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.

The post Basketball preview: Riverhead and SWR teams look to start season strong appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

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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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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Oct. 20: Riverhead 3, Brentwood 2

After starting the season 3-10, Riverhead came alive in the final five games of the season. They earned wins over William Floyd, Longwood, Central Islip and finished the season with a win over Brentwood to finish the year, 7-11. Madison Zambriski nailed a season-high 11 aces in the win over Brentwood. Leandra North connected on 13 kills. Adriana Martinez had 21 assists in her final volleyball game of her career.

Girls Soccer

Oct. 18: Shoreham-Wading River 7, Amityville 0

The Shoreham-Wading River girls’ soccer team is picking up steam heading into another playoff run. The Wildcats, coming off a state final four appearance, are poised to make another run. SWR got goals from Mia Mangano, Abby Cooke, Brenna Molinelli, Ella Nowaski, Olivia Pesso, Rosalie Wagner and Jordyn Albert in the win over Amityville. Mangano has scored 26 goals so far in her final season as a Wildcat.

Oct. 20: Riverhead 2, Hampton Bays 1

In their final game of the developmental league this season, Riverhead earned a sweep of Hampton Bays. With every game being decided by just one goal, the competition between the two programs was fierce. Ellie Cammarota scored for the goals for the Blue Waves who finished their season 9-3 in the league.

Boys Golf

Riverhead’s Colby Baran competed in the Suffolk County individual tournament on Monday and Tuesday at Pines Hills Golf Club. He earned his third straight qualification for the New York State tournament in the spring. The senior finished in second place in all of Suffolk County with a score of 76 on day one and 79 on day two. 

Shoreham-Wading River’s Conor Dietz earned All-County recognition after registering a 80 on day one and finishing with a 86 on day two. 

Field Hockey

Oct. 20: Miller Place 2, Shoreham-Wading River 0

Shoreham-Wading River has had an up-and-down season so far, losing a handful of games down the stretch, including a 2-0 loss to Miller Place, to sink their record to 9-6 this season in Division II. Their win/loss total, along with their power points, should be good enough to still make the playoffs this season, where they can get a fresh slate. Madison Herr has had an electric season, scoring 20 goals and assisting on 10 others.

Football

Oct. 18: John Glenn 48, Shoreham-Wading River 10

It’s been a tough season for the Wildcats as they’ve suffered another loss to bring their season record to 2-4, with their playoff hopes dangling. Shoreham-Wading River was only able to get one touchdown on the board against John Glenn as Brandyn Bland was able to corral a 26-yard pass from Noah Gregorek. They’ll face one of the best teams in the Division in Babylon (6-0) on Friday, Oct. 24.

The post Sports roundup: Riverhead girls’ volleyball ends season with a win appeared first on Riverhead News Review.

Oct. 6: Riverhead 4, Newfield 0

After losing four games in a row, jeopardizing their playoff hopes, Riverhead got a huge win over Newfield to get the train back running in the right direction. The win improved their record to 4-5 with five games to play. Riverhead got goals from Kyleigh Lennon, Emma Kennedy, Abigail Maaiki and Karlie Nohejl. Lennon also collected two assists. Riverhead scored all four goals in the second half. Riverhead will host Sachem East Friday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m.

Oct. 4: Eastport-South Manor 6, Shoreham-Wading River 0

The Wildcats, after winning six straight matches to start the season, have scuffled as of late, losing the last two of three. After a heartbreaking 2-3 loss to Smithtown West, the most recent loss to ESM puts a top seed in the playoffs in danger. Six games remain on the schedule to secure a high seed in the playoffs and top goal scorer Madison Herr (17 goals) is set to lead the way. Shoreham-Wading River (7-2) will host Bayport-Blue Point (10-0) Thursday, Oct. 9, at 4 p.m. 

Girls Soccer

Oct. 7: Shoreham-Wading River 5, Southampton 1

Shoreham-Wading River keeps rolling within division play. With the lopsided victory over Southampton, the Wildcats have improved to 7-1-1 in League III play to place them right at the top of the standings as the regular season slowly comes to a halt. In the victory over Southampton, goals were scored by Shealyn Varbero, Brenna Molinelli, Mia Mangano and Alexis Cordano. Mangano already has 18 goals in her senior campaign. The Wildcats will travel to Islip Thursday, Oct. 9, for a 4 p.m. opening whistle. 

