The fall 2024 high school sports season is wrapping up this weekend, but several area squads are headed to the playoffs. Here’s a look ahead at
Riverhead Boys Golf (10-0 League VII)
The Riverhead boys golf team has not lost a league match since 2021. What they haven’t been able to do is lift the trophy as Suffolk County’s best. Their league record combined with their course difficulty rating earned them the No. 5 seed and a first round bye in the Suffolk County team playoffs this year. They’ll face off against No. 21 Hauppague who knocked off No.12 East Islip in the first round of the playoffs. The two teams play Monday at Cherry Creek Golf Links starting at 3 p.m.
Colby Baran has led the Blue Waves all season and recently qualified for the New York State individual championships for the second consecutive season. The junior finished third overall in the Suffolk County tournament with a two day total of 151. Baran was on fire in the opening round, carding a 72, which was second best in the field. Riverhead golfers Logan Dempsey and Mason Sidik both qualified for the county tournament but were unable to put up low enough scores to earn All-County recognition.
Shoreham-Wading River Field Hockey (14-2 Division II)
After winning their first 10 games of the season, Shoreham-Wading River scuffled a bit down the stretch, losing two one-goal games against Harborfields and Miller Place before finishing up the regular season with three consecutive Ws. Their 14-2 record earned the No. 4 seed as well as a home game in the first round of the playoffs against No. 5 Eastport South Manor. That game will be played Monday at 4 p.m. The Wildcats won 2-1 when the two teams faced off during the regular season.
SWR is led by sophomore phenom Madison Herr who finished second on Long Island in points with 41 over the course of the season. In the final game against West Babylon, Herr scored a season-high five goals that brought her season tally to 25. Kaitlynn Monaghan, who plays the other attack wing position, scored 14 goals this season.
Shoreham-Wading River Boys Soccer (12-4 overall, 9-1 League VIII)
Though the Wildcats dropped a few non-league games, they simply took care of business when it came to facing league opponents this season. Their 9-1 record in the league was good enough for second place, coming up just short against Elwood/John Glenn who also posted a 9-1 record. Even though the two teams split the regular season match ups, Elwood/John Glenn was awarded the tiebreaker because of goal differential. SWR earned the No. 3 seed in the Class A bracket and will face off against No. 6 Islip on Tuesday. The game will be played at Shoreham-Wading River High School at 6 p.m. The Wildcats won their lone regular season meeting, 2-0.
The Wildcats been led by Zach Makarewicz, one of the few sophomores on the roster, with 13 goals scored. Tyler Nowaski is not too far behind with 10 tallies. Andrew Stiene leads the team in assists with six, one ahead of Terence Winters. Goalkeeper Branon Smith has recorded 87 saves thus far.
Shoreham-Wading River Girls Soccer (10-2-2 overall, 10-1-1 League VII)
Shoreham-Wading River was flawless up until the last game of the season against Islip who snatched away the league title from the Wildcats with the 2-0 victory. Two own goals eventually sunk SWR in a game they felt they dominated through the first 25 minutes. Because of the loss, the Wildcats were awarded the No. 2 seed but will still get a bye in the first round of the playoffs. They’ll play the winner of No. 3 Bayport-Blue Point and No. 6 Mattituck. Because of the bye, SWR already has a spot in the Class A semifinals which will take place on Friday, Nov. 1. The Wildcats beat Bayport-Blue Point 1-0 and Mattituck 4-0 during the season.
SWR is led by Mia Mangano, who has scored a team-high 15 goals so far this season. Ava Gengler has chipped in five goals and both Stamatia Almiroudis and Shealyn Varbero have found the back of the net four times. Olivia Pesso leads the team in assists with seven. Morgan Lesiewicz has been a rock at the back for the Wildcats for the past five seasons and the senior doesn’t look to be letting up any time soon. Lesiewicz has recorded 83 saves this season.
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