Riverhead PAL football is thriving at all levels

Despite the struggles on the varsity level this season, Riverhead football is alive and well. When you pull back the curtain at the lower levels, thanks to former alumni, Riverhead is turning into a juggernaut once again.

In the Police Athletic League, the regular season just ended, and four age groups have emerged at the top of their leagues.

The middle school team, which combines 7th and 8th graders, finished the fall season 9-1, losing their season finale by just a touchdown. The 5th/6th grade team finished undefeated. The third grade team finished undefeated, as did the second grade team. All four will have home field advantage during the playoffs.

“This is the first time I’ve seen this, and I’ve been around PAL for decades,” middle school football coach Mike Heigh said. “The kids are buying in, and we’re getting results. To have four teams at the top of the division, it shows that everything we’ve been doing is paying off.”

One of the major changes made last year was to add a middle school PAL team. Despite the middle schoolers playing on the school team already, those games are against teams in the area rather than in the division. They play teams that would play high school ball at the division three or four level, such as Eastport-South Manor, Southampton, Westhampton, and Greenport. 

“It doesn’t help our development when we’re playing teams we’re supposed to beat,” Heigh said. “It doesn’t prepare us for the varsity level. We should be playing teams that we would be playing on varsity. That’s why we made the middle school PAL team.”

Now there are extra games on the table, but the competition level is there. In PAL, they play Longwood, William Floyd, Patchogue-Medford – the teams in Division I. Middle school fell one game short of achieving an undefeated season, losing to Patchogue-Medford/Bellport by one touchdown in the regular season finale.

Riverhead Athletic Director Melissa Edwards said that the middle school’s schedules will change.

“Going to modified sports for middle school was something that was done after COVID and budget cuts to help us rebuild,” she said. “I think we’re back to a point where we can play against these other big schools again and we will.”

The success of the PAL level will undoubtedly translate to the varsity level in time. These kids are in the weight room; they’re working all winter, they’re learning from coaches that have been there, done that.

“We have alumni at every level committed to turning this football program around,” Heigh said. “Everywhere you look there’s someone that has won championships in Riverhead. We’re all working together, and we all want the same thing.”

There are tough positional changes that are being made for the best of the team and not based on who’s dad is coaching.

“We’ve had to have tough conversations with the kids,” Heigh said. “Not everyone can be the quarterback or running back. Sometimes that means you have to sacrifice and do things to win. I was a linebacker all my life, but they asked me to play defensive end and tight end in high school. Was I disappointed? Yes. Was I still on the field? Great.”

Rasheen Moore, another former alumni that coached for many years in the PAL program, is doing private agility workouts helping out Riverhead athletes in the way he knows best.

“You see the difference,” Heigh said. “After they’ve been training with Rasheen, they’re faster, smarter, and more dynamic. I can’t say enough about what he does for this program.”

One can only hope this success will turn into varsity success.

“For any program to thrive or see results, we need to all be connected as one from top to bottom,” Heigh said. “Every single level.”