal Sean O’Hara, the students’ success reflects collaboration across the entire school.

“One of the things I like about Riverhead High School is that there’s something for everybody here,” he said. “I’m proud of the programs we offer and of the students who take advantage and thrive.”

Charles Gassar, director of school counseling, has watched the AP program expand during his 17 years with the district. New courses are added regularly, and the district continues to look for ways to broaden opportunities.

Beyond AP, Riverhead offers dual-enrollment courses for college credit through Stony Brook, Adelphi or Long Island University, all taught by Riverhead faculty. Seniors also participate in an Early College program at Suffolk County Community College, taking classes alongside college students.

“The district has always fully supported these programs,” Mr. Gassar said. “There are so many opportunities for students to find their niche and go in different directions.”

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With their 9-0 victory over Mattituck on Oct. 8, the Blue Waves secured six straight league championships and a record of 58-2 in their last 60 league matches.

“Golf is life,” Riverhead head coach Steve Failla said. “Everyone that comes through this program feels that way. It’s a constant competition in practice. They’re all pushing each other to get better and the results we’ve had are based on that hard work.”

Over the course of the season, Riverhead has dropped three points only once. Most of their victories were clean, 9-0 sweeps. Led by senior Colby Baran, who has been on varsity since his eighth-grade season and is the only Riverhead golfer to ever go to the New York State championships twice, the Blue Waves are looking to bring home their first Suffolk County team championship in school history. They’ve made it to the final four twice.

“Over all the years we’ve come to realize that no matter how badly we beat the teams in our division, there’s very good teams out there across Suffolk County,” Baran said. “We need to prepare for that mentally and bring our best game when the playoffs come around.”

Baran has had an electric career and could very well be the best Riverhead golfer to ever don the blue and white. After the match against Mattituck, Baran put the final stroke on his league resume — a perfect 50-0. The senior lefty never surrendered a point in five years of golf. Through nine holes of play, Baran has averaged a 36 this season. He’s put up a career best 32 at Cherry Creek Golf Links.

“We’ve been blessed with Colby over the last five years,” Failla said. “Not only with his ability to play with the best of the best but the way he leads by example. He puts in the work and that’s why you see the results. He works extremely hard at his craft. His work ethic is unmatched.”

Riverhead has six golfers who average a 41 or better through nine holes, which should set them up for success come playoff time. Other top scorers include Logan Dempsey (39), Mason Sidik (40), Liam Sullivan (41), Max Gajowski (41) and Kyle Hubbard (41).

Last year, Riverhead was knocked out of the playoffs because of the total team score. The individual matches were split, with both teams getting three wins, and the tiebreaker was the total team score.

“That’s why this season we are stressing not to get overwhelmed and try to do too much in the playoffs against the better teams,” Dempsey said. “Sometimes we get all zoned in about winning our individual match and try to make a shot we shouldn’t take and add strokes to our total team count. The pressure definitely gets different once the playoffs start, but we have to think about it as a team, not so much individually.”

The lineup has been changed all season long with Failla choosing to play the hot hand. Though the lineup only features six starters, all 11 players on the team have won an individual match during league play.

“The only way to get better is through competition. There are no free spots on the team,” Failla said. “We put a major emphasis on that for the entire season. That’s why we’ve been able to compete for so many years. We’re used to those competitive atmospheres. We’re in it every day.”

Though Riverhead has fallen short in years past for the Suffolk County team championship, this year brings another opportunity at history. Northport won the Suffolk County championship last year after beating previously unbeaten Westhampton in the semifinals and then knocking off Mt. Sinai to win it all.

“I’ve said it all along: It’s not always the best team that wins,” Failla said. “It’s the team that’s playing the best that day. That’s sports. That’s golf. We just need to stay the course and hopefully things fall our way this year.”

The 24-team playoff starts on Oct. 23.

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Sept. 16: Riverhead 9, Greenport/Southold 0

Behind the leadership of Colby Baran, who has made the New York State individual tournament two years in a row, Riverhead has won all five of its matchups this season. They’ve earned victories over Hampton Bays, Mattituck and Eastport-South Manor so far in their hunt for another league title this season. 

