Starting pitcher Taylor Nitsch of Plainedge throws to the plate during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday The first half of the baseball regular season is in the books for Plainedge and the Red Devils could not have scripted a better 10 games Plainedge’s lineup has showcased the ability to break a game open its starting pitching has been nothing short of dominant In Wednesday’s 11-1 home win over Seaford in five innings in a Nassau Conference A-II game and junior righthander Taylor Nitsch did the rest walking two and allowing only three hits and an earned run in a complete game All nine Plainedge starters reached base safely “I think we got a pretty good team out there … We're playing Plainedge baseball The win gave the Red Devils a crucial series win over Seaford (10-2 “The offense just doesn't stop producing,” said junior catcher Jayden Gaghan who went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored And then we have three great starters and a great bullpen behind them Brady Henderson went 1-for-2 with two RBIs and two runs scored Bobby Wescott went 1-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored and Jack Kregeloh went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored Plainedge sent 10 batters to the plate in the first inning Wescott and Gaghan each hit two-run doubles Kregeloh had an RBI single and Dom Santivasci crushed a two-run homer to left-centerfield to make it 7-0 it obviously takes the pressure off of us and really helped Taylor settle in and kind of relax in a big game like this,” Plainedge coach Colin Fratrik said Seaford’s Thomas Apollo and Gaghan traded RBI singles to make it 8-1 after two innings The Red Devils scored three more in the third after a two-run single by Henderson and an RBI groundout by Wescott walked five and allowed one earned run in 18 innings “He's a three-year starter,” Fratrik said The Newsday app makes it easier to access content without having to log in Unlimited Digital AccessOnly 25¢for 6 months 2025 at 1:29 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Plainedge Union Free School District Superintendent Edward Salina is named Superintendent of the Year NY — A Plainedge educator has been named New York State Superintendent of the Year got the honor from the state's association for computers and technologies in education "Since embarking upon his tenure with Plainedge Union Free School District back in 2011 Salina has embraced a philosophy that encourages students to seek and attain their fullest potential," Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino said The award showcases a superintendent who demonstrated the use of technology to improve education Salina has successfully designed educational computer systems and networks in all of his previous school systems which include schools on Long Island and in New York City Salina has also worked as an adjunct professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction for Touro College and L.I.U at CW Post Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. 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Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and Receiver of Taxes Jeff Pravato announced the completion of baseball field improvements at the Plainedge Park The Town of Oyster Bay upgraded both natural surface baseball fields to synthetic turf “These important upgrades enhance the overall playing experience for everyone who utilizes these fields,” said Supervisor Saladino “These upgrades are being achieved in the most cost-effective way while bringing added enjoyment to all who use them.” Artificial turf fields have a general useful life of up to 10 years however they are less expensive than the long-term cost of maintaining natural grass and a dirt surface Turf fields also provide the potential for fewer cancellations of games due to inclement weather as the field is able to absorb rain storms in a manner that is not possible on a fully-dirt infield “Replacing the fields with synthetic turf allows for extended play time for athletes and brings a significant upgrade to this beautiful park,” said Receiver Pravato “We are pleased to bring these enhancements to the Plainedge community while keeping a watchful eye on our bottom line.” For more information about Town parks, including local programs and events, visit the Town’s website at www.oysterbaytown.com/parks Plainedge and Seaford faced off in a Nassau baseball matchup on Wednesday Matthew Kind of Seaford catches the pop up during a Nassau baseball game against Plainedge on Wednesday Brady Sanderson of Seaford comes in to pitch in the bottom of the third during a Nassau baseball game against Plainedge on Wednesday during a Nassau baseball game on Wednesday Jake Parpan of Plainedge drives the ball to center during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Brady Henderson of Plainedge slides safely into second under the leap of Finn Curry of Seaford during a Nassau baseball game on Wednesday Ayden Das of Seaford makes the catch in center during a Nassau baseball game against Plainedge on Wednesday Dom Santivasci of Plainedge crosses home from his two run homer during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Jayden Gaghan of Plainedge doubles driving in tow runs during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Bobby Westcott of Plainedge doubles during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Dom Santivasci of Plainedge is congratulated by Plainedge head coach Colin Fratrik after hitting a two run home run during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Jayden Gaghan of Plainedge slides safely into home from the hit of Jack Kregeloh of Plainedge during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Dom Santivasci of Plainedge is congratulated by his teammates after hitting a two run homer during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Luke Walsh of Seaford comes up to bat during a Nassau baseball game against Plainedge on Wednesday Starting pitcher Dylan Alt of Seaford throws to the plate during a Nassau baseball game against Plainedge on Wednesday Jack Kregeloh of Plainedge slides safely into home during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Jack Kregeloh of Plainedge makes the catch and the third out during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Brady Henderson of Plainedge drives a single bringing in tow runs during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Bobby Westcott of Plainedge makes the out at first during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Mike Calapai of Plainedge makes the grab and the out from third during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Jayden Gaghan of Plainedge drives in a run on his double