Spring Athletes Get Back On The Track, Fields At Westhampton Beach

After the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 spring athletic season across all of New York State, this spring marks the first time in two years that sports such as baseball, softball, lacrosse, girls golf and track and field will be played.

Because of that fact, Section XI, the governing body of Suffolk County high school athletics, has dedicated itself to ensuring that this season goes off without a hitch. To that end, the county has scheduled the spring season to run from May to the second week of June, which it was able to do when the state canceled all of its championship tournaments. Typically, the season starts in late March/early April, but the fall season was pushed back and ended in late April.

The county has used the previous two seasons, the winter and the fall, as a springboard to this season, and has taken what it’s learned during that time as a way to improve how high school athletics are run during a pandemic. Furthermore, the county just loosened its COVID testing requirements (see separate story) for high-risk sports such as boys lacrosse, in an effort to give those athletes as normal a season as possible, which is the ultimate goal for this season.

The following are brief previews of where each program stands going into the spring.

Westhampton Beach girls track and field team won the league championship two years ago, and have the talent to challenge for it again this year. The team will be led by senior sprinter Oceane Ode, an All-County returnee, who will also compete in the long jump. Juniors Keira Falvey and Rose Hayes will compete in long distance races, while Falvey is a versatile performer who will compete in the hurdles, triple jump and relays. Anabelle Vellosa will compete in middle distance races and the racewalk, while Jessie Dunn will also perform in middle distance. A strong group of freshmen will round out the team, which head coach John Broich said has good depth and good numbers.

For the boys track team, junior Gavin Ehlers, sophomore Maximus Haynia, and freshman Trevor Hayes will lead the team in distance events, while junior Aidan McKeon and junior Nick Waszkelewicz will score points in sprints and jumps. Senior Jake Mecca will lead the team in throwing events.

The Hurricanes softball team will have a mix of veteran returnees and newcomers. Seniors Elana Seltzer (second base), Jane Paulson (first base), Melanie Meyer (catcher), and Olivia Jayne (utility) will lead the team this year, while juniors Allie Parascandola (shortstop), and Lillie Henthorne (center field/catcher), are returning varsity players as well.

Newcomers to varsity include juniors Olivia Tozzi, Gabby DeLuca, Sarah Brosnan and Sophie Caponi, sophomore Kylah Avery, eighth-graders Antonella Russo, Rylee McGuinness, Elliejean Burke and Kali Baumiller, and seventh-grader Addison Celi, who will see time in the pitching circle along with Burke and Baumiller.

Head coach Jeff Doroski said he expects Sayville to be the top team in Class A once again.

“We will try to play good defense behind our young pitching and try to be aggressive offensively,” Doroski said.

The baseball team will be led by 10 seniors, including shortstop Jack Halloran, who head coach Asa Grunewald called one of the best hitters in the conference. Ryan Miller will be the team’s top pitcher, while Brandon Erbis will also be a strong presence on the mound.

“We will compete in every game,” Grunewald said. “But it is hard to predict how we will do because we haven’t seen any of the other teams in two years.”

The boys lacrosse team has moved up to Class B after competing in Class C in 2019, and the goal for the Hurricanes this year, according to head coach Drew Peters, is to grab a playoff spot in Class B. They enter the year as the seventh-ranked team in their class.

The Hurricanes will be led by Rob Moore (midfield) and Peter Traina (attack). Moore is a returning All-County player who had 23 goals and 19 assists as a sophomore despite missing four games with a broken thumb, while Traina, an All-Division player, had 41 goals and four assists in 2019. Seniors Jack Moloney, Aidan Cassara and Jackson Hulse are strong returning players as well. Newcomers expected to have an impact include Danny Naglieri, Aidan Kellachan and Gavin Arcuri, and the defense will be comprised almost entirely of newcomers to varsity, including Liam McMunn, Geoff Arrasate, Alessandro Morabito and Ethan Faralan. Patty Blake is the senior of the group and will provide leadership there. Conor Farnan and Jake D’Agata will split time in goal.

The girls lacrosse team had its most successful season in program history in 2019, finishing 12-5 and losing to Bayport in the Class C semifinals. The team returns several talented players, including All-County midfielder Maureen Duffy, who will attend the University of Virginia next year, along with midfielders Jackie Amato and Olivia Rongo, goalies Taylor Gallarello, Casey Gallagher, and attack player Kyleigh Tufano. On defense, returnees Mia Failla, Campbell Kast, Molly Skorobohaty, Caroline Henke and Reilly Mahon will lead the team.

Newcomers Reese King and Lily Graves, both eighth-graders, are expected to have an impact this season. Like the boys team, the Hurricanes have moved up to Class B, and hope to earn a playoff spot in that new classification.

The Westhampton Beach boys tennis team will once again be a favorite to win the League VII title. Senior and three-time All-County player Josh Kaplan will be competing with new teammate, junior John Pope, a transfer from a school in New York City, for the top singles spot on the team. Sophomore Gavin Vanderschaff will play at third singles. Fourth singles will feature either senior Santo Benenati or freshman Bobby Stabile. Doubles teams will includes pairings of senior co-captain Andre Insalaco, Stabile, junior Alessandro Volpe, senior Kasper Buchen, freshman Max Buchen, freshman Theo Grellet-Aumont, and junior Jake Zaffuto. The Hurricanes finished second to East Hampton in League VII last year and hope to come out on top this season.