If it’s Tuesday, it must be time for yet another Aidan Crowley no-hitter.

That had been the pattern for much of April, but Crowley’s remarkable string of no-hitters has come to an end.

The high drama of Crowley bidding for a fourth successive no-hitter ended early Tuesday, after the game’s first batter rapped a hit off the Shoreham-Wading River High School pitcher. That didn’t mean there wasn’t plenty of drama to follow, though.

A fourth straight no-no wasn’t in the cards for Crowley, a junior righthander who had tossed no-hitters in his previous three starts, a Long Island record. But the Wildcats got to enjoy something else — a walk-off, two-run double by senior Mike Smith for a 6-5 Suffolk County League VII triumph over Miller Place at Moriches Athletic Complex.

Smith slotted his game-winning double to rightfield, bringing home D.J. Brown and Peter Minneci to end things in dramatic fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning. Both Brown and Minneci had opened the inning by drawing full-count walks. They were moved forward on Nick Bettenhauser’s sacrifice bunt before Smith stepped into the batter’s box.

“I tried to stay aggressive,” said Smith, who slammed the first pitch he saw, an outside fastball.

Smith came up big in a big situation.

“With Mike, that stuff doesn’t really get to him,” Crowley said. “Whether we’re up by 10 or losing by 10, it’s still just the same approach. He definitely does not let the pressure get to him.”

Crowley knows a thing or two about handling pressure, having fired no-hitters against Eastport/South Manor on April 2, Elwood/John Glenn on April 9 and Hauppauge on April 16.

With scouts among the interested observers, the question of whether Crowley had a fourth straight no-hitter in him was answered on the game’s second pitch when Gavin McAlonie smashed a hard bouncer that grazed Crowley’s glove before going past him for a hit. That kick-started a 3-for-3 game for McAlonie, who scored later in the inning when Tom Nealis knocked a single up the middle.

It also stopped Crowley’s string of consecutive hitless innings at 25.

“I don’t think it really affected me at all, just because I wasn’t expecting to throw a fourth no-hitter in a row,” Crowley said. “It just doesn’t happen. I figured, if it happens, cool but I really cared more about winning this game.”

Crowley allowed eight hits and five runs (four earned) without issuing a walk over six innings. He had six strikeouts as part of his 97-pitch performance before Blake Osness (2-0) handled a scoreless inning in relief for the win.

“I definitely didn’t have my best stuff,” Crowley said. “I left a lot up. My curveball was not sharp at all … It was just not my best.”

SWR coach Kevin Willi, a former pitcher himself, can relate. “Some days you don’t have your best stuff, and I think this was one of those days, but I think it showed his grit as a pitcher to come out there and keep us in the game the whole game,” said Willi.

For the season, Crowley is 4-0 and has allowed nine hits and 11 walks, with 46 strikeouts in 32 innings.

It was an appetizing pitching matchup, with Miller Place sending Nealis to the mound. The senior recorded nine strikeouts against four walks and four hits in five innings. Two of the four runs scored against him were earned.

Both starting pitchers also showed they can handle a bat, with two hits and two RBIs apiece.

Crowley banged a two-out, RBI single for a 3-2 SWR lead in the fourth.

But Miller Place (7-2, 3-1) retaliated with a three-run fifth. McAlonie crushed an RBI double off the fence in rightfield and both Nealis and Nolan White delivered run-scoring infield singles.

SWR (8-0, 4-0) pulled within 5-4 when Everett Wehr worked a bases-loaded walk with two outs in the fifth.

“We fight till the end,” said Smith.

“It was a great game,” said D.J. Brown, who took an outside 1-and-2 pitch for his first home run of the season, slicing it just inside the rightfield foul pole 300 feet away and tying the score at 1 in the first. “We didn’t play the best we could, but we hung in there and got it done at the end.”

So, there was no fourth straight no-hitter for Crowley, but the Wildcats can’t complain.

Willi said, “It would be crazy if he pitched a fourth one in a row but, you know, it worked out great, let’s put it that way.”