during a Nassau baseball game against Seaford on Wednesday Alec Anderson of Plainedge grabs the winning touchdown for the last play of the game during the Nassau Conference IV semifinal game against Seaford on Thursday There was only enough time left for Plainedge to go full Hail Mary on fourth-and-17 from the Seaford 38 It seemed likely that the teams would have to work overtime but the Red Devils did have two things going for them on this fling for the win “A guy that runs really fast and jumps really high and a quarterback that can throw it as far as the field,” coach Rob Shaver said Jaxson Torres is that 6-3 sophomore quarterback with the big arm and Alec Anderson is that 6-4 senior receiver who’s able to fly and jump Torres sent the ball sailing toward the left side of the end zone A Hail Mary to win a Nassau IV semifinal and earn a ticket to the championship game Final score Thursday night at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium: Plainedge 33 “We had four seconds left; there wasn’t much to do,” Torres said after throwing for 115 yards and two scores “It feels amazing,” he said of his winning toss The top-seeded Red Devils train for situations like this “We’ve done it a couple of times in practice the two 9-1 teams that dropped down from Conference III after the last school year The teams indeed had to work overtime when they met in the regular season Asked how much confidence there is that his team is going to win a championship The end-of-the-game boost capped an 11-play 61-yard drive that covered the final 3:28 and included Torres’ 5-yard pass to Tyler Gribbin on fourth-and-4 59-yard journey by fifth-seeded Seaford (5-5) “Good and bad,” Shaver said of his feeling Falk returned the opening kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown and Dylan Fella (194 yards 27 carries) scored on a 5-yard run for Plainedge Giancarlo Belgiorno’s 1-yard TD run gave Seaford a 14-7 lead 3:07 into the game Dimitris Vardamaskos’ 3-yard TD run tied it at 14 in the second quarter Michael Spinella hit Kyle Britton for a 54-yard touchdown on the final play of the half to give the Vikings a 21-14 lead Plainedge tied it on Torres’ 1-yard keeper in the third then went ahead 27-21 on his 22-yard TD pass to Vardamaskos on the second play of the fourth Plainedge in a Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinal on Thursday Allie Younghans of Plainedge makes a pass during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals against North Shore on Thursday Michela Netto of Plainedge goes for a layup against North Shore during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Peyton Wise of Plainedge preparing to take a shot against North Shore during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Allie Younghans of Plainedge goes up hard for a shot surrounded by the North Shore defense of Erin Lily La Rosa and Taylor Silvia during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Annabella Misiti of North Shore goes up for a shot against the strong defense of Samantha Zaccaro of Plainedge during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Sofia Della Ratta of North Shore takes a jump shot against Plainedge during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Michela Netto of Plainedge drives toward the basket against North Shore during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Michela Netto of Plainedge takes a jump shot during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals against North Shore on Thursday Annabella Misiti of North Shore takes a shot against Plainedge during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Allie Younghans of Plainedge turned the corner on the baseline against the defense of Erin Lily La Rosa and Elizabeth Aurre of North Shore during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Sofia Della Ratta of North Shore goes up for a layup against Plainedge during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Erin Lily La Rosa of North Shore drives to the basket against the defense of Plainedge during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals at North Shore on Thursday Sofia Della Ratta of North Shore takes a shot during the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals against North Shore on Thursday Sophomore guard Tristan Mitchell scored six of his 14 in the final quarter as the first-place Spartans improved to 6-2 in Nassau A-VI on Friday Valley Stream North had done just enough to outlast visiting Plainedge And Friday’s 49-45 win came with a big bonus — a playoff pass to the Nassau Class A Tournament “We clinched today and it’s a great feeling for the kids especially the seniors,” coach Mike McVeigh said “It’s a proud moment as a coach when you see the kids so happy about accomplishing their first goal.” They reached their goal for the fourth straight season improving to 13-3 overall and taking over sole possession of first place in Nassau A-VI at 6-2 The Spartans are a half-game ahead of Floral Park The Spartans’ backcourt was at the forefront Junior point guard Vin Rienzie delivered 18 points and five assists and sophomore shooting guard Tristan Mitchell scored six of his 14 points in the final quarter “It feels good to clinch the playoffs back-to-back years,” Mitchell said They bowed out in the quarterfinals last season “I feel like we can make a run way deeper than last year Plainedge and the postseason weren’t synonymous in boys basketball before former college coach John Mateyko took over 3-5) to their third playoff berth in his four seasons but they will have to take three of their final four to get there “If we can bring the best team in the league down to the end of the game His team led 42-41 before Mitchell drove from the left and drove from the right for consecutive baskets and a three-point edge Alec Anderson put in a rebound to cut it to 45-44 before Mitchell hit a free throw with 1:24 left but they came up empty on their next possession Valley Stream North’s Zeke Morris hit two free throws and Mitchell made one in the final six seconds had climbed out of a 36-27 third-quarter hole behind its press “Our guys just find a way to make the plays when they need to.” Glenn wrestlers and their coaches are jubilant after winning the state Division II dual meet title at the SRC Arena at Onondaga CCC on Saturday SYRACUSE — When Glenn entered last year’s state wrestling dual meet tournament the mission was to win the Division II title by technical fall in 4:15 in the final match at 124 pounds to secure top-seeded Glenn’s 38-29 win over No 3 Plainedge in an all-Long Island state Division II dual meet final Saturday at SRC Arena at Onondaga CCC Presti entered the third period with an 18-4 lead and opened the period on bottom He earned an