Oct. 6: Riverhead 8, Wyandanch 1

Riverhead exploded for its biggest goal output of the season against Wyandanch. Last season, the team scored three goals in total all year long. It looks like the developmental league is helping build a solid core. The Blue Waves got goals from players all over the lineup, including Ellie Cammarota, Evelyn Velasquez, Katherine Gonzalez, Kimberly Monroy, Maggie Morgan, Beibhinn Purcell and Evelyn Skop. Sky Hervan made seven saves in the win. Riverhead (5-6, 5-2) will host East Hampton (9-0, 7-0) Thursday, Oct. 9, at 4:30 p.m.

Girls Volleyball

Oct. 6: Bay Shore 3, Riverhead 2

Riverhead was so close to upsetting the No. 1 team in League I. Bay Shore, sporting an 11-0 record coming into the match, was shellshocked early. Riverhead (2-9) won the first two sets in front of their home stands, 25-17 and 25-22. Bay Shore rallied to force a fifth and final set and came away with the victory, 15-12. Riverhead will host William Floyd Friday, Oct. 10, at 4 p.m.

Oct. 3: Shoreham-Wading River 3, Wyandanch 0

In an up-and-down season for Shoreham-Wading River, the lopsided win over Wyandanch showed what the Wildcats are capable of doing. Winning in straight sets, 25-17, 25-12, and 25-12, the game was simply never close. Brooke Rand had five kills and Maria Lazaris added four of her own. Mia Dettleff had three aces. Shoreham-Wading River (5-5) will host Sayville (11-1) Friday, Oct. 10, for a 4 p.m. game.

Football

Oct. 4: Brentwood 42, Riverhead 7

Riverhead’s tough march through Suffolk County’s Division I continues with the most recent loss to Brentwood. With both teams coming into the day with a 0-3 record, the game figured to be closer on paper. Riverhead was only able to score once during the game in the second quarter with Billy Healy hauling in an 18-yard pass from Josiah Rodney. Cris Peralta led the way for Brentwood, rushing for 263 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries. Riverhead (0-4) will continue searching for its first win of the season at Longwood Saturday, Oct. 11. Game time is slated for 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 3: Kings Park 58, Shoreham-Wading River 50

Talk about a shootout. Both Shoreham-Wading River and Kings Park took turns reaching the endzone, but when the final whistle blew, it was Kings Park that stood as the victor. Behind running back Aidan Barbosa, who set a school record 315 rushing yards, Kings Park was dominant on the ground en route to victory. Shoreham-Wading River freshman wide receiver Javon Wright had a big night, hauling in four passes for 119 yards and three touchdowns. The second quarter was the difference maker in the game as Kings Park was able to put up 23 points and only surrender 12. Shoreham-Wading River (2-2) will host Miller Place (3-1) on Friday night, Oct. 10, at 6 p.m.

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But, after the Shoreham-Wading River phenom won the national wrestling championship at the National High School Coaches Association in Virginia Beach, there was no doubt in every major wrestling rankings website that Mangano was undoubtedly the No. 1 recruit in all of New York in the 2027 class. 

When he won his second consecutive New York State title at the end of his sophomore season, a title which he literally won on one leg, fighting through a broken ankle, the Iron Man performance vaulted him up to the national rankings. According to Flowrestling.org, Mangano is now the No. 17-ranked recruit regardless of weight class in all of the country within the 2027 class.

“I was running on adrenaline at the time,” Mangano told the Riverhead-News Review after the New York State championship win. “Yeah, I was in pain, but honestly, I wanted to win more than anything else. I was going to wrestle until I saw a bone sticking out of my body.”

But based on the recruiting guidelines, no college was able to reach out to the wrestling phenom until this summer — the summer of his incoming junior season.

“As soon as they could they started calling him,” SWR head coach Joe Condon said. “The recruiting period opened at midnight and his phone immediately started buzzing.”