Photo caption: Mike Smith is swarmed by Shoreham-Wading River teammates after his two-run double won the game for the Wildcats. (Credit: George A. Faella)

bliepa@timesreview.com

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The former Toys R Us location on Route 58 in Riverhead will be taken over by a Raymour & Flanigan furniture store, and the new building under construction at Brixmor/The Shops at Riverhead will be occupied by a Sleep Number store and a T-Mobile cellular store, according to town officials. 

The former Toys R Us is one of several vacant buildings along Route 58 being filled by other businesses, although proposals to build new retail centers in Riverhead are still pending.

The Toys R Us location, which opened in the 1990s, has been vacant since mid-2018, after the company declared bankruptcy and closed all of its stores. 

Raymour & Flanagan is a Northeastern chain that reportedly has more than 100 stores in seven states. 

Sleep Number, based in Minnesota, sells mattresses, bedding, pillows and other furniture. It reportedly has more than 500 stores across the U.S. 

Other stores that have already opened at The Shops at Riverhead include Costco, PetSmart, Ulta Beauty, HomeGoods, Marshalls and Home Sense. 

The former Sports Authority building, which has been vacant since that company went bankrupt in 2016, is being split into three smaller storefronts. That subdivision will be the subject of a public hearing before the Riverhead Town Planning Board on Thursday, June 6, at 7 p.m.

The proposal calls for dividing the existing 45,085-square-foot building at 1160 Old Country Road into three retail spaces of 14,800, 20,075 and 10,210 square feet, respectively. 

Sons Riverhead LLC, the applicant, told the town Architectural Review Board in December that tenants would include a Dollar Tree and a Planet Fitness, but a third tenant had not yet been lined up.

While town officials have encouraged the reuse of older vacant buildings, the Sports Authority application brings up another concern: whether dividing former “big box” stores into smaller retail spaces will lead to the creation of “strip malls,” an approach they have opposed. 

The Town Board recently discussed updating its master plan, and some officials feel that revision should start with Route 58.

The growth of internet commerce has dealt a blow to traditional big-box retail centers that began to appear on Route 58 in the 1990s and were popular until recently.

Just last week, however, clearing began for a new 60,046-square-foot shopping center just east of Riverhead Centre.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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If the Riverhead Blue Waves felt like they were in unfamiliar territory Thursday, it’s because they were. They were home!

Riverhead had played eight of its previous 11 boys lacrosse games on the road. Funny as it sounds, the question was posed to coach Vic Guadagnino: Does it feel weird playing at home?

“It is a little bit,” he replied. “We’re used to being on the bus.”

The road has been kind to Riverhead, though. The Blue Waves entered Thursday’s game in sixth place in Suffolk County Division I, the highest they had ever been in the standings at this point in a season. And, with their 9-8 win over Sachem North at Pulaski Sports Complex, Riverhead (9-3 overall) brought its division record to 7-3, something else it had never had before, said Guadagnino.

“It’s a lot of good stuff,” he said.

The good stuff kept coming. Unassisted fourth-quarter goals by Shane Coleman and Chris Timpone gave Riverhead a 9-7 lead with 3 minutes, 25 seconds left.

Sachem North (7-4, 6-4) made things uneasy for Riverhead, though. Patrick Schuett (two assists), running from behind the net, fed Matt Keegan (two goals, one assist) for a goal, making it a one-goal game with 3:01 to go.

Later, an errant pass gave Riverhead possession. Riverhead’s Connor Kalmus was moving the ball at midfield when he was leveled by a Sachem North player with 16 seconds left on the clock. Pushing and shoving followed as players from both sides rushed to the scene. When order was restored, Sachem North’s Trey Aronow was ejected for leaving the bench area. Unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were assessed to Sachem North’s Joe Karnich and Riverhead’s Aiden Fitzpatrick and Kalmus.

When the game resumed, Coleman ran out the clock and flung the ball high in the air before rushing to celebrate with his teammates.