escape 15 seconds into the period to secure the win and send the Glenn bench into elation “Coach (TJ Brocking) said at the beginning of the year that this is a business trip We have one of the best teams in the state Tommy Aiello earned a 15-0 technical fall over Nick Gerbasi in 2:00 at 116 pounds to give Glenn a 33-29 lead entering the final match “I had two goals this year and that was to get gold at two state tournaments It’s the first state dual meet title for the Knights The turning point in the match came at 152 pounds when Plainedge’s Luke Nieto was called for an illegal hard crossface that injured Peter Bell with eight seconds left in the second period An athletic trainer evaluated Bell and he was deemed unable to finish the match resulting in a disqualification and six points for Glenn Bell is being evaluated for a possible concussion and broken nose that’s just the way it goes,” Plainedge coach Rob Shaver said He’s a top-notch young man who has really come a long way as a leader on our team and for that to happen is devastating for him.” Plainedge (20-8-1) took a 55-9 win over Port Jervis and a 40-22 win over Sherburne-Earlville in pool play before defeating Wayne Despite losing several key wrestlers after winning the state Division I title last year the Red Devils won the Nassau Division II title and found their way back into the state final We lost six All-County guys from last year,” Shaver said “For our guys to wrestle the way they did this year was great We lost a lot of matches early and we’ve improved so much Glenn trailed Unatego-Unadilla Valley/Franklin 24-4 in the semifinals before rattling off seven straight wins to take a 39-24 decision and advance to the final Senior Carmine Gerbino won all four of his matches and earned his 100th career win prior to the final “We’re a very balanced team,” Brocking said “Every kid in our lineup is capable of winning a match Farmingdale reached the Division I finals in its first trip to the tournament The Dalers ran into a buzzsaw as they fell to Minisink Valley Salvatore Migliaccio gave Farmingdale a 3-0 lead with a 7-5 decision over Alex Nigro at 131 pounds Minisink Valley won nine consecutive matches It’s the third state title for Minisink Valley which has reached the finals in six of the tournament’s seven years The Dalers went 2-0 in pool play with a 56-12 win over Brockport and a 42-19 win over Shenendehowa “If you told me at the beginning of the season that we would be in the dual meet state finals I would’ve told you that I’ll take that,” coach Artie Weidler said We rolled through to the finals and ran into a team that doesn’t really have any holes.” Sachem North and Seaford all went 1-1 and were eliminated in pool play in the first round but suffered a 36-27 loss to Webster Schroeder Sachem North (16-2) lost its first match to Horseheads but bounced back with a 33-27 win over Saratoga Springs Dylan Martini gained 232 yards on 14 carries and rushed for three touchdowns for Wantagh in the Nassau IV final on Friday It was no surprise that the two powers from Nassau Conference III that dropped down to Nassau IV before this school year rose up to play in Friday’s championship game in the rain at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium they found themselves in an overtime struggle before the Red Devils emerged with a six-point victory Third-seeded Wantagh constructed a 20-point lead in the second quarter and went on to a 48-21 win over the top-seeded Red Devils claiming its first county championship since it played football in Nassau IV in the spring of 2021 “To win with these kids is awesome,” Wantagh coach Keith Sachs said “They’re just the epitome of great kids on and off the field They work so hard and they’re respectful.” Next up is the Long Island Class IV championship game Wantagh (10-1) will collide with Bayport-Blue Point (11-0) at noon on Friday on the Shuart turf “Competition is great,” Wantagh senior running back Dylan Martini said after a brilliant 15-carry I wouldn’t want to go to battle with a [34-] game win streak team with anyone else but these boys.” So what was different this time as opposed to last time We figured it would come down to us and them again “All we kept saying was if we play our best game and it’s not good enough Our best game is going to be tough to handle.” “He’s the best running back on the Island,” fellow senior running back John Gendels said rushing 10 times for 108 yards and two scores it’s pretty hard in the backfield,” he said taking a pitch on the first snap of its second possession Dimitris Vardamaskos capped the next possession for the Red Devils with a 9-yard touchdown run but Gendels ran the ensuing kickoff back 63 yards to the Plainedge 11 Ryan Conigliaro hit Cole Spinelli in the right side of the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown and the lead bounced out to his left and finished off a 47-yard scoring run It was 21-7 Wantagh with 3:38 gone in the second quarter who threw for 210 yards and two touchdowns for the Red Devils (9-2) was picked off by Carter Loughman on the ensuing possession Conigliaro capped a six-play drive with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Oliver Iacobazzi for the 20-point advantage and we didn’t,” Plainedge coach Rob Shaver said Martini put a large dent in any comeback hopes by ripping off touchdown runs of 65 and 53 yards in the third quarter We needed to be a little more skilled than we were able to be tonight.” battles Kyle Carter of Plainedge in a match at 145 pounds during a non-league wresting meet at MacArthur on Thursday Jonathan Fox had a chance to make a statement and he took it The MacArthur senior is a three-time Nassau Division I wrestling place winner During MacArthur’s 37-26 home win over Plainedge on Thursday Fox showed he’s among the county’s elite wrestlers with a 4-2 decision over reigning 145-pound county champion Kyle Carter I had a lot of back problems and I didn’t have a ton of tough matches like this I got gassed and didn’t believe in myself,” Fox said [Carter] is really good and a county champ Fox opened the second period on bottom and earned an escape with 30 seconds left in the frame Carter had Fox in a headlock and looked like he was about to score a takedown but Fox pulled a nifty move to take Carter down for a 4-0 lead “He had me in a front headlock and I’m in that position a lot with Matt [Lichter] because we train together every day and Matt’s also a really good wrestler,” Fox said so I was in that position and I knew what I had to do I shot in and I sensed that he was running I grabbed the other leg and I got the takedown.” Lichter pinned John Cynar in 1:21 at 138 pounds to give MacArthur an 18-11 lead fell behind 7-0 to Joe Manfre at 108 pounds But the