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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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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SWR seniors Dongkai Zhang and Derek Blanco’s research projects are now under consideration in the “nation’s oldest and most prestigious science research competition for high school students,” according to the Regeneron website. The competition was launched in 1942 as the Westinghouse Science Talent Search.

Derek’s project consisted of analyzing the chemical composition of sediment collected from the high school campus pond both before and after a water main break that happened a few years ago. 

“This water main break dumped a large amount of water directly from the pipes of the school down the slope of the hill, picking up any substances on it and going directly into the pond,” Derek said. “I started this research with the intention of finding if the pond had become contaminated from human activities. I then took these samples to Brookhaven National Laboratory, and using a technique called spectroscopy, I was able to observe and gather data on the elemental composition of the sediment samples.”

His findings are in the process of being compiled into manuscript form to be submitted for publication in a scientific journal.

Dongkai participated in the highly competitive High School Science Research Program at Brookhaven National Laboratory this summer. He worked in the lab with Dr. Xiaohong Yu, whose research involves genetic modification to the Camelina sativa plant to increase its production of fatty acid, which could supplement feed for livestock and act as a potential source of biofuel.

“My project focused on using different sets of genes to induce different effects in a plant that I was studying in order to try and increase the amount of oils that it was producing,” said Dongkai, who was running three separate experiments at the same time.

“One gene group was increasing the seed size that the plants produce, which is where the oils are mostly held,” he said. “One of them was increasing the amount of seeds and the other was trying to increase how much oil the plant was producing in the seeds and so we hope that using a combination of these three gene groups can lead to plant oils being a more viable energy source in the future.”

Dongkai always had an interest in biology and plans to pursue it in college. He hasn’t committed to a school yet, but his number one choice is Columbia University.

“[Biology] is the discipline of science that attracts me the most. I definitely want to major in biology and some sort of business and hopefully take that and apply that to either medicine or my own endeavors after college.”

Dongkai said even though he’s applied to science fairs and other competitions previously, applying to the Regeneron competition was very different.

“It’s really sort of getting a sense of the overall student, not just their project,” he said. “It asks you a lot about personal growth [and] how you’ve developed over these past few years.”

Derek said that he decided to apply for several reasons and is very proud of his achievement.

“One of such reasons was the aim of gaining a unique competitive research experience at the highest level in the nation,” he said. “Additionally, I wanted the research program at the high school to continue to produce exciting results and to give all future research students a better chance at competing in the same competition.”

Dongkai and Derek worked with the district’s science research teacher Dana Schafer to submit their applications. 

Ms. Schaefer worked as an academic researcher at various labs including Stony Brook University, Syracuse University and Brown University before becoming a teacher nine years ago.

“This program is bringing it all full circle essentially because I get to bring my students into the real authentic science that I came from,” she said.

The district’s director of math and science, Joseph Paolicelli, said that Dongkai and Derek’s achievement is a testament to the opportunities provided to their students.

“I think it shows that we’ve created an avenue or a pathway that allows students to be able to share their scientific voice at that level,” Mr. Paolicelli said. “I think by having Derek and [Dongkai] — whom we’re very proud of with their research — be able to exercise that voice at that platform is a testament to Ms. Schaefer’s efforts to try and make that avenue possible.”

District Superintendent Gerard Poole congratulated Dongkai, Derek, Mr. Paolicelli and high school principal Frank Pugliese on this achievement.

“The Regeneron application is the upper echelon, it is the pinnacle of science competitions in the entire United States of America and to have two of our students do all of the work, the preparation, submit a 20-page-plus high-level application for this is just phenomenal,” he said. “From my perspective, whether they place or win, I’m OK with that. The fact that they got that application together and could show what they did and what they were able to accomplish is absolutely amazing.”

Dongkai and Derek’s applications are now being scored by a panel of Regeneron’s Ph.D.-level evaluators and considered for top awards. The top 300 scholars will be announced in early January, and the top 40 finalists will be revealed in mid-January.

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Riverhead Girls Volleyball (9-5 League I)

Riverhead made the playoffs for the first time in a decade but that’s not enough for the Blue Waves. After securing the playoff berth with a win over Central Islip, the Blue Waves got two more massive victories in the last two games of the season to help convince the seeding committee they deserved a higher seed. None was more impressive than the 3-2 victory over Patchogue-Medford (11-3 League I) to close out the season. It’s a perfect time to capitalize on the momentum going into playoffs where there’s no more days off – every team has talent and every point means something. Riverhead earned the No. 9 seed in the Section XI “AAA” bracket and will travel to No. 8 Longwood on Monday for a 5 p.m. start. Longwood (9-5 League I) has had Riverhead’s number in the two matchups during the season, coming away with victories in both games. 