“It was a big one,” said Riverhead attackman Kamryn Gill, who had three goals and one assist. “We needed this win.”

Caleb Zuhoski and Timpone had two goals each for Riverhead, which also received a goal and an assist from Kalmus. Danny Mastropaolo won 16 of 21 faceoffs.

The game was as close as one might expect of two teams next to each other in the standings (Sachem North was seventh). It saw four ties and two lead changes.

The biggest margin of the game was three goals, when Riverhead shot out to a 3-0 lead on opening strikes by Zuhoski, Gill and Zuhoski again. Riverhead was held scoreless in the second quarter and went into halftime trailing, 5-4.

A shorthanded goal by Matt Griffin put Sachem North up, 7-6, with 1:51 left in the third quarter. But Gill’s third goal of the day — he stepped left and then right before whipping his shot past Anthony Mancino (nine saves) — evened things at 7-7 before the quarter ended.

Cole Stassi and James Butler netted two goals each for Sachem North, and another came from Aronow.

Riverhead got a big boost from its goalie, Anthony Caputo, who made nine saves while playing behind a defense of Fitzpatrick, Travis Hayon and Alex Jacobs.

Guadagnino said: “I thought Anthony was fantastic … I thought this was a big game for him, a real come out, confident game. He just looked assured of himself at all times for all four quarters and that was big for us.”

Caputo, a sophomore, was brought up to the varsity team about three-quarters of the way through last season and was a starter for the playoffs. He has started every game this season.

“I’ve been playing decent,” he said. “Against the better teams I’m playing very well. My coaches help me out with a lot of the technical stuff, which is giving me the ability to make more saves.”

What makes Caputo a good goalie?

“He has nice hands,” Guadagnino said. “He’s got nice leadership ability. He can make good saves, always in good position. He’s very level-headed, doesn’t get emotional.”

The game had added meaning for Riverhead assistant coach Chris Nentwich, a Sachem alum.

More importantly, it keeps Riverhead on track for a strong finish to a promising regular season. Three of the team’s last four regular-season games will be at home.

So, what does Guadagnino like best about what the Blue Waves have been doing?

“Winning,” he said, laughing. “They really play for each other.”

Photo caption: Riverhead’s Shane Coleman looks for room to operate while Sachem North’s Michael Bellomo tries to keep him in check. (Credit: Bob Liepa)

bliepa@timesreview.com

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A shed and greenhouse behind Colorful Gardens in Jamesport caught fire Wednesday morning.

Firefighters from the Jamesport, Riverhead and Mattituck fire departments responded to the scene on Main Road shortly before 10 a.m. An employee at Colorful Gardens reported the fire, according Jamesport Chief Gary Faucon, who added that the shed was engulfed in flames when he first got there.

No injuries were reported. Firefighters had the fire under control shortly after arriving at the scene.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear and it is under investigation.

The owner of the property, Michele DeVito, said she saw black smoke coming from the shed and called police shortly after.

Police closed off Main Road between Herricks and Manor Lanes as firefighters responded. They reopened the road just after 11 a.m.

Photo caption: Firefighters sort through the remains of the shed Wednesday morning. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

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Most North Fork school districts saw a slight decline in the number of students opting out of this year’s English Language Arts exam, according to data collected from administrators and Newsday surveys over the past three weeks.

But the uproar against standardized testing persists in Suffolk County, which has produced some of the highest student opt-out rates in the state.

The ELA exam was administered to students in grades 3 through 8 April 2–3, with make-up exams on April 4–5 and 8–9. 

In the Southold School District, 47% of eligible students opted out of the test compared to 59% last year. In neighboring Greenport, 71% of students opted out, down from 82% last year. 

The rate was unchanged in the Mattituck-Cutchogue School District, where 39% of students, the same as last year, opted out. The Oysterponds district saw a 30% opt-out rate, a decrease from last year’s 51%. 

Riverhead Central School District posted a 24% opt-out rate, a decrease since last year’s 31%. The rate dropped by 2% from last year, from 79% to 77%, in the Shoreham-Wading River district. 