Generals’ bench did their best to will Andrew back into the match After scoring a reversal to end the first period He took an 8-7 lead into the third period before finishing with a 19-7 major decision “Plainedge has a lot of good guys and we’re looking to win it all this year MacArthur improved to 11-0 under first-year coach Mike Marrero which won the Division I state dual meet championship last year but our emphasis is on competing and performing,” Marrero said kids wrestle to not lose and you don’t get their full potential out of them It really just matters where you are at the end of the season but we don’t want this to be the highlight of our season by any means.” A high school football coach on Long Island has landed a suspension for allegedly running up the score on an opponent Plainedge (N.Y.) High School head football coach Rob Shaver was handed a one-game ban for his team's 61-13 blowout victory against South Shore (N.Y.) High The score was in violation of a "lopsided scores policy" for schools in Nassau County Yet while the final score represented a genuine blowout the matchup didn't set up to be nearly so one-sided and while Plainedge entered the fourth quarter with a five-possession lead that kind of an edge is not universally insurmountable in high school football Still, the lead, combined with Plainedge's decision to continue playing starters and regulars, ran afoul of the sensibilities of the Nassau County lopsided score committee, which came down against a coach for the first time in the three seasons since the rule was unveiled That penalty came despite support for Shaver from no other than the vanquished head coach of South Shore “I had no issue with how the game went,” Onesto told Newsday [opinary poll="should-the-coach-have-been-suspended" customer="usatodayhss"] That sentiment in turn has encouraged Shaver to speak out about the perceived injustice himself Shaver offered support for the lopsided scores policy he just felt it was misapplied in this case “The spirit of the rule is to prevent better teams from running up on lesser programs and sportsmanship and dignity and all that stuff," Shaver told Newsday Shaver will miss Plainedge's game at Lynbrook on Saturday afternoon to serve out his suspension The Red Devils enter the game a perfect 7-0 while Lynbrook is 4-3 Wantagh defeated Plainedge in the Nassau Conference IV football championship on Friday gets congratulated by teammate Joe Valentino #51 after rushing for a 47-yard touchdown in the second quarter of the Nassau County football Conference IV final at Shuart Stadium on Friday Martini added touchdown runs of 65 and 53 yards in the third quarter to lead Wantagh to a county championship-clinching 48-21 win rushes for a gain during the first quarter of the Nassau County football Conference IV final against Plainedge at Shuart Stadium on Friday 53 and 65 yards to lead Wantagh to a county championship-clinching 48-21 win and teammates celebrate their county championship after their 48-21 win over Plainedge in the Nassau football Conference IV final at Shuart Stadium on Friday and Tommy Wunderlich #54 celebrate among a sea of teammates after their county championship-clinching 48-21 win over Plainedge in the Nassau football Conference IV final at Shuart Stadium on Friday Wantagh teammates celebrate their county championship after their 48-21 win over Plainedge in the Nassau football Conference IV final at Shuart Stadium on Friday reacts after rushing for a 48-yard touchdown in the first quarter of the Nassau County football Conference IV final against Plainedge at Shuart Stadium on Friday Dominic Agovino #5 of Plainedge fields a kick during the second quarter of the Nassau County football Conference IV final against Wantagh at Shuart Stadium on Friday Cole Spinelli #6 and Joseph Nicholson #25 after rushing for a 48-yard touchdown in the first quarter of the Nassau County football Conference IV final against Plainedge at Shuart Stadium on Friday rushes for a 47-yard touchdown during the second quarter of the Nassau County football Conference IV final against Plainedge at Shuart Stadium on Friday hands off to running back John Gendels #22 during the first quarter of the Nassau County football Conference IV final against Plainedge at Shuart Stadium on Friday looks for an open receiver during the first quarter of the Nassau County football Conference IV final against Plainedge at Shuart Stadium on Friday Wantagh running back rushes for a gain during the first quarter of the Nassau County football Conference IV final against Plainedge at Shuart Stadium on Friday Cold Spring Harbor quarterback Sam Bruno had 1-yard touchdown on a QB sneak for an 18-14 lead on Friday Cold Spring Harbor made all the big plays late in the game and threw some serious intrigue into the Nassau Conference IV football race on Friday night by going into Plainedge’s Byrne Field and halting the Red Devils’ considerable momentum and prevailing 18-14 in a battle of unbeaten teams The game began to turn late in the third quarter when the Seahawks’ Ben Stark punted and Plainedge’s punt returner didn’t make the catch Alex Vitale made the recovery and the Seahawks (6-0) went 24 yards in 12 plays for a Sam Bruno 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak for an 18-14 lead "When I got free of my guy and into the open field I saw the ball ricochet off his shin and just threw myself on it,” Vitale said of the recovery “We came in feeling like we needed to get a job done.” Plainedge (5-1) got the ball back with 4:11 to play and drove down to the CSH 4 But on fourth-and-goal the Jaxson Torres-to-Dylan Fella combination that had worked so well all game just missed Cold Spring Harbor is now in a position to take the top seeding in the playoffs if it can win out “That’s the position you want to be in if you can,” CSH coach Jon Mendreski said “Plainedge is a great team and we had to be prepared But there’s a lot of tough football games still to play.” Brady McKean rushed for 78 yards and a 59-yard TD for CSH Fella rushed for 138 yards and Torres threw two TD passes for the Devils The first half belonged to the teams’ defenses and ended with Plainedge ahead The Red Devils managed 111 yards of offense but twice turned the ball over on downs and once on a fumble The Seahawks had just 49 yards from scrimmage in the first half; two of their four possessions ended with punts and one on an incomplete pass on fourth down 3 seed and was looking to make a statement early against the fifth-seeded and still unbeaten Seahawks It was looking at a fourth-and-6 on the fourth snap of the game and went for it CSH’s ensuing possession was its best of the half The Seahawks moved the ball 37 yards with 18 coming on Bauer rushes and settled for a 27-yard field