Riverhead and SWR gear up for playoffs
A handful of area high school teams are gunning for post-season glory. Here’s a look at what to expect.
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:
- Colby Baran, 36.88 scoring avg.
- Mark Gajowski, 37.22
- Griffin Sumwalt, 38.11
- Zach Timpone, 38.22
- Jaxson Hubbard, 38.44
- 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.