Local declines mirror those across Long Island — which had an overall opt-out rate of roughly 50% last year and roughly 48% this year, according to Jeanette Deutermann, founder of Long Island Opt-Out.

This year, new federal test score regulations contained in the Every Student Success Act prompted the New York State Education Department to modify state regulations for test taking.

A district’s accountability status is determined, in part, by the actual number of ELA scores it reports, which is compared to the total number of students eligible to take the test, Ms. Deutermann said. 

“The way that the Education Department wrote the regulations for New York, they tried to make it so that opting out would penalize the district,” she said. “It makes the district look like they’re struggling when, in fact, they’re not.”

Greenport schools, which had maintained opt-out percentages in the low 80s for the past two years, received a “comprehensive support and improvement school” designation in 2018 from the state education department. 

Southold and Greenport Superintendent David Gamberg, a vocal proponent of the opt-out movement since its inception, said that because state regulations continue to change, it’s not reliable to use ELA scores to track student and school performance. In addition, he said, it removes critical thinking from student assessment. 

Ms. Deutermann said higher-needs districts, some of which fall on the accountability list, see lower refusal rates due to fear tactics applied by the state Department of Education. 

“Parents in those districts are continuously being threatened that their schools are going to close and they’re underfunded,” she said. “It keeps parents from feeling confident enough to push back against the test.”

Last year in Riverhead Central School District, the middle school and Roanoke Avenue Elementary School were given CSI status — and both showed declines in recent opt-out rate from last year’s 31%.

In December 2018, Riverhead Superintendent Aurelia Henriquez announced that the high school, along with and Phillips Avenue and Riley Avenue elementary schools, had been removed from the state “focus” list and deemed “in good standing.” Pulaski Street School was removed from CSI status and was instead labeled a “targeted support and improvement school.”

Language barriers, Ms. Deutermann said, can also contribute to refusal rates. 

“It’s unfair that white, English-speaking parents have the freedom and information to opt out without fear,” she said. “Why is it that I have more of a right, or access, when another parent that might speak Spanish doesn’t?” 

For the past two years, some districts volunteered to administer the ELA online — and once again saw some malfunctions.

Lisa Rudley, volunteer executive director of NY Allies for Public Education, said infrastructure has not improved since last year’s mechanical problems. In some districts, computers timed-out or failed to submit student responses. 

Fourth-graders taking the ELA in Mattituck experienced both malfunctions, Superintendent Jill Gierasch said at the district’s April 17 school board meeting, which meant it took longer for them to complete the exam. Ms. Gierasch later encouraged students to participate in the exam as it provides insight for students and the district.

State math exams for students in grades 3-8 will be administered May 1-2, with make-up exams on May 3 and May 6-8.

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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A state supreme court judge granted Hexcel Corporation’s motion for an order of seizure against Luminati Aerospace Wednesday. 

After no one from Luminati or Hexcel showed up in court in Central Islip Wednesday, Judge Jerry Garguilo ruled on the case based on the submissions made to court. 

Hexcel, a Stamford, Conn.-based company, loaned Luminati Aerospace $10 million in 2016 and last month took them to court, claiming Luminati had defaulted on that loan.

Hexcel Corporation asked the court to seize property belonging to Luminati at the Enterprise Park at Calverton in order to turn it over to Hexcel, which said the default allowed them to accelerate the due date on the loan so it is due immediately.

The property in question has a value of about $7.4 million, according to an affidavit from Brett Schneider, president of Global Fibers, a business unit of Hexcel, a commercial aerospace, industrial development and space and defense contractor.

On its website, Luminati also lists Brett Schneider as a member of its board.

Wendy Klein, an attorney for Hexcel, said in a letter to the court that Hexcel would not be present Wednesday due to Luminati’s failure to file any opposition to the motion for seizure. 

The judge ruled that the Sheriff’s department can break open, enter and search both the 400 David Court building and the rented Louodis building at 350 Burman Blvd. to search for the property in question.