Field Hockey

Sept. 15: Riverhead 3, Connetquot 1

After winning five games all of last year, Riverhead has now three wins in four games this season. Emma Kennedy scored two goals in the victory over Connetquot and Juliana Kramer added another. Kramer also assisted on one of Kennedy’s goals. Riverhead (3-1) kept possession all game and refused to allow Connetquot any possessions going the other way. They forced Connetquot’s goalie Addison Iocca to make 21 saves over the course of the game. Their hunt for the playoffs will continue with a home game against Huntington on Friday at 5:15 p.m.

Sept. 16: Shoreham-Wading River 6, Babylon 0

The torrid pace the Shoreham-Wading River started the season with, continues with a 6-0 win over Babylon. That now marks six wins in a row for the Wildcats who have nothing but a Suffolk County title on their mind this season. The Wildcats featured six different goal scorers against Babylon with Madison Herr, Mary Kilkenny, Isabella Minnion, Alexa Guinther, Mairead Jaffe and Cate Leonard finding the back of the net. Herr now leads all of Suffolk County in goals scored with 15 so far this season. The Wildcats now have a week-long break before they play their next game on Sept. 25 at Smithtown West.  

Football

Sept. 12: Shoreham-Wading River 60, Center Moriches 21

After a down year for Shoreham-Wading River standards last year, the Wildcats came out this season with a statement win over rival Center Moriches. Shoreham-Wading River ripped up the scoreboard behind the legs of Anthony Mullen who carried the ball 11 times for 89 yards and punched in four touchdowns. Lucas Diamond scored two rushing touchdowns. Javon Wright and Noah Gregorek also had one each on the ground. Gregorek also threw for 162 yards and connected on a passing touchdown. The Wildcats will travel to Bayport-Blue Point on Saturday for a 1 pm kick off. 

Sept. 12: Sachem East 35, Riverhead 18

In Don Nelson’s first game as Riverhead head football coach, the Blue Waves fell to Sachem East, 35-18. It was a tough start for Riverhead as they fell behind 35-0 in just the first quarter. Their offense did eventually come around in the second half with a 24-yard rushing touchdown by Kavion Hobbs and two rushing touchdowns by Nathan Nentwich to cut the deficit. In addition to the two touchdowns, Nentwich tallied 127 yards on the ground. The Blue Waves will look to rebound for the next game of the season on Friday at Central Islip. Game time is slated for 5 p.m.

Girls Soccer

Sept. 12: Riverhead 5, Copiague 1

After losing their first two games of the season, Riverhead (2-2) has now won two games in a row including a 5-1 defeat of Copiague. The five goals was their highest output of the season so far. Riverhead scored four goals in the first half. Beibhinn Purcell was the star of the show registering a hat-trick and also an assist in the victory over Copiague. Ellie Cammarota and Carlie Morgan also scored goals for the Blue Waves. Riverhead will travel to East Hampton on Friday for a 4:30 p.m. game time. 

Sept. 16: Shoreham-Wading River 4, Mt. Sinai 0

After their first loss of the season against Glenn, Shoreham-Wading River (3-1-2) bounced back in a big way against Mt. Sinai. Mia Mangano scored all four goals for the Wildcats and was assisted on three by Olivia Pesso, Brenna Molinelli and Alexis Cordano. Mangano now has eight goals this season which puts her among the highest scorers in Suffolk County this season. The Wildcats will travel to Bayport-Blue Point on Thursday for a 4 p.m. game time. 

Boys Soccer

Sept. 13: Shoreham-Wading River 2, Jericho 0

In Dani Braga’s first game as head coach against the school he brought to multiple championships, the Wildcats took home the victory, 2-0. Zach Makarewicz has been on an absolute tear to start the season scoring twice against Jericho. He has eight goals in four games so far. The win marks four in a row for the Wildcats after winning the Town of Brookhaven Small Schools league this summer. Shoreham-Wading River (4-0) will host Wyandanch on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

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“I haven’t seen it like this since my freshman year,” senior co-captain captain, wide receiver and defensive back Billy Healy said. “Everyone is committed. Everyone has bought into what the coaches are preaching. There’s no more goofing around at practice. The discipline is definitely back.”

The major problem in the past few years was simply the lack of numbers in the football program. Between varsity and junior varsity, the total participation in the last two years has been hovering around forty players — barely enough to field two teams. For a Division I school, not exactly a recipe for success. Players had to play both sides of the ball and take on wear and tear that a normal, healthy and flourishing program just doesn’t have to deal with. There were even talks coming into this year that maybe the junior varsity team would completely dissolve. For a rebuilding program, the loss of junior varsity would have set the team back even further.

