Thomas's Red Devils Claim Conference IV Title

The scene after the Center Moriches boys basketball team’s 94-90 overtime victory over Malverne to win the Long Island Class B Championship last March now looks like something out of a dated movie: hundreds of people cooped up in a gym, not wearing masks or being 6 feet apart, with TV interviews being done as they normally would.

But life was never the same, for anyone or anything, not long after that March 11, 2020, game. It didn’t take a full 24 hours until the subsequent Regional Final in which the Red Devils were supposed to play, where a win would have punched their ticket to the state championship, was eventually canceled, and soon thereafter, the rest of the postseason.

Never being able to finish out a season in which a state title was in sight was a hard pill to swallow for Nick Thomas, the Bridgehampton alumnus who now leads Center Moriches as its head coach, and, of course his players. Seniors went on to graduate with the “what-could-have-been” thought always in their minds, and the underclassmen who were slated to return were left to wonder, “are we ever going to have a season?”

In time, a season, albeit a truncated one with a very limited schedule and quick postseason, was had, and the Red Devils ended their season as they did last March, with a victory, defeating Shoreham/Wading River, 76-61, on Sunday on their home court to win the Conference IV Championship, which was the farthest any team could go this season.

It was a far cry from the scene last March. There were no spectators, everyone was wearing masks, even the players, and social distancing was being enforced throughout, temperature checks were given at the doors. But after the past year and everything it entailed, it was something, and that was alright for Thomas and his players.

“It’s been trying times for everyone,” Thomas said after his team’s victory on Sunday afternoon. “In particular, for high school kids, student-athletes, it’s been as tough as it gets. My kids were just dealing with the unknown and still trying to adjust to what life is like now, so for them to have something to look forward to in a season and just gathering every day, it was certainly a refreshing moment for them, and it’s been a refreshing time for all of us, to have some sense of normalcy. But, more importantly, the mental relief that I see in their faces and just being around it every day, it’s invaluable.”

Thomas said his team was “fortunate enough” to have a rematch with Malverne, which was once again the favorite this winter to be the Nassau County ‘B’ champion this season, on February 15, a game that Center Moriches won handily, 89-60. Center Moriches finished its eight-game schedule, which is typically 18 games, with a 7-1 record to win its fifth straight League VII title. Its only loss was to undefeated and Conference II Champion Half Hollow Hills East.

“To have something else to play for, it meant everything,” Thomas said. “We were trying to win the day, just to survive and have a season, because our administration preached — to have a successful season, you have to have a safe season. So I can’t thank these guys enough for coming in, going through the protocols and going through the testing, doing the right things outside of school, just to keep themselves safe, not putting anyone else in harm and put our season in jeopardy. And they deserve everything they got today.”

Thomas’s three senior captains — Jordan Falco, Dayrien Franklin and Jaden Kealey — shared their coach’s sentiments that this season, while much different, was certainly worth the effort.

“I feel like the season was something to remember,” said Franklin, who scored a team-high 20 points on Sunday. “Even though it was short, I still got to play with my teammates and cherish the moments that we have. They’re like my brothers, like my family.”

“Not knowing if we were going to play or not, our hopes were down, but once we got the news, we were so excited just to play,” Falco added. “Even though we wanted to go upstate — fighting for that state championship is always what we want at Center Moriches — you can’t take anything for granted … this is all we wanted and glad it got to happen.

“[Coach Thomas] did a great job with all of us in a shortened season,” he added. “He makes it fun every single day and he makes us work every day and wants us to be the best person we can be.”

Thomas, who dealt with the coronavirus on a direct and personal level, was admittedly surprised when he first heard the state was going to allow a basketball season. But this season, as different as it was, was needed, he said.

“My family has been through some trying times. We lost six family members in the course of a year, COVID related,” he said. “My family, personally, has dealt with COVID. We survived it, thank God. So, for me, personally, this was an escape from all of that. Just to be able to pour my love for the game and instill the life lessons sports affords us into these kids on a daily basis has been everything.

“I just want to thank everyone who has been involved in making this happen and to be able to be a part of it,” he added. “Every administrator and every front-line worker, every coach, every student-athlete and every parent and community member who supported this, it’s needed. And we’ve been figuring some things out along the way, but it’s certainly necessary to continue to push forward and not look backwards because we have to hope for brighter days ahead.”