Luminati Aerospace is owned by Daniel Preston, and owns 25 percent of Calverton Aviation & Technology, the company in contract to buy 1,643 acres of land at EPCAL from Riverhead Town for $40 million. Triple Five Group, which is best known for building large shopping malls like the Mall of America in Minnesota, owns the other 75 percent of CAT.

The loan from Hexcel was due by May 12, 2023, according to court documents, but the contract gives Hexcel the authority to accelerate the due date if Luminati is found to be in default of the agreement.

The lawsuit claims Luminati is in default because it failed to pay taxes on the property, as required in the loan agreement, and failed to adequately maintain insurance on equipment and other collateral property that was pledged as security for the loan.

Hexcel claims in its complaint that Luminati has failed to deliver the collateral equipment it has sought to have turned over.

The lawsuit also asks that Luminati be made to pay all expenses incurred by Hexcel in enforcing the property seizure.

Luminati owns the former SkyDive Long Island building on 400 David Drive in Calverton but also had leased space from Laoudis of Calverton in the former Grumman hangar 6.

Laoudis brought an eviction notice against Luminati, saying they had not paid rent on the building. Luminati voluntary left that site earlier this month. 

A German company that sold a $147,000 machine to Luminati Aerospace in 2016 has also filed a federal lawsuit alleging Luminati failed to pay the final $91,000 owed and failed to return or disclose its location once the payments stopped. That case, filed earlier this month, is ongoing.

Luminati also owed Riverhead Town back taxes on the David Drive property, along with unpaid runway use fees, and unpaid false alarm fines on that property.

On Wednesday, Triple Five issued a press release indicating that they were paying Luminati’s debt to the town, which they said was $46,000. 

Meanwhile, Luminati founder Daniel Preston was quoted on an update web site called mylittlefalls.com saying that he was moving his company out of Calverton and into Little Falls. Mr. Preston said he would continue to be a landowner and investor at the Enterprise Park at Calverton.

Riverhead Town now plans on hiring a law firm to determine if Luminati’s recent problems impact the town’s contract with CAT.

tgannon@timesreview.com

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To cross the U.S. border on foot from San Diego into Tijuana, Mexico, is to navigate a series of maze-like hallways and ramps.

As visitors enter the U.S. from Mexico, they’re immediately greeted by a mall, as if transported to Tanger Outlets in Riverhead.

“It’s kind of like The Wizard of Oz,” said Carolyn Peabody of Orient, a social worker and professor at Stony Brook University. “You go from gray to bright colors.”

Experiencing those bright colors was the dream of many migrants Ms. Peabody met during a week-long humanitarian trip to the border in January. She traveled with Christine Flatley of Mattituck, who’s retired and has recently volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, and Tina Efron of Brooklyn, a retired occupational therapist. In the months since, the women have shared their firsthand experience of the crisis at the border in a series of presentations titled “The Border: A Call to Action.”

Immigration, particularly in the era of President Trump, has become such an inflammatory issue, the trio wanted to see for themselves what was unfolding and to lend any support they could to the many migrants from Central America.

They hope their message will inspire others to take action, to contact their local representatives and to better understand the crisis and what can be done to improve the perilous situation.

“We were so troubled by what we learned about before we went, while we were there and when we came back about how people are being treated by our people, our representatives — the Border Patrol and customs people,” Ms. Peabody said. “They are treated with such inhumanity in so many ways.”

Ms. Flatley said she felt a need to do something to combat the toxic news environment about immigration.

“To be able to come back and share what I saw would be in my small way an important way of helping myself and hopefully helping other human beings who are being so poorly treated that I’m almost embarrassed by it,” she said.

What they saw were people who had made incredible, long journeys, who were frightened yet resilient and hopeful. They were people who faced few options but to leave their homes, for many of them the northern triangle of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Corruption, gang violence and failing economies drove people from their homes in search of better opportunities.

They saw families, women traveling with children who were exhausted. The president’s characterization of criminals invading our country didn’t match what they saw in person.