Every elite wrestling Division I school showed tremendous interest. Schools like Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Penn State clamored for his verbal commitment. But Penn State stood out among the pack. Mangano announced his verbal commitment to Penn State on his Instagram on Sept. 28. 

“I feel there is no better place for me to continue my progress and success than Penn State with their amazing coaching staff,” Mangano wrote on his Instagram post. “Thank you to all the coaches that have reached out to me throughout this process.”

Penn State University is the wrestling powerhouse in all of college athletics. They’ve won the last four NCAA Men’s Wrestling Championships and have 13 championships overall. Every world-class wrestler wants to be developed by Penn State. Led by head coach Cael Sanderson, the former Iowa State wrestler, who won an Olympic gold medal, four NCAA Division I championships and never lost a match in college (159-0), Penn State is simply an elite training facility to be the best in the world.

“All Gavin has ever wanted was to be the best,” Condon said. “What better place to be the best than to train with the best. We’re all so proud of him. He’s a staple of hard work and dedication.”

Sanderson came to visit Mangano in school at the end of September, which eventually sealed the deal. It’s not often you have the head coach of a program come to visit a recruit in person, but they clearly wanted to show their commitment. 

“With a blue-chip recruit like Gavin, these coaches have to separate themselves,” Condon said. “I think when a guy like Sanderson comes and meets with you in person, it really makes a massive difference. He wants to be the guy at Penn State, and Sanderson assured him he wouldn’t be going after him if he felt like he wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Mangano only spent two months rehabbing after his surgery — he made his debut after training all summer in the Journeymen Fall Classic Championship this weekend. The junior won the 140-lb weight class and was also named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Classic. He won in the final by technical fall (16-1).  

Looks like Mangano hasn’t skipped a beat. Penn State is getting a winner.

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Sept. 9: Shoreham-Wading River 9, Southampton 1

Shoreham-Wading River has continued their torrid pace to start the season with their third win in a row. After the nine-goal performance against Southampton, the Wildcats have 17 goals on the season. Madison Herr was an absolute menace on the field against Southampton, finding the back of the net five separate times. Marisa Cacciola scored once and registered two assists in the victory. Herr leads all of Suffolk County with goals scored with 10. Shoreham-Wading River (3-0) will host Harborfields on Friday, Sept. 12, at 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 9: Riverhead 4, Commack 1

The Riverhead field hockey team, after winning their first game of the season, added their second win in as many games playing away at Commack. The Blue Waves got on the board with two goals in the first quarter and then added one goal each in the second and the third quarter to put the game away. Riverhead (2-0) got goals from Gabriella Rossetti, Abigail Maaiki, Emma Kennedy and Karlie Nohejl. Casey Hubbard made six saves. Riverhead will host Ward Melville on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 4:15 p.m.

Girls Soccer

Sept. 9: Riverhead 2, Hampton Bays 1

A year after going 0-15, the Riverhead girls soccer team earned their first win of the season in their third game with a 2-1 victory over Hampton Bays. After going into halftime with a 0-0 score, Gabby Re made the breakthrough on a goal before assisting on the other goal scored by Ellie Cammarota that sealed the deal. That was Cammarota’s second goal of the season. Riverhead’s record improved to 1-2 in the alternative league. Riverhead will travel to Copiague on Friday, Sept. 12, for a 4 p.m. game to try to build on that momentum.

Boys Soccer

Sept. 8: Shoreham-Wading River 9, Bayport-Blue Point 0

After winning the summer league in the town of Brookhaven, the Shoreham-Wading River boys soccer team looks every bit the part of a team that’s going to compete for a championship during the school season. Through two games this season, the Wildcats have scored 14 goals and have shutout both opponents. Against the phantoms, Zach Makarewicz nailed a hat trick, and Evan Degroot had two goals and 1 assist. Makarewicz has now scored five goals this season. Shoreham-Wading River (2-0) will now travel to face Islip Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 4:30 p.m.

Sept. 8: Commack 9, Riverhead 1

Not the start to the season Riverhead boys soccer was hoping for. The Blue Waves have opened the season with three straight losses and have been outscored 18-2 through the first three games. It doesn’t help that their captain, Hector Calderon, has been injured since the opening minutes of the first game but coach Nic Dezenzo believes he’ll be back within a week. Rony Yanes has scored both of the goals for Riverhead (0-3) this season. They’ll travel to Brentwood Friday, Sept. 12, for a 4 p.m. game. 