In the glory days, eighty players would be participating between varsity and JV at Riverhead. 

“I think people just lost interest in playing football here,” senior co-captain, tight end and linebacker William Stackevicius said. “The fact that we were losing too didn’t help. Nobody wants to play for a losing team — especially in football. It’s a tough sport to play when you’re losing every game.”

But with the new coaching staff, new philosophy and overall appeal of playing again, the numbers have gone back up. During two-a-days, the team fielded around 60 players, the most its had in years.

“We’ve been recruiting ever since I took the job last year,” Nelson said. “It helps that I’m in the hallways every day. It helps that my JV coach Raheim Smith is in the hallways too. With the new coaching staff, the kids are excited. They want to be part of the change.”

Nelson has sparked a belief in his players — something they felt was lacking before.

“Nobody believed in each other,” Stackevicius said. “When we started losing a game, we knew it was over. I felt like the coaches didn’t believe in us, and then we didn’t believe in ourselves. I’m not saying that’s going to turn us into the best team in the league but having coaches that believe and trust in you means everything for us out there on the field.”

Expectations are to be competitive in every game. Success won’t be measured by wins and losses this year. But Riverhead will undoubtedly surprise a few teams this season.

“The culture has changed,” Nelson said. “The mindset has changed. The intensity has changed. You have to have the mental focus to play this sport, and after the long and grueling two-a-days, I believe in these kids. The work ethic is there. The coach-ability is there. They have bought into the system.”

One of the major impact players will be quarterback Josiah Rodney, who spent a year at Southampton High School before transferring back to Riverhead this year.

“Josiah is really starting to pick up the offense,” Nelson said. “He’s learning the system. We just needed to get him reps out there. He understands the option stuff, reading defenses and doing everything we’ve asked him to do. He’s going to be a major piece of what we’re trying to do here.”

Also expected to be major contributors are wide receiver and defensive back Tatum Funn, center Braylen Blom, running back and defensive back Nathan Nentwich, offensive line and defensive tackle Franco Revelo, and of course the two captains, Healy and Stackevicius.

“We’ve always had the talent here in Riverhead,” Healy said. “We just lacked the discipline. We want to be part of the solution here as the seniors. We lead by example and we’re looking forward to putting a strong team out here that people can be proud of.”

Riverhead will open their season Sept. 12 at Sachem East. Kick off time is set for 6 pm.

“We’re going to play hard for the entire 48 minutes,” Nelson said. “You’re going to see an aggressive team. A smart team. A team that gives 110% effort. We’re going to be competitive. I can promise you that. We’re going to put the kids in a position to succeed and what happens from there is up to them.”

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Nelson has implemented a regimen in the interim before the fall 2025 season that brings the team together every Monday through Friday for two hours to focus on skills, strength and conditioning. They work together as a whole group, from freshman to seniors.

“Right now, we’re focusing on introducing the new system,” Nelson said. “All of this is new to the guys. I haven’t put a lot of things in just yet. We’re doing basic stuff. There’s a lot that needs to be installed, but right now, we’re keeping it simple.”

The standard for years was that football teams would begin workouts in mid-August two-a-day practices, but Nelson wanted to start earlier at the beginning of July. There’s no pads involved, of course, but it’s more of a preparation for what’s to come when two-a-days roll around.

“This is all new to me, too, being around these guys,” he said. “I’m starting to see what we have and where we can put certain guys. I’m getting everyone looks a little earlier, so we waste less time trying to figure out spots for guys in two-a-days.”

Nelson has hired a new coaching staff in his first season at the helm, though there are some holdovers from last year. Mike Heigh and Edwin Perry, both former Riverhead standout football players, will remain on staff. Heigh was the JV coach last year and Perry was the defensive coordinator on the varsity team. Their roles will change but they will stay on staff.

Taking over the JV head coaching position is Raheim Smith, who used to coach at Rocky Point and Farmingdale. Pete Cahill will also join the coaching staff as the defensive coordinator at the varsity level as well as the offensive line and defensive line coach. He used to coach at Patchogue-Medford, William Floyd and Eastport-South Manor. Joshua Murphy will be the quarterbacks and defensive backs coach. He formerly coached at Newfield.