“The stories are compelling and they are stories of human beings who are suffering at the hands of evil that in some ways we helped create,” Ms. Flatley said. “Nonetheless, there is evil being perpetrated. We as other human beings owe them some consideration and some safety.”

The women volunteered through a faith-based organization in New York City called New Sanctuary Coalition. The organization began setting up at the border when the large caravan that became a rallying cry for anti-immigrant sentiment during the 2018 midterm elections was headed toward the U.S. They attended an orientation in San Diego and talked to people who had been there before. They learned tips like bringing hiking boots because the sidewalks in Tijuana are so broken up.

Ms. Peabody stayed in a small hotel and Ms. Flatley and Ms. Efron stayed at an Airbnb. Other volunteers stayed in hostels or even slept on church floors.

Their first day, they worked in a kitchen that was making 3,000 meals a day. The owner of an Asian Fusion restaurant in Washington, D.C., volunteered as the head chef.

They also worked at a legal clinic where volunteer attorneys from across the U.S. assist migrants. They bought toys for children who were swept up in a never-ending waiting game.

“My sense is that the children are like us and our children,” Ms. Efron said. “The people are just like us, and yet I think what I understand is they have a level of perseverance or commitment that no matter what they keep going.”

An important misconception, the women noted, concerns the interactions between the migrants and those assisting them. The rhetoric pushed by Trump and conservative media is that migrants are coached on what to say when seeking asylum. In reality, the volunteers only guide migrants through the legal process. Seeking asylum, which requires physically being in the country, is not illegal.

What they saw was a process deliberately kept obscure so people are unsure how to proceed or what will happen. And people treated like criminals.

“I believe wholeheartedly that what we saw represents what lots and lots, thousands, of other people saw and heard when they were there,” Ms. Flatley said.

In the past, the border at Tijuana could process 200 people a day, Ms. Peabody said. But now, only 15 to 20 a day were being processed.

They’ve done their presentation at Orient Congregational Church and at Stony Brook University. They’ve received additional requests as well. When they begin a presentation, they tell the audience that traveling to the border was the first step. The second is sharing that story and encouraging people to investigate on their own.

“It’s not about us. It’s about telling the story and amplifying it as much as we can,” Ms. Flatley said.

All three hope to one day return to the border. And locally, Ms. Flatley and Ms. Peabody volunteer with the North Fork Unity Action Committee, which supports marginalized people in the community. The group organized a rally last year in Greenport to protest the family separation that was occurring at the border.

“Migration is going to happen,” Ms. Flatley said. “Of course, there have to be ways to regulate it and put safety measures into place, but creating choke points is not the way to find solutions to this.”

The author is the editor of The Suffolk Times and Riverhead News-Review. He can be reached at 631-354-8049 or joew@timesreview.com.

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The Riverhead Town Board on Thursday withdrew a proposal to hire an outside law firm to look into the town’s contract with Triple Five Group and Luminati Aerospace after complaints from some board members about the way the firm to be voted on was chosen. 

The idea was to hire a neutral law firm that is not local to determine if the recent financial problems of Luminati founder Daniel Preston could jeopardize the $40 million contract between the town and Calverton Aviation & Technology, the company formed by Triple Five and Luminati, to purchase and develop 1,643 acres of town-owned land at the Enterprise Park at Calverton.

After debating the issue for some time Thursday, the board directed Town Attorney Bob Kozakiewicz to interview and vet several law firms, including the three already interviewed, and to recommend one or two for the Town Board to interview before making a decision. 

One requirement is that the firm cannot be from Suffolk County, as the town is looking for lawyers who are not familiar with the Enterprise Park at Calverton, Riverhead Town or Luminati and Triple Five. 

Mr. Kozakiewicz also was directed to do so “as soon as possible.”

Initially, Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith had presented a resolution to be  voted on with the name of just one firm – Garden City-based Stagg, Terenzi, Confusione & Wasnik LLP.