“We cannot be complacent at any point,” Riverhead head coach Rose Horton said. “We must stay hungry the entire match. We’ve got to remember that the team comes before ourselves but when it’s our turn to execute, we must do so unapologetically.”

Top performers in last final games combined:

Adriana Martinez, 52 assists

Claire Normoyle, 21 kills

Lucia Mannetta, 18 kills, 5 blocks

Kaysee Mojo, 20 kills

SWR Field Hockey (12-2 Division II)

Behind first year coach Kim Hannigan, Shoreham-Wading River went on an unprecedented run to start the season, surging to a flawless 10-0 record before finally losing 4-0 to Eastport-South Manor on October 4. The final stretch of the season proved the toughest as the Wildcats had to play Harborfields, Rocky Point and East Hampton – all of which qualified for the playoffs. SWR got back in a groove with one-goal wins over Harborfields and Rocky Point before losing their second game of the season to East Hampton. Their success earned them the No. 3 seed and a first round home playoff game in the Section XI “B” Bracket. They’ll face off against No. 6 Harborfields on Tuesday at 6:30. In their matchup during the season, the Wildcats snuck by, earning a 1-0 victory with a fourth quarter goal scored by Haylie Abrams. Despite only scoring one goal, SWR forced 9 saves out of the Harborfields goaltender, Lily Viscusi.

“We’re going to have to play smart,” Hannigan said, entering the final stretch of the season. “Possessing the ball will be key. We need to move the ball well into the corners. Most importantly we cannot lose our focus out there. The mental game is just as important as the physical part of it.”

Top performers this season:

Maddi Herr, 16 goals, 9 assists

Sophia Minnion, 7 goals, 8 assists

Haylie Abrams, 8 goals, 5 assists

Katie Monaghan, 7 goals, 5 assists

Maggie Anderson, 56 saves

SWR Boys Soccer (9-3 League VIII)

Shoreham-Wading River stayed undefeated through the first 10 games of the year. They looked unstoppable – winning on lopsided scores game after game. But the month of October wasn’t as kind. The Wildcats lost three games in a row to Center Moriches, John Glenn and Hampton Bays before finishing the season with a 6-0 victory over Southampton. Those nail-biting, one goal losses hurt their chances of getting the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. That’s just how soccer works sometimes, goals don’t always find the back of the net when you need them to. Good news is, the end of the season is behind them. SWR gets a fresh start in the playoffs. The records mean nothing. The best team will win out and the Wildcats are more than capable as evidenced by their dominant start to the season. SWR earned the No. 5 seed in the Section XI “A” bracket and will travel to No. 4 Amityville on Wednesday for a 2:30 p.m. start. 

“I’m as comfortable as ever with the team we put out there,” Rob Mancuso said, during the winning streak. “We need to continue to work hard and keep that dedication even when things don’t break our way. This team absolutely has it in them to make a run in the playoffs.”

Top performers this season: 

Sam Palmer, 7 goals, 8 assists 

Alex Makarewicz, 9 goals, 4 assists

Andrew Stiene, 5 goals, 1 assist

Nick Worthington, 4 goals

Kyle Rose, 79 saves

SWR Girls Soccer (10-2-2 Division III)

The reigning Suffolk County champions are back for another shot at greatness. Shoreham-Wading River, despite losing most of last season’s starting lineup, retooled with a handful of younger players and put together a magnificent season that saw them finish second in Division III with 156.47 power ranking points. Because of their tough schedule, being the preseason No.1 seed, they finished higher than some of their opponents even though they had more losses. The Wildcats earned the No. 2 seed in Section XI’s “A” bracket and will play No. 7 Center Moriches at home on Tuesday. The two teams faced off in late September and played to a 1-1 tie. Center Moriches (7-4-3) went into halftime leading 1-0 before freshman Shealyn Varbero scored on a pass from Mia Mangano to tie the game in the second half. SWR will be without star defender Grace Hillis as the senior got injured in the last game of the season. Their defense is what has stood out most. They’ll need their younger players to step up for a chance at another county crown.