Part of the reason for the downfall last year was that there simply weren’t enough players to field a proper team. There were many players playing both sides of the ball, and the team in its entirety was very young. During these training sessions, typically around 30 kids have shown up for both JV and varsity which is still low, but Nelson hopes that number picks up closer to the season.

“We got kids that work, so they come in and out,” Nelson said. “We got kids in summer school, so they can’t attend practice right now. We’re getting more and more every week, though.

“We started at around 12 interested players when I first got here,” he continued. “Now we’re at 30. We’ve been working with what we got. We’ve been coaching them up. They’ve been lifting all summer long. We’re going to do everything we can to try to turn things around.”

These practice sessions are hyper-focused. No player is goofing around. Players are hustling from station to station. The commitment to excellence is there.

“We have to have the right football mentality to be successful on the football field,” Nelson said. “To play this sport you have to have discipline. You have to be on time, and you have to work hard for the time you’re here. All we ask for is two hours a day. Give us 100 percent on every play for two hours.”

Nelson, who himself was a Riverhead football star back in the 1980s, has extra motivation to turn this program around.

“It’s great to be home,” Nelson said. “The support is there. There’s a tremendous amount of support from the community. They’re excited. They want to see a change. They want to see kids working hard and disciplined. And that’s what you’re going to get here.”

Riverhead opens its season at Sachem East Friday, Sept. 12.

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Enter the Riverhead Waves Baseball Club.

The Waves are a travel baseball organization built up of mostly Riverhead kids in an effort to gain exposure to a higher level of talent and increase continuity by building bonds with one another so strong that success becomes a constant. The 13-and-under Waves baseball team, which competes in the Town of Brookhaven Summer League and rarely faces another town team (because most of them are all-star teams with kids all over the island), just won the league title in their division by posting a 15-1 record.

“It was a bunch of little brothers basically when we were forming it,” Brian Miller, president of the Waves said. “Their older brothers either played or play on varsity now. So the idea was to bring this group together and ultimately create a pipeline for the varsity team.”

This group specifically has been playing together since they were 8 years old. That original group, formed during little league, has been sticking together as a core by training, playing in tournaments and winning leagues.

Usually after little league, certain kids will go in other directions and look for other travel teams to play on to obtain maximum exposure. Many baseball-manic parents are always looking for the best opportunity to help their kid achieve their dreams, and many have figured out that the best opportunity is right here with the Waves.

“It’s the kids’ bond more than anything else,” Miller said. “They play baseball together, they play basketball together and they play football together. Riverhead is a big school, but it’s a small sports community. The kids simply love being around each other, and the families are all fantastic and supportive of what we’re trying to achieve here.”

In the final game of the season against the Long Island Sharks on Sunday at Moriches Athletic Complex, Riverhead mercy-ruled the Sharks 10-0 in only four innings of play. The Waves, who were missing a few players due to other obligations, got contributions up and down their lineup. One of those little brothers of the varsity team is Travis Cote, and he had himself a day at the plate. The younger brother of RJ, Travis smashed two doubles in the game that soared over the outfielder’s heads and collected three RBIs. Connor Miller reached safe two times, scoring two runs and earning a stolen base. Jason Hubbard delivered an RBI single in the third inning.

“Being a town team, we’re not supposed to be competing anymore,” Miller said. “But we are, and now we’re looking for ways to increase our competition and enter in more tournament-style play and move away from leagues that don’t give us that feeling of failure.”

In August last year, the Waves traveled to Oneonta, N.Y., for a tournament at the Cooperstown All Star Village, where they played against teams across the U.S. and Canada. They finished in ninth place out of 72 teams with a 6-2 record.

“The Cooperstown tournament was great last year,” Miller said. “That’s something we’re definitely going to look into doing again. They’re at that age that they need these challenges. Our hope is that once they get to the varsity level, the competition level is second nature to them.”

Riverhead varsity coach Kevin Kerman is ecstatic with what Miller has been able to do, producing not only a 13-u team but also an 11-u team to follow in their footsteps.

“In order to have a successful varsity program anywhere, it starts with a successful little league and participation in travel ball from a young age,” Kerman said. “The fact that we have both of those things thanks to our amazing support from our baseball families makes us extremely lucky. I’ve got a great relationship and have been collaborating with Brian Miller to do what’s best for the boys and both programs. Whether this is lending field time, uniforms or sharing clinic information, working together has been a great asset to our programs.”