goal by Stark with 1:58 left in the first quarter The Devils were able to grab the lead after its first two possessions ended with them turning it over on downs Torres and Fella took Plainedge on a nine-play Fella rushed four times for 29 yards and Torres completed a pair of passes for 24 more The points came when Torres connected with Jake Parpan on the left side for a 16-yard score juked one CSH defender and broke a pair of tackles to break into the end zone Bayport-Blue Point midfielder Lilly McInnes prepares to put the ball in the Plainedge net in a non-league girls soccer match on Friday at Bayport-Blue Point In what was a chess match for most of the night three hectic minutes made up for an otherwise slow-paced game between the Bayport-Blue Point and Plainedge girls soccer teams both teams scored late-second-half goals off set pieces just three minutes apart to secure a 1-1 draw sophomore defender Michela Netto scored on a penalty kick to break the stalemate and give Plainedge (2-1-2) the game’s only lead junior midfielder Lilly McInnes buried a rebound after a save for the equalizer to save BBP (4-1-1) from a loss it was senior striker Madison Wade who created the opportunity While struggling to win the ball in the box Wade took a push in her back to draw the penalty “She’s a disrupter,” Plainedge coach Mike Vitale said She’s obviously the reason we got that goal.” With a chance to get her team on the board Netto sent BBP goalkeeper Alex Kaler (four saves) the wrong way and buried the penalty in the bottom-left corner of the net To get properly focused before taking the kick Netto stared down BBP’s All-County keeper and thought of her teammates “I was just trying to clear my mind out,” Netto said BBP’s offense pressed harder and got an opportunity after Plainedge committed a foul Sophomore midfielder Mia McCormack took the free kick and roped a perfect ball right over a wall of Plainedge defenders and into the lap of goalkeeper Cayla Bloom McInnes was positioned perfectly in the box to knock it in and find the back of the net McInnes purposely positioned herself there based on a gut feeling “I thought I had to be on the end of the kick because I had a feeling the goalie might not catch it,” McInnes said McCormack was thrilled to see them execute the free kick perfectly “It was so exciting because we did it together as a team; it wasn’t just me,” McCormack said “I knew McInnes would get on the end of it Another player who saved BBP from a loss was junior defender Emma Karafantis as she blocked a shot on target by Netto off a corner kick in the fourth minute to save a goal BBP coach Katina Cokinos commended Karafantis for bailing the team out on several occasions “She’s being heavily recruited by some D-I and D-II schools She has a very high soccer IQ and we can always count on her to make those big defensive plays.” SYRACUSE -- The Sherburne-Earlville Timberwolves split decisions in Division II pool competition Saturday when Section IX Minisink Valley and Section XI John Glenn won titles at the state dual meet wrestling tournament Seeded sixth as the first time Section III champion Sherburne-Earlville defeated Section IX Pert Jervis 65-6 and lost 40-22 to Section VIII Plainedge following a bye in the opening round defeated unseeded Wayne from Section V in its semifinal John Glenn was a finalist last year when Section IV Tioga won its third consecutive championship More: Sherburne-Earlville wins Section III dual meet championship More: Sherburne-Earlville wrestlers repeat at Center States League tounament More: Readers select Sherburne-Earlville's Andrade in athlete of the week voting Wayne and Section II Salem/Cambridge had both beaten Gouverneur 2 seed from Section X in their pool in the morning Minisink Valley had entered the Division I tournament as the No 1 seed and won for the third time in seven years of state tournament competition Minisink Valley had been the runner-up the last two years after winning in 2020 and 2022 before and after COVID canceled the standard 2021 season Plainedge defeated Port Jervis 55-9 in the first round of pool competition and Sherburne-Earlville won all but on bout against Port Jervis in its 65-6 win in the second round Round 3 started with a pin and technical fall for Plainedge; Sherburne-Earlville won decisions at the next two weights and Plaindge stretched the lead from 11-6 to 40-6 before forfeiting to Landon Andrade at 285 pounds and losing the last two bouts Following its 30-22 win over Sherburne-Earlville Plainedge defeated Wayne 38-28 in semifinal competition almost matching the score of John Glenn's 38-39 victory in the Division II final Joseph Garcia's two children were excluded from Plainedge schools He's holding medical records he says prove his kids are vaccinated At least one Long Island school district has barred students who were patients of a former nurse practitioner the state has charged with falsifying vaccination records as parents across the Island fight steps to exclude their children The exclusions stem from a state investigation of the vaccination records of children who were patients of former Amityville nurse Julie DeVuono and her practice The state sent subpoenas to more than 100 school districts seeking childhood vaccination records of about 750 children as it investigates the extent of DeVuono’s alleged fraud Plainedge school district has barred from school four children who were patients of former Amityville nurse practitioner Julie DeVuono who the state alleges falsified thousands of vaccine records The state health department said the children are not in compliance with state immunization law The state has subpoenaed hundreds of children’s vaccination records as it continues to investigate DeVuono who denies having falsified childhood vaccines She earlier admitted selling $1.2 million in fake COVID-19 vaccine cards parents have filed petitions to quash subpoenas But the parent of two students who were excluded from Plainedge schools said he obtained blood tests to show his children received some of the required vaccines and turned over paper records from Wild Child that date back years He said he is frustrated that wasn’t enough for the health department and school district Get the latest stories every week about health and wellness covering topics from medicine and mental health to updates on the coronavirus and new research By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy "It’s clear we received vaccinations there," said Joseph Garcia whose 7-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter couldn't attend school beginning Monday Garcia is among more than 50 parents of former Wild Child patients challenging in court or administratively the state’s and school districts’ efforts to