There certainly was plenty to cheer about in North Fork sports in 2024.
Southold boys basketball rebounds to a county title
After a 5-15 finish during the 2022-23 season, Southold rebounded with a memorable campaign. The Settlers (12-10) won their fifth county Class C crown, defeating Greenport, 57-41, on Feb. 29.
Sophomore forward Travis Sepenoski, who scored a game-high 21 points, hoped that the title could be the start of something big. “It means a lot,” he said. “Any sport, the last couple of years we’ve been in a drought. This is really good for not just us, [but] the whole school. Everyone wants to be winners now. Hopefully through the next seasons, we can accomplish that.”
Coached by Lucas Grigonis, the Settlers met their match in the Southeast Regional in Yorktown on March 9. Haldane (Section I; 21-4) quashed their hopes of reaching the final four of the New York state tournament with a 73-39 win.
After winning county crown, Tuckers fall in Long Island final
When teams lose championship games, tears will be shed. On March 1, several Mattituck Tuckers had tears in their eyes, but it was for another reason. Those were tears of joy, after securing the county Class B girls basketball title. Deploying an alert defense that forced 37 turnovers, the second-seeded Tuckers recorded a 42-29 victory over No. 1 Babylon at St. Joseph’s University in Patchogue.
“I’ve been playing varsity basketball since I was in 10th grade. I’ve come to three county semifinals and fallen short until this year,” said senior forward Caroline Little, who finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists. “I really could not ask for … I’m about to cry. I’m going to be emotional.”
The Tuckers (15-7) lost to Carle Place, 55-32, in the Long Island championship on March 5.
“Nobody pegged us to win anything this year,” coach Steve Van Dood said.
Porters clinch county soccer title with win over Settlers
Kal-El Marine had experienced the bitter taste of defeat in two county finals. He was the goalkeeper on the Porters’ team (7-7-2) that lost to Pierson/Bridgehampton on penalty kicks in the 2023 Class C soccer final and was a guard on the squad that fell to Southold in the basketball final. But on Nov. 4, the senior and his teammates walked off the field in Coram as county champions after a 2-1 triumph over the Settlers.
“It’s everything,” said Marine, who made 11 saves, including three in succession in the 52nd minute. “I just took it like, this is my opportunity, this is my moment … We don’t have the same guys as last year, but a lot of people stepped it up.”
Midfielder-forward Jostin Cajas scored twice and snapped a 1-1 deadlock with 11:02 remaining as Greenport captured its first county crown since 2018.
In the Southeast Regional, the Porters, coached by Greg Dlhopolsky, dropped a 6-0 decision to eventual state champion North Salem (Section 1; 14-2-3) on Nov. 9.
Numbers don’t always tell the entire story. The Greenport/Southold/Mattituck football team finished at 4-5, but for the first time since 2013, the Porters reached the playoffs. With senior quarterback-safety Michael DeNicola leading the way, Greenport bolted to a 3-0 start and wound up securing a playoff spot.
Greenport lost at the eventual Suffolk champion Bayport-Blue Point, 42-14, in the quarterfinals on Nov. 8, but that did not spoil a memorable season.
“It was a wild ride,” coach Tim McArdle said. “It was an awesome ride.
“This is an amazing experience for our program. This brings our program up to the next level, legitimizes our program, shows the bigger schools we’re here to play with you. We’re on your level. We’re getting there. It’s great for the kids. You can’t ask for anything better,” he said.
Soaring high and long
Whether it was indoors or outdoors, Greenport’s Cameron Stanton (long jump) and Southold’s Olivia Misiukiewicz (high jump) excelled in their craft. Both qualified for the state indoor tournament and New Balance Nationals.
In the spring, Stanton continued her excellence, with a personal record of 18-2. For the second successive year, she finished fourth among Division II jumpers and eighth among all competitors at the outdoor New York championships in June.
“She has been one of the most dedicated athletes that I’ve coached in my career,” Southold/Greenport track coach Tim McArdle said. “She has amazing natural ability but is willing to work on the small things to make her better.”