Kerman, who teaches at the Riverhead Middle School, knows this group very well. “I’ve had the pleasure of teaching this group at the middle school for the past two years, and they are a phenomenal group of young men,” Kerman said.

The No. 1 seeded Riverhead Waves will open up their playoff schedule against No. 8 seed, 5-Star National NY on Thursday, July 31, at 6 p.m. The game will be played at the Eastport South Manor Complex, Field 1.

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Although there was a Hall of Fame for student athletes and coaches at Riverhead High School for quite some time sponsored by the athletic department, the tradition fizzled out some 20 years ago, according to Riverhead Athletic Club president Quinn Alexander. 

“For whatever reason, it wasn’t continued, and we don’t really know the details about that,” Ms. Alexander said. “Creating a new Hall of Fame is something that we had talked about as an organization going way, way back in the throes of getting going. Tradition is something that is important when it comes to the Blue Waves athletic teams. We need to recognize all those that came through the program and left a significant imprint. It’s a tradition we want to become longstanding.”

Any candidate nominated must fit certain criteria in order to be considered. They must convey the essence of what it means to be a Riverhead athlete while also representing the best qualities of what makes Riverhead athletics special. Additionally, candidates must have also gone above and beyond normal expectations to contribute to the legacy of sports programs and have left them better than when they found them. 

In the athlete category, a nominee must have attended Riverhead schools for a minimum of three years, graduated from Riverhead and be a minimum of five years out of high school. A candidate would also need to have significant accomplishments both during and beyond high school. 

For a nominee to be considered in the coach and athletic administrator category, they must have made outstanding contributions to the athletes and programs in Riverhead School District as well as significant accomplishment while leading the program.

In the third and final category, the honorary inductee, the nominee must have made outstanding contributions to the athletes and programs in Riverhead School District and also could not qualify for the other two categories. 

There’s also general criteria that the committee will be considering including whether the candidate participated in varsity-level competitions; if they held leadership roles; the impacts they made on their athletic program; their scholastic abilities; additional awards and/or honors they earned; whether the candidate is a league, county or state record holder; and any post graduate images and achievements they might hold. 

“It’s important for us to acknowledge those who have blazed the trail for Riverhead athletics,” Ms. Alexander said. “We have such a rich tradition at Riverhead, and the Hall of Fame is our way of recognizing those that came before us.”

Based on records, Riverhead’s last Hall of Fame induction ceremony was in 2006. According to a document for the 2006 induction ceremony, here are some of those that have already been recognized:

Myron Nelson Class of 1931, Wesley Harris Class of 1941, Walter Gatz Class of 1952, Stephen K. Ross Class of 1967, Waverly “Skeeter” Atkins Class of 1975, Morton Hochheiser Class of 1941, Frederick Reeve Class of 1941, Kevin Braunskill Class of 1987, Felicia Hobson Class of 1991, Kenneth Ross Retired Superintendent, Coach Walter Stewart Retired 1986, Callie Rhodes Class of 1939, Willie Grodski Class of 1946, Frank Nelson Class of 1957, Don Bartlett Class of 1972, Don Troyan Class of 1972, Bob Burns Class of 1938, Harold Goodale Class of 1941, Jack Burns Class of 1942, Ted Wegert Class of 1951, Jerry Nelson Class of 1960, Lonnie Hughes Class of 1975, Andrea Pekar Class of 1986, Edward Danowski Class of 1930, Michael J. McKillop Class of 1938, Walter Miles Class of 1963, Greg Flippen Class of 1971, Carl Smith Class of 1987, Hildreth Booker Class of 1948, Lynn M. Kobylenski Class of 1971, Colleen Fox Class of 1995, Coach “Tony” Daniello Retired 1992.

“We want to incorporate those that have already been named in the previous Hall of Fame as well,” Ms. Alexander said. “Any information we get from prior Hall of Fame inductees and their families will be very useful as we are having trouble finding everyone that was once inducted.”

The RAC plans to induct four to five individuals every year in what they hope to become an annual tradition. They plan to work with the next Athletic Director to assign a physical location somewhere on the school grounds to showcase the honorees.