either exclude their children or subpoena records Parents of more than 80 former DeVuono patients last month sued dozens of Long Island school districts private schools and the state  Health Department alleging the subpoenas and exclusions violate the federal and state constitutions and state law Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Christopher T two other former Wild Child patients have been excluded and are now being home-schooled The exclusion decisions were made by the state The state Health Department "reviewed these [records] and said these children must be excluded," he said State Health Department spokeswoman Erin Clary said the state "made schools aware of students we know to be out of compliance as a result of our investigations" and that schools have a legal responsibility to exclude students who do not have required immunizations unless they have a valid medical exemption Asked how many Wild Child patients haven't been able to attend school she said the department "does not maintain real-time data on school exclusions." County health departments referred questions to the state Health Department State Education Department spokespeople did not respond to requests for comment Newsday on Thursday reached out to 18 school districts that have been either subpoenaed or were in the news for having had students with vaccination records from Wild Child Districts were asked whether any child had been excluded this year because of Wild Child vaccination records and three said children tied to Wild Child had their vaccination statuses cleared Others did not respond to queries or said there was "no impact" to the district from Wild Child Garcia said his children are not among the 134 whose records were voided after reviewing state Health Department records "If there's evidence that my children didn't actually get the shots "This is not an anti vax thing," he said The idea of my kids getting polio or dying of mumps or measles or rubella — I'd be a failure as a dad if I let that happen." said the exclusion of the children is "nothing more than guilt by association it’s these children who are suffering." Renke said even though the state only accepts blood tests for antibodies from certain vaccines records showing Garcia’s children have some antibodies indicate they have received all required immunizations "I have yet to see any documentary evidence to suggest otherwise," he said Renke said Tuesday’s dismissal of the larger subpoena and exclusion case doesn’t affect Garcia’s appeal to the state Education Department to reverse his children’s exclusions The department Wednesday rejected a request to allow his children to attend school while it reviewed the matter in more detail Garcia said he had sent his oldest child to DeVuono shortly after his birth in 2014 The state has said that it does not comment about specific children's cases Newsday reported in July that DeVuono had never reported administering a childhood vaccine in New York from her licensing as a nurse in 2002 until 2019 shortly after the state ended nonmedical vaccine exemptions The state requires all vaccines administered to children be reported to its electronic immunization registry Asked if the state believes DeVuono at times administered legitimate vaccines to children Garcia said he has paper records from Wild Child of vaccinations dating from 2014 and did not know why they were not in the state registry "I had no way of knowing that these shots weren’t being properly recorded," he said Plainedge school board President Joseph Beyrouty said that in the end "the person at fault for this unfortunately is the nurse practitioner who was doing things she shouldn’t have been doing It’s impacting a lot of people and hurting families." Trump's influence on NY's future .. Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories Plainedge goalkeeper Henry Villeda makes the save in traffic during a Nassau Conference A-II boys soccer game against North Shore on Monday There’s a little more than two weeks left in the boys soccer regular season and the three-team battle in Nassau A-II between North Shore Plainedge and Lawrence for the division crown and playoff seeding is awfully tight On Monday there was a chance for some added clarity North Shore visited Plainedge’s Byrne Memorial Field and looked the far better team as it spent most of the game on attack Red Devils goalkeeper Henry Villeda turned in his best performance of the season and the teams battled to a scoreless tie Henry Cardoza and Griffin Pinter orchestrated something akin to a bombardment on the Plainedge goal with accurate passes and hard shots some on athletic dives and others fingertip deflections “We were dominating them for most of the game and in the last 10 minutes they weren’t trying to beat us and just keep us off the board,” Pinter said “[North Shore] has a really strong offense,” Villeda said Leighton’s direct kick from 22 yards out with 9:40 left in the first half was deflected when Villeda reached it on a full-extension dive Pinter put a spectacular pass on Leighton’s head right in front of the goal with 18:23 left in the game that hit the crossbar “Soccer can be a funny game,” North Shore coach Michael Bishop said “Sometimes an inch or two one way or the other on a shot can be the difference.” but Henry was ‘light’s out,’ ” Plainedge coach Jason Cinelli said 5-1-2) was hamstrung with leading scorer A.J Gulino sidelined for a second straight game with a knee issue but Plainedge didn’t lose either game he missed on the field because he commands so much attention,” Cinelli said The Devils’ best chances came either as a result of prodigious throw-ins by Matthew Barry or sharp drives through small openings by Jake Hobi Vikings goalie Tristan Segal made four saves North Shore has twice tied Lawrence and is 1-0-1 against Plainedge The Devils still have two games scheduled with Lawrence which entered play Monday 5-0-2 in the division and those results have a chance to ultimately tell the tale for playoff seeding out of the division The Vikings still have a shot to finish the regular season without a loss “Your record doesn’t matter if you don’t win in the playoffs,” he said “We had a good [regular] season last year and lost in the first round Scenes from the Nassau Division II wrestling tournament on Saturday Daniel Haroon of Wheatley wins his 285-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Connor Murphy of Seaford turns John Mignanelli of Island Trees onto his back in their 124-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Kyle Carter of Plainedge wins with a pin at 1:14 of his 145-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Brendan Fox of Seaford rides the back of Nick Gerbasi of Plainedge in their 