“We graduated a lot last year,” SWR head coach Adrian Gilmore said at the end of the season. “We have younger girls stepping into bigger roles and we need to get the most out of them to succeed against the top teams in the division.”

Top performers this season:

Mia Mangano, 9 goals, 5 assists

Olivia Pesso, 4 goals, 9 assists

Grace Hillis, 7 goals, 5 assists

Shealyn Varbero, 7 goals, 2 assists 

Morgan Lesiewicz, 32 saves 

Riverhead Boys Golf (10-0 League VII)

After putting together another undefeated season in the league and winning their conference championship, Riverhead has its sights set on their first Suffolk County title in school history. Because of the difficulty of the courses they played and the scores they produced, out of all the league champions, Riverhead was chosen as the No. 1 seed in the tournament. They will host the winner of the No. 17 vs. No. 18 matchup at Cherry Creek Links on October 30. Tee time slated for 3pm. The starting lineup is filled with mostly seniors, and experience is paramount when going against the top schools in Suffolk County. The top six golfers are only separated by a stroke or two and any one of them is capable of having the best round on a given day. 

“For us to win it all we will need to focus on one opponent at a time,” Riverhead head coach Steve Failla said. “We need to be flexible enough to play our best golf when our routine changes. And we have to recognize that we get better or we get worse. No athlete stays the same.”

Starting lineup:

1. Colby Baran, 36.88 scoring avg.
2. Mark Gajowski, 37.22
3. Griffin Sumwalt, 38.11
4. Zach Timpone, 38.22
5. Jaxson Hubbard, 38.44
6. Luke Richard, 39

SWR Girls Volleyball (6-4 League VI)

After an up-and-down season, Shoreham-Wading River snuck into the playoffs with some key victories down the final stretch. The senior-heavy group has the experience necessary to be a factor in the postseason. Behind foreign exchange student Giorgia Balza, who hails from Italy, the Wildcats have a formidable frontline to give any opponent problems. They will travel to No. 2 seeded Sayville (10-2 League VI) on Tuesday with game time slated for 5 p.m. The two teams didn’t play each other during the regular season.

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Shoreham-Wading River traveled to Bayport-Blue Point High School Tuesday afternoon and knocked off the No. 2 seed 13-6 in dominant fashion to earn themselves a spot in the Suffolk County Class C title.

With the 10-8 loss on their home field in late April fresh on their mind, the Wildcats wanted to come out strong and leave no doubt as to who was the better team on the field.

“We played this team and lost earlier in the year,” junior captain Liam Kershis said. “I was happy to come into this game as the underdog. I wanted them to overlook us. All week in practice we decided to keep our heads down and work.”

Kershis made a statement from the start. With the defense draped all over Alec Gregorek, one of the top goal-scorers in all of Long Island, Kershis absolutely wreaked havoc in the Phantoms’ defensive end and made them pay for their decision-making. He scored the game’s first three goals in the opening minutes. The attacker hit Bayport-Blue Point with all the moves in his arsenal: jumping out from behind the net and bouncing a shot in, a dodge-and-shimmy from the front to find an opening and a full-throttle speed assault finding the top left corner of the net.

“What can I say? The kid is a stud,” SWR head coach Mike Taylor said. “There’s a reason he’s going to Duke. He’s the real deal.”

Kershis scored a total of 6 goals on the day but none were more impressive than his fifth goal midway through the 4th quarter. Following his early scoring spree, the Phantoms assigned a defender to stick by his side and follow him all over the field – not giving him any space to breathe. As he approached the net, the defender tried to dislodge the ball by digging his stick in Kershis’ armpit and lifting up his arm with force. As the SWR sideline screamed for a foul, Kershis simply shook off the defender with a spin move and launched the ball in the top right corner of the net. 

“When the ball is in his stick, good things tend to happen,” Taylor said. “We have such a luxury having Kershis and Gregorek. You can’t stop both. It’s just not going to happen.”

“Before this, honestly, I felt like our season was a disappointment to say the least,” Kershis said. “We lost five games this year. We had to lock in hard today. Even in school today, just looking at our seniors — guys that I consider my brothers, guys that I love — I just realized this could be their last game and I didn’t want that to happen. I brought my all.” 

Bayport-Blue Point (14-3) never had a chance. They barely had possession of the ball, thanks to Will Miller. The Wildcats’ face-off specialist was an absolute terror in the midfield circle, winning draw after draw, using his quick reflexes and leverage to pull the ball in his direction. Miller won 19 out of 22 face-offs. It’s hard to score if you never have the ball.