In the winter, Misiukiewicz cleared the bar at 5-4 at the county small school championships. Outdoors, Misiukiewicz won the county 4B title with a leap of 5-1 to clinch a state championships berth.
A few bricks shy of a load
In a reversal from the previous year, the Mattituck/Greenport/Southold boys and girls lacrosse squads went from Class D county champions to runners-up within hours of each other, losing to Babylon at Longwood High School on May 22.
Several weeks prior, head coach John Amato directed the boys (5-12) in an epic, four-overtime defeat at Babylon. But in the final, the Tuckers came out slowly. The Panthers rolled to an 8-0 third-quarter advantage as the Tuckers suffered an 11-3 defeat.
In the nightcap, the Panthers girls scored four consecutive goals in the second half to turn a one-goal deficit into an 11-8 win over the Tuckers (11-6), coached by Logan McGinn. “We came in fired up. We knew we wanted this so bad,” said midfielder Gianna Calise, who recorded five goals and an assist. “We fought the entire game until the end.”
MSG soccer scratches bounces back
In Mattituck/Southold/Greenport’s penultimate regular season game on Oct. 21, Page Kellershon’s goal 24 seconds into the second half tied the League VII match against Babylon. Senior co-captain Casey Szczotka connected for the game-winner, 2-1, on a free kick with 18 minutes and 23 seconds remaining.
“It’s something I’ve been working for four years. It’s so special, especially with this group of girls,” said Szczotka, who finished her career with 38 goals and 45 assists. “I played with almost all these girls for three years. We’ve definitely built a big community, a big family. Just to be able to see that success throughout the seasons and see us progressively grow is just so rewarding.”
Coached by Chris Golden, MSG was eliminated in the Class A quarterfinals by Bayport-Blue Point, 5-1, on Oct. 29.
Mattituck girls track streak reaches 9
Head coach Chris Robinson treasures every league championship the Mattituck girls track team has won. But the Tuckers’ ninth consecutive title might have been a bit sweeter. Despite having their smallest squad in years, the Tuckers (6-0) secured the League VII crown.
“Every year is special,” Robinson said. “We had the smallest team probably in the last 11, 12 years. We started out, we had 25. Things happened throughout the season, and we had a solid 16-17. It’s hard to continue to win when you have a small team because there’s a lot of events.
“A lot of the girls had to step up and do four events every week, which is asking a lot. It’s not easy to win one, let alone nine in a row. It’s a tremendous accomplishment.”
Climbing at state wrestling championships
He might not have won a title or earned all-state honors at the state wrestling tournament, but James Felakos felt that he had reached an important objective. Felakos won two matches in the 190-pound weight class in Division II in Albany in March, as he went further than he had during his 2022 debut.
“It was good to achieve my goal,” he said. “I did better than my first time. I enjoyed it.”
“He should be proud of where he’s at,” Mattituck/Greenport/Southold wrestling coach Nic Fioretti said. “His next goal is to be all-state.”
Beginners’ skill, experienced runners
A 12-year-old seventh-grader who stands 5-foot-1 and weighs 82 pounds, Diego Rodriguez made a dazzling varsity cross country debut at Indian Island County Park in Riverhead on Sept. 10. Rodriguez finished second overall and led all Tuckers with a time of 18 minutes and 39 seconds over five kilometers.
“It wasn’t my best run, but, yeah, it was pretty good,” he said, helping Mattituck win its season-opening meet over Southampton, 27-30.
“Once he gets some experience racing and understands pace and tempo, I think he’ll understand the course a little more. I think he’ll do very well,” coach Mike Jablonski said.
At the state championship in Queensbury, Rodriguez finished in 87th place (18:16.0) in Class C. Tuckers senior Georgia Buckley finished 55th among Class C girls (21:01.2).
Southold sophomore Ryan Duffy set a personal best (17:29.5) over the 5K course in Class D boys, finishing 44th, the fastest of nine North Fork runners. Settlers sophomore Emily Kaelin finished 40th in Class D girls (21:19).