Boys Volleyball

Sept. 4: Shoreham-Wading River 3, West Babylon 0

The boys volleyball team at Shoreham-Wading River has started off their season with two consecutive shutout victories. SWR’s Michael Pfeiffer had 16 kills in the victory and recorded three aces. Steven Kelban nailed 11 kills and three solo blocks. Frank Valenti came away with seven kills. Luke Gallo had 37 assists. Shoreham-Wading River (2-0) will travel to Westhampton Thursday, Sept. 11, for a 4 p.m. game.

Girls Volleyball

September 8: Shoreham-Wading River 3, Wyandanch 0

Shoreham-Wading River has started out the season with two straight wins by the score of 3-0. In the victory over Wyandanch, Brooke Rand and Maria Lazaris both had six kills and one ace. Raven Fernandes led the team with five aces. Shoreham-Wading River (2-0) will travel to Mt. Sinai Friday, Sept. 12, for a 4 p.m. game. 

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The five-star lacrosse recruit, who mainly makes her presence known on the lacrosse field, is undoubtedly one of the best field hockey players on Long Island as well. Her speed, stick work, shiftiness and overall game savvy make her one of the best players on the field in every single game. Last year, as a sophomore, she finished second in all of Suffolk County in points scored with 26 goals and 16 assists. She commenced her junior campaign with three goals and one assist in the 4-0 victory over West Islip.

“She’s just a coach’s dream player,” SWR head coach Zoe Norton said. “I don’t care if she’s 70 yards out and taking it the length of the field, she’s just that good. And the big thing with Madison is, she’s not a selfish player. If the shot isn’t there for her, she’ll roll a perfect pass to her teammate for the assist.”

The field hockey team has taken a major leap in the past two years and a lot of it has been the effectiveness of Herr up front. She’s been making major waves since her freshman year. In that season, a year after the team went 9-6, Herr scored 16 goals and assisted on nine others. That year, the team finished 14-3 and lost in the Suffolk County Class B semifinals. Last year, the team went 15-3 and again lost in the semifinals. 

In Norton’s second year at the helm for the SWR field hockey program, she expects to take over the number one spot in points scored this season.

“She’s already among the best after what she did her sophomore season,” Norton said. “But we think she’s going to take another step forward this season. I want it for her, the team wants it for her and it would be incredible for the field hockey program for her to finish first.”

As much as goals and assists look great on the box score, Herr has her sights set on one thing.

“I want to get out of that semifinal this year,” Herr said. “We have to take it one game at a time this regular season and get in the playoffs first, but it would be amazing to have a chance to win a championship. We’ve been so close the last two years.”

Two years ago, the Wildcats lost to Eastport-South Manor. Last year they beat ESM in the quarterfinals before losing a heartbreaker 1-0 to Miller Place in the semi. 

“I don’t know, I think the moment just felt too big for them last year,” Norton said. “The atmosphere, the crowd, the situation, the fact that their season was on the brink of ending, I think it just took us out of our game.”

Although many seniors graduated last year, other main pieces have returned and they return with the experience of playing in those big games. Captain Marisa Cacciola believes they have what it takes to take it all the way.

“A bunch of us met over the summer at the field and just practiced,” Cacciola said. “There were no coaches, it was just us trying to get better. Maybe we’re a little younger this year, but I think we want it more. I think it’s going to be a special year.”

A lot of their success will fall on their defense, which is dominated by experienced, senior players. Last year, the team posted 12 shutouts and only allowed seven goals all year long.

“We’re going to lean on our defense again this season for sure,” Norton said. “Hard to lose when you don’t give up a goal.”

Just leave the rest up to Herr.

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Shoreham-Wading River Central School District cafeterias will be required to provide a complete meal to any student who asks for one under the state’s universal free school meals program starting this year. The state program follows the National School Lunch Program as a criteria for nutrition at meal time in schools. 