“I’ve just been doing it for so many years,” Miller said of his faceoff prowess. “It’s something that I’ve worked on since my childhood. I take a lot of pride in winning those battles.”

“That offense over there is so potent,” Taylor said. “They just never got in a rhythm. We dominated possession and that’s what won us the game. Winning the face-offs is so crucial in beating a team like that.”

Alec and Liam Gregorek each scored two goals for the Wildcats. Steven Cain, Ryan Herr and Alex Kershis also tallied one goal a piece. The closest the Phantoms got was within three goals. The lead was never threatened.

Jaden Galfano was incredible once again in goal, stopping 11 shots, many from close range. The defense clamped down when necessary and refused to allow anything easy. Bayport-Blue Point averaged 13 goals per game this season — the Wildcats held them to only 6.

“What I saw today was a unit that was hungry,” Galfano said. “I saw a brotherhood sticking together and refusing to lose. We’re sending our seniors out on top. Nothing less.”

“Our confidence was nicked a little during the season,” Taylor said. “Safe to say we got our swagger back.”

The Wildcats will face No. 1 seed Mt. Sinai in the Class C Suffolk County championship next Tuesday at Stony Brook University.

“We just need to play exactly how we played today,” Liam Gregorek said. “Offense and defense. Same unit. Together as one.”

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Two students from Shoreham-Wading River and one student from Riverhead will have the opportunity to rehearse and perform with students from New England and other Northeastern states, Washington, D.C., and Europe. The All-Eastern rehearsals and performances will take place in April 2023 in Rochester.

The two seniors chosen for the honor from Shoreham-Wading River High School are Madison McQuade and Anja Minty.

“It’s very exciting to be someone from a very small school district from the middle of Long Island representing this small school in [front of] large regions of the country. It’s an honor,” Anja said.

Anja plays the violin and will be joining the orchestra. Madison, a singer, will be joining the choir. Anya has been playing the violin since she was 10. Madison got into singing at the same age, through theater, which she started at eight years old.

“I’m just really excited for the experience, and I think everyone’s going to have a really good time,” Madison said.

On their website, NAfME has a statement in which they explain their rigorous selection process.

“Selected to perform in the 2023 All-Eastern Honors Ensembles will be the most musically talented high school students in the Eastern Region of the United States,” the statement said. “With assistance from their music teachers and directors, these exceptional students will prepare challenging programs under the leadership of prominent conductors in this biennial event.” 

Ashley O’Connor, one of the duo’s music teachers, expressed how proud she is of these hardworking and talented students.

“This is a highly competitive ensemble and the fact that we have two students going from our small Long Island high school is incredibly impressive,” said Ms. O’Connor. “We’re just very excited for them and very proud.”

Dennis Creighton, Shoreham-Wading River High School’s music coordinator, emphasized how the support the students received helped them achieve this honor.

“These ladies are accepted into All-Eastern based on their achievement on their New York State School Music Association solos, so this is really a team effort in that it takes not just incredibly talented students but supportive parents and teachers both in school and in private lessons, who supported them and helped them along the way,” Mr. Creighton said.

Bryan Enos, a senior from Riverhead High School, was the only student from the district accepted into the prestigious ensemble.

He will be playing the bass trombone with the orchestra. Bryan started with the tenor trombone in fifth grade and transitioned to the bass trombone during his sophomore year in high school, he said.

Bryan said he has been preparing by putting in time and practicing hard.

“It’s a lot of hours of just practicing and being around great musicians and learning from them and trying to apply that to myself,” he said. 

Jason Rottkamp, the district’s director of fine arts, spoke to how hard Bryan has been working to achieve this honor.

“Bryan Enos has been working extremely hard these past few years,” Mr. Rottkamp said. “With endless support from his family and teachers, he has reached a level of achievement that is rarely met during the high school years. Congratulations to Bryan and everyone involved in his success!”

Bryan said he is grateful for the opportunity to represent the school and state with such a prestigious group of musicians.

“It really means a lot; I think it reflects the hard work I’ve put in and everything I’ve learned and it’s just a great opportunity to represent the town and New York,” he said.

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They attend baby yoga classes on Thursday, go for walks and spend time together in their home nursery. Colette recently discovered her toes — a milestone for babies around the four-month mark.

