East End High Schools Honor Senior Athletes with Virtual Awards Ceremonies

Though seniors at local high schools did not get their final spring athletic season, in addition to a host of other senior traditions, East End high schools still found ways to honor their senior athletes through year-end awards.

To replace the traditional senior athletic banquets, many schools put together a video or live stream, featuring remarks from coaches, athletic staff, and even some seniors, to honor the outstanding student athletes that make up the Class of 2020. Though the videos could not replace the in-person experience, athletic departments went the extra mile to replicate the live experience.

At Southampton High School, seniors were invited to come back to school to pick up their awards and take photos with their family members to honor their athletic careers. To Hampton Bays Athletic Director Drew Walker, the videos helped bring the banquet to more people than may have been able to attend in-person.

“We missed the opportunity for the students to be able to share honors and accolades in person and to be able to give out their certificates,” Walker said. “That's a huge loss that can't be replaced by a video, but one of the positives of the videos is the ability to share with people who might not be able to attend a dinner, like extended family.”

The awards schools distributed range through a variety of themes and criteria. The primary qualifying criteria was athletic participation and skill, but awards also were focused on academic achievement, mentorship, sportsmanship and dedication.

At Westhampton Beach High School, most teams gave out individual awards and scholarships to notable players. Bridgehampton High School has one of the smallest senior classes on the East End, and gave out only school-wide awards.

The Class of 2020 were large contributors to the athletics programs on the East End. Walker said he felt the class was extremely team-oriented, and worked extremely well together as a group.

Darren Phillips, the athletic director at Southampton High School, said he was proud of the high GPAs athletes at Southampton had maintained, while also contributing so much to the department.

“I was really proud to see the top 20 GPAs,” Phillips said. “I believe 16 of the 20 kids were all athletes. We’re always talking about how kids who are involved in athletics or in other school activities do tend to do better academically, and at the end of the day, most of our kids are not going to go on beyond high school. I’m proud athletics are helping them excel not just on their teams but beyond.”

The Class of 2020 holds a wide range of senior athletes, from national team members to those who won’t be playing past high school, and the awards given by the schools reflect the diversity of those who participate in high school sports. Every athlete in the class of 2020 contributed to the success of the program, according to Bridgehampton athletic director Michael DeRosa, and has developed skills that will bring them far no matter what their next chapter may be.

Cathy Matusak Service Award - Nick Chen

James Crandell Golf Award - Mackenzie Kim and Cole Federico

Dugout Club Scholarship - Devin Koonmen

Larry Makransky Basketball Award - Layla Mendoza and Jeffrey McBurnie

Mary Larson Scholarship Award - Izzy Giacchetto and Andrew Arcuri

John Sullivan Scholarship Award - Jason Montagna

Charlie Bass Memorial Scholarship Award - Jason Montagna

Joe Koziarz 5K Scholarship Award - Hannah King and Nicholas Murphy

Mark Raynor Athletic Award - Jack Meigal

Tom Corrigan Athletic Award - Matthew Lambert

Kimberly Huff/Samantha LeBrun Award - Victoria Gugliemi

Joe Taylor Memorial Athletic Award - Matthew Leotta

John Hanff Award - Christopher Daleo

Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete Award - Rose Peruso and Luke Farnan

United States Marine Corps Award - Julia Smith and Ermel Bautista

Walter and Mary Sue Thorne Athletic Award - Isabelle Smith and Jesse Alfano St. John

Matthew P. Raynor Scholar/Athlete Award - Blake Busking and Hanna Tufano

Griffith Van Hoesen Athletic Award - Layla Mendoza and Kieran Ryan

Hearts for Joe Athletic Award - Jack Naglieri

Carl A. Hanson Athletic Award - Isabelle Smith and Jack Naglieri

Cory Hubbard Memorial Scholarship - Isabelle Smith and Jack Naglieri

Hampton Bays Athletic Senior Scholarship Award: Rebecca Heaney, Quinn Smith

The Doc Fallot Memorial Scholarship Fund Athletic Award: Elisabeth Daniels, Lucas Brown

Baymen Pride Award: Rebecca Heaney, Nicholas Corredor

Scholar/Athlete Award: Pamela Grajales, Jaden Ottati

John J. Pizzarelli All-Around Award: Lily Candelaria, Quinn Smith

Leader of the Game Selections 2019-20:

Varsity Football: Ethan Culhane

Varsity Golf: Aidan Kamp

Varsity Soccer: Demetrius De Barros

Varsity Cross Country: Johnny Gonzalez

Varsity Volleyball: Lily Candelaria

Varsity Soccer: Luisa Ramos

Varsity Tennis: Riley Stotsky

Varsity Cross Country: Sophia Senchishin

Varsity Gymnastics: Elisabeth Daniels

Varsity Football Cheer: Alexis Phillips

Varsity Field Hockey: Gia Antieri

Varsity Basketball: Aaron Butters

Varsity Wrestling: Nicholas Corredor

Varsity Boys Winter Track: Kelvin Granados

Varsity Basketball: Rebecca Heaney

Varsity Girls Winter Track: Heilyn Ovares

Varsity Comp. Cheer: Jennifer Garcia

Varsity Baseball: Jaden Ottati

Varsity Spring Track and Field: Darwin Fernandez

Varsity Tennis: Jeremy Carcamo

Varsity Softball: Lily Candelaria

Varsity Spring Track and Field: Adasha Lopez

Varsity Girls Lacrosse: Cassidy Moore

Most Outstanding Senior Female Athlete: Caraline Oakley

Most Outstanding Senior Male Athlete: Dakoda Smith

Mariner Athletic Club Scholarship: Caraline Oakley and Artemi Gavalas

Gold Key Award: Caraline Oakley, Logan Whitall, Brandon Solano, Samuel Schneider, Allysha Thomas, James Malone, and Grace Middlekauff

Male Senior Athlete of the Year: Henry Brooks

Female Co-Senior Athletes of the Year: Sam Cox and Halle Kneeland

Male Sportsperson of the Year: Peter Schaefer

Female Sportsperson of the Year: Kathryn Powell

Dellecave Nominees: Kathryn Powell and Harry Cowen

Scholar Athlete Award: Jaden Campbell

John Niles Award: Olivia Cassone

Mary Anne Jules “Attitude is Everything” Award: Maximus Tiska

EAST HAMPTON HIGH SCHOOL

Paul Yuska Award: Thomas Desmond and Alden Powers

Athletic Director's Award: Austin Brown and Tia Weiss

Dellecave Award: Jake L. Klarman and Lillian D. Minskoff