Nominations are due by August 10. Email the applications to Riverheadathleticclub@gmail.com. The first induction is planning to be made at the homecoming football game this upcoming football season.

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It was their first playoff win in 20 years. Jason Davis, a freshman second baseman, was right in the middle of it all. 

Davis finished second in batting average (.438) on the team during the varsity season, falling only behind now-graduated shortstop Camden Wallace. He was thrust into the leadoff role from the beginning of the season and never wavered in that spot as an ignitor to the Blue Wave potent offense. 

For his efforts, he was named All-League in his first full varsity season — an accolade only six freshman baseball players earned in all of Suffolk County across every division. 

“Jason just flat out loves to hit,” Riverhead head coach Kevin Kerman said. “He is constantly working in the batting cage to get better. His father, Glenn, told me that he keeps the neighbors up at night with his late-night tee work in the backyard. His great work ethic is already paying off early in his career.”

Davis has been hitting varsity pitching since his eighth grade year because Kerman brought him up for four games. He still managed to hit .308 from the plate then batting against pitchers four to five years older than him. 

His freshman spring season has now parlayed into the competitive summer circuit as he plays for the East Coast Lumberjacks, an exclusive highly-rated travel baseball organization. He participated in the 14-and-under 2025 New England Elite Perfect Game championship at the end of June against star-studded teams all over the North East and earned all-tournament honors. 

The rising sophomore led his team in batting average (.571) and posted an OPS of 1.341 to go along with his three steals in the tournament.

Only Davis and two of his teammates — Anthony Pignatello and Ryan Breyer of Mount Sinai — made the all-tournament team. There were 25 teams in total that participated in the event.

“It is no surprise to see the success he is having so far this summer,” Kerman said. “We are excited to see him continue to grow.”

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Last year, Riverhead went 0-10 in their summer league season in the lead-up to the school year. It was the harsh beginning to creating a winning environment. After last year’s run during the winter, there’s just a different feel this summer. There’s a sneaky confidence among those returning. They defeated Bayport Blue Point, 55-53 to kick off the summer at Centereach High School.

Photos by Bill Landon

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Riverhead’s Josiah Rodney takes flight in summer league action Tuesday night. (Credit Bill Landon)

“Right now we’re trying to figure out who fits with who with the younger guys coming up,” Fabian said. “We’re making sure everyone is buying into playing hard and continuing the culture we set last year. I thought we may have been lazy a bit at times today but that comes with the territory in these hot summer gyms.”

Peter Lagnena, who is now entering his senior year, led the Blue Waves in scoring as his stroke from deep looked in mid-season form. He nailed seven triples on the night. Every time Bayport-Blue Point started making a run, Lagnena had an answer. 

“I need to step up this year because Liam [Lennon] is not here anymore as our senior leader,” Lagnena said. “He was the captain last year and kept us all together and pushed us to be the best we can be. I need to take over that role now as a senior, and it starts in the summer.”

Anaiis Mitchell is also back as Riverhead’s point guard. He’s heading into his junior year after being on varsity since his freshman season. He assisted on six of Lagnena’s seven three-point baskets on Tuesday and finished with eight assists overall.

“Anaiis is the type of player that doesn’t have to be scoring all the team’s points,” Fabian said. “He affects the game in so many ways. He’s our field general out there. He gets his points, but he also gets rebounds, steals, assists — he’s a major part of any success we want to have.”

Riverhead returns Landon Zaleski, Jack Bartolo and Sentrell Hires as well who played big minutes during the school season last year. Zaleski scored eight points in the summer opener, Bartolo added five and Hires finished with four.

“We’re still building that chemistry,” Fabian said. “Last year was our first year together, so the more time we spend playing together, the better we’re going to be. We want to iron out all the kinks now and not have to deal with it during the regular season.”

Josiah Rodney also returns to Riverhead after spending last year playing for Southampton. He figures to plug right into the rotation and showed flashes of what he could do scoring 10 points against Bayport-Blue Point. He showed ability to score from the inside and outside and will be a crucial piece of the Blue Waves going forward.

Riverhead is back in action next Tuesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. against Newfield at Eastport South Manor High School.

“We want to win our league during the school season,” Lagnena said. “That’s one of our goals. We’re putting in the work now to not only win the league but win the whole thing. I think we can do it with this team. We’re returning most of our guys, and we’re all locked in on one goal.”

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