“Every little thing she does is just so captivating to me,” Ms. Crowell said.

As a heart transplant recipient, Ms. Crowell, 29, understands how fragile life can be. She learned at a young age to never take any moments for granted. Becoming a mother has only reinforced that as she experiences the joy in each of her daughter’s milestones.

Eight years ago, Ms. Crowell nearly lost her life as her weakening heart could only continue pumping with the assistance of a heavy machine known as a left ventricular assist device, or LVAD. She had been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, at age 11, when doctors discovered her enlarged heart by chance while doing an X-ray on her collarbone. She managed the progressive condition with medication over the next several years, but by age 21, she was told her only path to survival was a heart transplant.

“By the time I got to college, I got sicker and sicker,” she said.

In August 2014, Ms. Crowell joined thousands of other New Yorkers on the donor transplant list, all of whom were awaiting a miracle.

“I was starting to lose hope, but still hanging in there,” she recalled of that time period, at which point she had been on the waiting list about eight weeks. Ms. Crowell had recently graduated from Fordham University and her mother had been staying with her at her Bronx apartment. Her mother woke her up around 5 a.m. on the morning of Oct. 3, 2014.

She had a heart.

In the days that followed her life-saving procedure, Ms. Crowell saw the news headlines of how a 16-year-old football player from Shoreham-Wading River High School had died following a collision in a game. At the time, all she knew was that her heart had come from a 16-year-old boy. The timing aligned, so she wondered if it could have been his heart.

It wouldn’t be until about six months later that she learned the donor’s family had expressed interest in meeting her. In May 2014, she met the Cutinella family in Wading River and learned about the life of her donor, her hero, Thomas Cutinella, whose legacy now lives on in another generation through Colette.

Ms. Crowell, who now lives in Jersey City, recalled how “nerve-wracking” it was to first meet the Cutinella family.

“These people have done so much for you and you put pressure on yourself, like am I doing enough with this gift? Over the years I’ve come to realize just living my life to the fullest is hopefully enough,” she said in an interview Monday on the eight-year anniversary of receiving Thomas’s heart.

That Ms. Crowell would one day become a mother was never a given. She knew there were risks involved with pregnancy.

“Having grown up with this ailment, having children was initially discouraged because of the various medications you have to take and the risk of the organ rejecting,” she said. “I honestly just wrote [having children] off as something that wouldn’t happen for me.”

Prior to the pandemic, she and her husband, Cameron, traveled often and were busy with work. When the pandemic forced everyone into isolation, she began to think more about having children. She brought it up to one of her doctors, assuming the answer would be no. To her surprise, the medical team offered to support her decision and said they would help her take all the necessary precautions.

Last October, on the seventh anniversary of her heart transplant, she surprised her family with the news that was she pregnant.

Not long after, she texted Kelli Cutinella, Thomas’ mother, to ask if she had a minute to talk. Ms. Crowell and Ms. Cutinella had developed a close bond since they first met. The Cutinella family celebrated with her during various life milestones. They attended her wedding in 2018 and Ms. Cutinella ran the New York City Tunnel To Towers Run alongside Ms. Crowell, a story that was featured on the cover in the New York Daily News that same year.

Ms. Cutinella had seen Ms. Crowell in person not long before that text message and had suspected she might be pregnant.

“When she reached out she was so cute about it,” Ms. Cutinella said. “She’s like, ‘I have something to tell you.’ And of course, in my heart, I wanted it to be that she was pregnant. I was beyond excited and thrilled for her. It’s something I always wanted for Tom [to be a father], but to know that this gift of life that he gave her, she was able to continue on and leave her legacy as well with baby Colette.”

Ms. Cutinella said they are grateful how Ms. Crowell and her husband have welcomed them into their family. 

“It’s very humbling,” she said. “It’s a great honor and we appreciate this connection in this relationship.”

Ms. Crowell said her heart held up perfectly throughout the pregnancy. She stopped taking one medication as a precaution and underwent more than the usual number of ultrasounds and doctor visits so the medical team could closely monitor every step.

“It was a lot of hard work throughout the pregnancy, but ultimately it was all very carefully managed,” she said.

Her healthy baby was born May 26. At this point, there’s no immediate concern that Colette might develop any heart issues of her own, Ms. Crowell said.

In July, around what would have been Thomas’ 24th birthday, the Cutinella family met Colette for the first time at their Wading River home. For Ms. Crowell, it felt like bringing her daughter to meet family friends, though she would never forget the circumstances that ultimately brought their families together.