116-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Joseph Filocamo (rear) of Island Trees puts Yiannis Thomas of Seaford in jeopardy in their 138-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Robert Burns of Locust Valley wins his 160-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Colton Schmiesing of Oyster Bay upends Joel Diaz of Seaford in their 108-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Connor Murphy of Seaford wins with a pin at 3:19 of his 124-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Colden Friedman of Seaford puts pressure on Luke Worzel of Plainedge in their 101-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Aidan Smith of Cold Spring Harbor dominates Markus Bazelais of Island Trees in their 170-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Devin Pellizzi of Cold Spring Harbor lifts Dominic Agovino of Plainedge off of his feet in their 131-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Robert Burns of Locust Valley rides the back of Jake Dephillips of Plainedge in their 160-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Joseph Filocamo of Island Trees wins his 138-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Devin Downes of Plainedge wins his 190-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Kyle Carter of Plainedge controls Marcus Houghtaling of Locust Valley in their 145-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Luke Nieto of Plainedge goes for a pin on Brock Conway of Seaford in their 152-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Greyson Meak of Cold Spring Harbor pins Jayden Camp of Plainedge in their 215-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Aidan Smith of Cold Spring Harbor wins his 170-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Brendan Fox of Seaford wins his 116-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday Daniel Haroon of Wheatley keeps the pressure on Alex Vitale of Cold Spring Harbor in their 285-pound matchup during the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday John’s Hall of Famer and grandfather Jerry Houston on Thursday Sofia Della Ratta knew there was a Hall of Famer in the crowd on Thursday there just for her but the North Shore senior loves every time her grandfather can make a game in person and it gives her that little additional push to be at her best John’s Athletics Hall of Fame and Della Ratta’s grandfather Della Ratta had a star performance with 25 points 6 Plainedge in the Nassau Class A girls basketball quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon I have to do my best in front of him,” Della Ratta said I call him after every game so just having him here [is great] Della Ratta scored 12 of her 25 points in a second quarter in which North Shore outscored Plainedge 16-4 to take a 28-13 halftime lead She even took a charge on the ensuing possession before creating and finishing a layup “She does everything,” coach Keith Freund said she led our conference in rebounding and scoring She prides herself on doing the little things.” on March 6 at Farmingdale State in the Nassau Class A semifinals North Shore led by at least 12 points for the entirety of the second half Alexandra Basile added seven points and three steals and Elizabeth Aurre had seven rebounds and three steals Allie Younghans had 11 points and Peyton Wise added eight points for Plainedge (11-10) Although Della Ratta was the primary force in the Vikings’ victory she refuses to accept the accolades that come with it “I feel like everyone just pushes everyone even more,” she said It’s moving parts all over and everyone comes together and that’s when really good things happen.” “She’s a security blanket for everyone,” Freund said we can get the ball to her and she’ll make a play happen.” Owen O'Brien covers high school and college sports for Newsday He's also covered professional teams such as the Mets Jets and Giants since graduating from the University at Buffalo Plainedge's Jessica Faranda runs during the Nassau Class B flag football final against East Rockaway on Monday at Long Beach Jessica Faranda will likely come down with it The senior wide receiver made several highlight-reel catches for No 3 East Rockaway in the Nassau Conference II flag football championship on Monday night at Long Beach Middle School Faranda went over a defender for a 27-yard reception before coming away with an 18-yard touchdown catch in double coverage to cap an eight-play 60-yard drive that ended with a Red Devils' 6-0 lead Then with just over 16 minutes left in the second half and Plainedge facing a fourth-and-goal from the 14 Faranda caught another jump ball over two defenders for the final score of the county final “Plays like that where I’m jumping in the air for a ball we do those plays so much in practice that they just work in the games,” Faranda said Plainedge quarterback Gianna Ponticello threw two interceptions one of which set up a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Emma Van Wickler to give East Rockaway a 7-6 lead But the Red Devils kept relying on their freshman quarterback so I just had to leave it in the past and stay in the game mentally,” Ponticello said Ponticello found Katelyn Tierney over the middle of the field for a 19-yard TD pass with 43 seconds left in the first half to give Plainedge a 13-7 lead “She made a couple of mistakes but East Rockaway plays really good defense and their safety was getting to the ball quick,” Plainedge coach Rob Shaver said “But she’s our player and our receivers are really good She dropped a few in the bucket and [Faranda and Tierney] helped her out on a few.” Tierney also made a tough 15-yard catch on Plainedge’s opening drive The senior had 34 receiving yards and 39 rushing yards “We’re able to get some of those high balls that some people can’t get to,” Faranda said “We’ve been playing sports together since we were in sixth grade and we just work so well together also intercepted a pass at the end of the first half Isabella Alvarez and Van Wickler each had an interception for East Rockaway (9-6) Plainedge (9-6) will face Sayville in the Long Island championship on Thursday at 7 p.m The Red Devils have won their last five games with all three of their playoff wins coming against teams they lost to in the regular season “They’re starting to figure it out,” Shaver said “It’s not like they’re just memorizing a play Joseph Filocamo of Island Trees wins his 138-pound matchup with a 12-0 decision at the Nassau Division II boys wrestling championships on Saturday at Cold Spring Harbor Island Trees wrestler Joseph Filocamo had a simple mindset entering the Cold Spring Harbor High School gymnasium Saturday morning: “Act like I’ve been here before.” Given that the senior strolled in