The national program has an established list of dietary specifications for calories, sodium and saturated fat, and meal pattern requirements for the program’s five meal components. The list details the minimum daily intake for fruits, vegetables, grains, meats or meat alternatives, and milk for K-12 age groups. 

A complete meal, at a minimum, consists of three components or items based on federal regulations. Students who take just an item or two at the cafeteria would not meet the quota for reimbursement under the NSLP and would have to be charged at an individual cost for those items, assistant superintendent of finance and operations Glen Arcuri said. 

“So, the food service staff is going to be a little pushy for students to take a complete meal because if they don’t get them to take a complete meal, we are unable to file a claim for reimbursement for that meal,” Mr. Arcuri said. “It is important to note your student might actually come home and say ‘I’m taking stuff that I’m not eating.’”

Sara Paolino, director of food service for the district, added that cafeteria staff will help direct students to a complete meal so they avoid the charge for a la carte items.

In years past, the district has allowed families’ Nutrikids accounts to go negative because the district wanted to feed kids if they didn’t have lunch, but would not allow a la carte items to be purchased to the point of a negative balance. This year, the ability to go into the negative has been disabled, as all students are entitled to a free complete meal. 

Since this is the district’s first year participating in the program, Mr. Arcuri said it will be audited for its compliance with the national program’s criteria. “We are [making] certain that they see we are cognizant that we are not going to be in the National School Lunch Program, but still deliver our original program which exceeded a lot of the national school lunch requirements,” he said. 

Families who feel they are eligible to receive free and reduced meals should complete an application to help the district define its ratio for federal reimbursement of free and reduced meals supplied, Mr. Arcuri said. As of Aug. 26, more than 190 families have applied. 

Parents can access the application at swrschools.org/school-lunch-program. Once completed, that application can be returned to the district at 250B Route 25A, Shoreham. For help with the application, call 631-821-8120.

The district will be reimbursed at the state-reimbursement level for the remaining number of students who grab a reduced or free meal at school. 

“It’s important as a base year to have our free and reduced count as high as it possibly can be,” Mr. Arcuri said. “If you’re unsure [whether you are eligible], complete the free and reduced application for us.”

Parents throughout the district have been sent letters regarding the lunch changes this year, Mr. Arcuri said. 

He added that parents have been confused why they’re being asked to fill out the application, but he said it is important for the district to establish its base rate for reimbursement for the program. Oct. 1 would be an “ideal” deadline for families to submit their application, Mr. Arcuri said. However, families will be able to fill out an application at any time during the year.

Fundraising efforts during school hours should also be compliant with the NSLP guidelines, Mr. Arcuri said. After school fundraisers would not have to follow the same stringent guidelines.

For more information on the district’s lunch program, contact the district at 631-821-8100.

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Superintendent Gerard Poole said water damages to the gym floor — a result of efforts to extinguish the fire — will require “major renovation,” but all other areas of the high school will be open for the start of the school year. Work to replace the floor has already begun, with the floor already ripped up as of Aug. 26. 

Girls’ and boys’ junior varsity and varsity volleyball practices and games will be held at the district’s Albert G. Prodell Middle School this year. Physical education classes will be held outside, in the high school’s wrestling center or fitness center. 

The high school cheerleading team will practice at the middle school as they have in years past. Mr. Poole said the district has also ordered a second set of mats for cheerleaders to have a second space at Miller Avenue School this year.

All other rooms and hallways at the high school will be accessible and available as usual. Locker rooms remain accessible for the start of the school year as well.

No specific date was given for when repairs will be completed at the high school gym, but Mr. Poole said the information will be shared publicly as soon as it is available.

“Unfortunately, it was not a possibility to partially replace the floor at this time. It was a full job,” Mr. Poole said. 

The district has submitted the repair costs to its insurance company, Mr. Poole told the Riverhead News-Review, and there is not a current need to use the district’s reserve fund.

Mr. Poole and Board of Education president Thomas Sheridan extended their gratitude to the Wading River, Rocky Point and other area fire departments that responded to the fire on Aug. 16. An extra thanks was extended to the high school’s staff and others who were involved in the clean up and restoration of the gym. 

“Ultimately, we obviously look forward to the renovations and restoring the gym back to its better state at this point,” Mr. Sheridan said. 

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