It was a perfect match for her to be his recipient because she’s really a remarkable person.

Kelli Cutinella

“I think the best part about having our daughter is just seeing how much joy she brings to everybody that meets her,” she said.

The two families spent an afternoon together and Thomas’ younger siblings, Kevin, William and Carlie, got to meet Colette.

“She’s absolutely perfect,” Ms. Cutinella said.

Saturday marked eight years since Thomas, while wearing his No. 54 uniform, was fatally injured in the Shoreham-Wading River football team’s game at Elwood/John Glenn. In the immediate aftermath and the years that have followed, the Cutinella family and community have rallied to preserve his legacy. The turf field at the high school was named in his memory. A monument stands near the field with a statue of Thomas from the waist up, wearing his football uniform. To this day, the football team sprints onto the field each week with one player carrying the No. 54 flag that flies on their sideline. “Tommy Tough” is now the motto and standard for every SWR football team. The Thomas Cutinella Memorial Foundation formed in his memory gives back to the community in multiple ways, such as scholarships for students, and by working to promote safety in high school football. On Sunday, Oct. 16, the foundation and Wildcat Athletic Club will host the 2022 Patriot Run at Wildwood State Park in Wading River in memory of Thomas and proceeds will go to the foundation. Ms. Crowell plans to attend with her daughter.

Part of the foundation’s goal is to promote the benefits of organ donation. Ms. Cutinella and Ms. Crowell have been strong advocates for LiveOnNY, a federally designated organ procurement organization for the New York metro region. The nonprofit works closely with organ donors and recipients at every step, including helping to arrange meetings between recipient and a donor’s family when both sides are ready.

Leonard Achan, president and CEO of LiveOnNY, said setting up a meeting between donor family and recipient is based on the readiness of the donor family and he noted it’s not something people always want to do. The organization’s role is to protect both the recipient and donor family, he said.

“But more and more, as our constituents and our community becomes a little more comfortable with organ donation, it happens more and more,” he said.

Mr. Achan said Ms. Crowell’s story disproves the “myth” or “urban legend” that a woman who receives an organ transplant can’t go on to have a baby.

“Thomas was able to prove that and see that generational gift, that it’s not a one-time gift,” he said. “You’re allowing people to live on and to continue your legacy as well as their own.” 

Ms. Crowell said she considers herself a typically reserved individual. So she laughed when asked why it’s important to her to share her story whenever she can.

“When it comes to organ donation I just think it’s so important, not even for myself, but for the sake of others,” she said. “The lives that you’re saving and the lives that you’re touching. It’s not just that one person, but it’s their friends and family who care about them whose lives are also being impacted by the gift of life.”

Ms. Cutinella said she continues to help with organ donation education, particularly for younger teens and to open dialogue with families as they had with Thomas. She credited LiveOnNY for being “an amazing facilitator” in keeping the relationship with Ms. Crowell going.

The Cutinella family carries Thomas’s memory with them every day, striving to celebrate him however they can. On the first three days of each October, their goal is to find something joyful as they reflect on the impact of each of those days: Oct. 1, the day of the football game; Oct. 2, the day he technically died; and Oct. 3, the day he gave life.

“We watch videos and try to listen to his voice,” Ms. Cutinella said. “You do a lot of reflecting. You have tears in there. But you have tears of joy, too, because you remember how wonderful he was.”

When Ms. Cutinella looks at Ms. Crowell, she sees someone who closely resembles the kind of person her son was.

“It was a perfect match for her to be his recipient because she’s really a remarkable person,” she said.

When Colette grows older, she’ll learn the story of Thomas Cutinella and how the teenager from Wading River, through his own sacrifice at a young age to sign up to become an organ donor, saved her mom’s life. Ms. Crowell keeps a picture of Thomas in their living room that the Cutinellas gave her when they first met, a reminder of how through one horrific tragedy, new life was born.

Ms. Crowell will share with her daughter the legacy Thomas left behind, the impact he had on his community and how he saved not only her life, but many more by donating both kidneys, liver, pancreas, both corneas, numerous bones, skin and tissue.

“If you choose kindness, you can make such a positive impact on everybody around you and be so well loved and respected within your community,” Ms. Crowell said. “So I just hope that she takes away that he was truly, through and through, a good person and to see the impact that can have.”

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