as the two-time champion at 138 pounds and walked out with his third consecutive title it’s fair to say that Filocamo followed that process to a T “I went out there and I did what I do best,” Filocamo said “I make people not want to step on the mat.” Filocamo successfully defended his crown in his weight class for the third consecutive season at the Nassau Division II championships earning a 12-0 major decision over Seaford’s Yiannis Thomas It was the first three-peat in Island Trees wrestling history because in the beginning of the season I wasn’t going to wrestle,” Filocamo said and it’s about setting examples for the young kids and being a role model for everyone I had to come back and do it for a third time.” Filocamo remained in full control throughout the final logging his first takedown in the final seconds of the first period as he lifted Thomas’ leg and drove him into the mat The three-sport athlete held a 7-0 lead entering the third period seemingly growing stronger with each grapple “[Football and lacrosse] keep me in shape," Filocamo said "but nothing keeps me in shape like wrestling." Now that Filocamo is heading to Albany once again for the state tournament on Friday he can relax knowing that he couldn’t have left a greater example for the Island Trees program “Seeing my name on the wall in the wrestling room knowing that I left everything out there on the mat all these kids can look up and see what’s possible,” Filocamo said Luke Nieto and Devin Downes won their respective championships at 145 but the trio earned some extra hardware this year ahead of Seaford (319.5) and Island Trees (227.5) Downes was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler and also had the most pins (4) in the least amount of time (3:15) The junior noted how a trip to the state tournament with his teammates mattered more than plaques and accolades “They’re such a support beam in my life,” Downes said “Although wrestling is an individual sport it’s hard to go through something that grueling without the brothers that we’ve got on our team.” Carter repeated as champion in his weight class only this year in Division II instead of Division I “It’s just another step in the way,” Carter said and this year it’s time to go even farther.” The first championship at 101 pounds turned out to be the only one to require an overtime period as Seaford’s Colden Friedman logged a takedown to win 12-9 over Plainedge’s Luke Worzel who also earned the Champion of Champions award pulled from the handbook of football legend George Halas to find the strength he needed to claim victory ‘No one who gave 100% ever regretted it.’ ” Cold Spring Harbor’s Devin Pellizzi might also live by that quote based on his performance in the 131-pound championship Pellizzi pinned Plainedge’s Dominic Agovino with just 26 seconds remaining in the third period who placed fifth as an eighth grader and second as a freshman The sophomore planned and executed the “Billy Bounce” dance from the video game Fornite after his win something he’ll get the chance to do again at the end of the month against the best wrestlers in the state “My confidence level in myself and my skill — pretty much all-around as a wrestler — I feel has grown,” Pellizzi said claimed his second consecutive county title After winning the 190-pound title last season he pinned Plainedge’s Jayden Camp in just seven seconds at 215 pounds the fastest pin in a Nassau championship since its conception in 1958 Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023 Scenes from the Nassau Class B flag football final between Plainedge and East Rockaway on Monday Plainedge celebrates their victory over East Rockaway in the Nassau Class B flag football finals on Monday Plainedge's Jessica Faranda pulls down a pass through the defense of East Rockaway's Stephanie Lynch during the Nassau Class B flag football finals on Monday Plainedge's Jessica Faranda runs during the Nassau Class B flag football finals against East Rockaway on Monday Plainedge's Francesa Mastroangelo pulls the lag of East Rockaway's Nicole Zugnoni during the Nassau Class B flag football finals on Monday Plainedge's Katelyn Tierney runs for a touchdown during the Nassau Class B flag football finals against East Rockaway on Monday East Rockaway's Nicole Zugnoni runs during the Nassau Class B flag football finals against Plainedge on Monday Plainedge's Gianna Ponticello throws a pass during the Nassau Class B flag football finals against East Rockaway on Monday Plainedge's Gianna Ponticello reaches for a first down during the Nassau Class B flag football finals against East Rockaway on Monday East Rockaway's Emma Van Wickler rolls out to pass during the Nassau Class B flag football finals against Plainedge on Monday Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino announced that the Town will once again host the prestigious Special Olympics Spring Games in partnership with Special Olympics New York the games will include a full-day of competitive track and field events for over 500 athletes supported by more than 300 coaches These athletes – children and adults with intellectual disabilities – have dedicated months to training for an Olympic-style competition that will culminate with the contest during these Spring Games “The Special Olympic Spring Games provide a wonderful opportunity to showcase the hard work and tremendous athletic achievements of these special athletes while also paving the way to eliminate social barriers and stereotypes differently-abled individuals face,” said Supervisor Saladino “The Town of Oyster Bay is very proud to be a partner with Special Olympics New York and thank the Plainedge School District for their assistance in making this important event a reality.” “Special Olympics New York provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-style sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities providing them a continuing opportunity to develop physical fitness and friendship with their families,” Diane Colonna “We are honored that the Plainedge School District will host our Spring Games and make a difference in the lives of these athletes.” The event will be held on Saturday, May 4th at Plainedge High School, 241 Wyngate Dr. in Massapequa. For more information on how to get involved, visit the school’s website at www.plainedgeschools.org If you are eligible to participate in the games, visit www.specialolympics-ny.org to register “This event would be impossible without the generosity of our sponsors as well as the residents and volunteers who attend to help out and cheer on these dedicated athletes We hope to see you in the stands on May 4th to show your support for Special Olympics in our community All are welcome!” Supervisor Saladino concluded