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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Former Riverhead football standouts Mike Heigh (2003) and Rasheen Moore (2008), who both won championships as members of the Blue Waves, have turned to coaching to try to rebuild a football program that hasn’t had a winner since the school cut sports after a failed budget vote during the COVID-19 lockdown. 

On Nov. 10, the 11-and-under Blue Waves, coached by Moore, and the 10-and-under Blue Waves, coached by Heigh, took the field in their league championship — scheduled to play one after another at the Pulaski Street Sports Complex. The 10u team defeated West Islip, 28-0, and the 11u team finished the season with a 22-6 victory over West Babylon. The games drew a massive crowd; parents, alumni, teachers and coaches all wanted to see these kids compete at a high level.

“Riverhead football has always been a staple of our community,” Heigh said following the championship. “It’s hard when we’re losing at the top. It amplifies everything. That’s why we’re doing the work here and trying to teach our traditions that I grew up with. I really believe that in time, the community will be there to back our kids soon enough.”

Heigh and Moore impact the kids from as early as 7 years old, and the results of all the effort they’ve put in are finally coming to fruition. 

“This is big for the program,” Moore said after watching both teams win their championships. “When you can get two age groups back to back to produce seasons like this it bodes well for our future. It’s a first step in the right direction to winning the community back.”

Both Heigh and Moore played under legendary coach Leif Shay, who coached Riverhead’s varsity football team to four Suffolk County championships in his 24 years of leadership. And Shay had nothing but great things to say about his two former players.

“Both Heigh and Moore demonstrated great leadership ability when they wore the blue and white,” Shay said. “They are men built for others and they truly understand what it means to be great fathers, sons and leaders in their community. I am proud of the men they have become and I look forward to seeing the men they help create.”

When you think about PAL coaches, usually one of them has a kid on their team, and that’s what drives their motivation to help. But neither Heigh nor Moore has a kid on the team; they’re driven by the desire to rebuild a program that gave so much to them.

“I took it personal when I saw kids leaving the district to play football in other towns,” Heigh said. “We need to keep our talent here, and it starts with having the parents buy in. They’re buying in at the PAL level. Once it trickles down to varsity, things will turn around here.”

Jack Shields, whose son Ryan has played for both Heigh and Moore, couldn’t believe how dedicated they were when he first entered him to play football at age 7. It was a bumpy road at first, but it was a road that eventually led to a championship. Right after COVID, the 7-year-old team didn’t have a coach, and Heigh was slated to coach his own son in his last year of PAL football. He ended up sacrificing that year with his son to coach Ryan Shields and the other kids. It just shows the type of person he is.

“I’ve helped coach over the years, so I would say I have a lot of the behind-the-scenes knowledge of what’s going on here,” Shields said. “Mike’s son hasn’t been in the program for years now, but he continues to put all his effort into building this. He’s almost become like a figurehead of the entire program. He’s committed to the development of the program and the development of the kids as football players and young men. Even as young as 7, Mike always showed them a toughness that really resonated with the kids.”

Transitioning from Heigh to Moore as the kids progress, gives them a different touch. Heigh is more of a play-with-your-heart type of coach, whereas Moore is less outspoken and more skills-driven. It’s a perfect 1-2 punch. And, at the end of the day both bleed blue-and-white.

“These coaches volunteer three nights a week and every Sunday for the better part of four months [to] give these kids the best experience possible,” Shields said. “They never miss a practice. They don’t have a child in the program and our boys were always the last team out there. … That just shows their dedication and their commitment. They weren’t just out there because they volunteered, they’re out there because they’re committed to better the children and go the extra mile.” 

Shields sees firsthand how Heigh and Moore have shaped every child that has suited up in a Blue Wave uniform. They have tremendous pride in wearing that uniform to school. It’s a pride that has been lacking for quite some time in Riverhead sports.

“I played football in high school and college,” Shields said. “The inspiration that both of them have provided — the strength, the courage, the motivation — it made me want to go out and play. When I started to see Ryan buy in, develop and grow, it made me buy in, develop and grow. I want our kids to have tough coaches. I want them to be challenged. I bought into the philosophy. I bought into their approach. And even though I didn’t grow up here, I’m proud to be a Blue Wave.”

For their efforts in and dedication toward the PAL leagues, Heigh and Moore have earned the nod as 2024’s Riverhead News-Review Sportspeople of the Year.

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