Ms. Jens-Smith said she asked Mr. Kozakiewicz to review three firms: Stagg, Terenzi, Confusione & Wasnik LLP; Hamburger, Maxson, Yaffe & McNally, LLP (Melville); and Lazer Aptheker Rosella & Yedid, P.C. (Melville). She chose Stagg, Terenzi etc. 

But Council members Tim Hubbard and Jodi Giglio objected to the way it was presented. They said that in prior votes on hiring outside legal counsel, the board discussed a number of law firms in executive session before choosing one.  

“That was not done here,” Mr. Hubbard said. “We were presented with this resolution and told this is going to be the law firm.”

He said the board needs to have input in making the decision. 

Ms. Kozakiewicz said he spoke to all three firms and all were highly qualified. 

Councilman Jim Wooten said he would not be voting to hire any outside law firm. He feels the redevelopment of EPCAL has been stalled long enough and that Daniel Preston, the “is not even a serious player” in CAT. 

CAT has said that Triple Five owns 75% of CAT, and Luminati owns 25% and is a non-voting member. 

Mr. Preston recently was sued by the Hexcel Corporation for defaulting on a $10 million loan. In addition, he owes back town taxes, false alarm fines and unpaid runway fees, and he has been sued by a German company that said he owes money on a piece of equipment. He also reportedly has moved his operations upstate, although he still owns land in EPCAL.

After no one from Luminati or Hexcel Corporation showed up in court in Central Islip Wednesday, State Supreme Court Judge Jerry Garguilo granted Hexcel’s motion for an order of seizure against Luminati. 

Triple Five this week agreed to pay off Luminati’s debt on property taxes, runway fees and false alarms. 

The agreement with Riverhead Town originally was just between Luminati and the town, but Triple Five was later added to it, and the two groups formed CAT. 

The Town Board voted to declare CAT a “qualified and eligible sponsor” in November, which set forward a 90-day due diligence period. CAT must decide if it wants to move forward with the purchase by May 20. 

But how important is Daniel Preston?

“If Daniel Preston drops out of it, that contract in my mind isn’t necessarily legit,” Mr. Hubbard said. “That’s where we are going to need outside counsel.”

“We know that one of the principals in this contract has had incredible financial troubles,” Ms. Jens-Smith said. “He’s in default, he’s not paying rent, he’s in litigation.”  

Ms. Jens-Smith said she and Mr. Kozakiewicz had met with CAT representatives recently. Mr. Hubbard said he was invited but declined. 

Ms. Jens-Smith said CAT did not respond when asked about Luminati’s troubles. 

The Town Board also plans to invite CAT to a work session to discuss their plans at EPCAL, as well as what impact Luminati has. 

However, Ms. Jens-Smith said CAT has indicated it will not do that until after May 20.

In related news, a public hearing on a proposed eight-lot subdivision at the EPCAL was postponed last Thursday because the outside counsel representing Riverhead Town on the matter was away, according to Jeff Murphree, the town’s building and planning coordinator.

The rescheduled hearing before the Planning Board will take place Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m.

The proposed eight-lot subdivision includes the three lots that CAT proposes to buy from the town, consisting of 727, 898 and 18 acres, for a total of 1,643.

The other five lots in the subdivision are owned by the town, and total 463 acres. Lot 1, which covers 292.7 acres, sits within the Pine Barrens Core and is intended for preservation. 

The proposed sale to CAT cannot go forward until the land is legally subdivided. 

tgannon@timesreview.com

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After years of planning and development, The Phillips Family Cancer Center, in partnership with Stony Brook Medicine and the Southampton Hospital Association, opened its doors to the public during a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday.

“This was a journey that began with inspiration and was completed through dedication — the dedication of so many wonderful people,” said Robert Chaloner, chief administrative officer at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

The 13,800-square-foot radiation and oncology center, located on County Road 39 in Southampton, is divided into two floors. The first floor houses the radiation department and a full-time oncology social worker in the office annex of Fighting Chance, a Sag Harbor-based organization that provides counseling to patients and caregivers. The second floor is home to the oncology department, an on-site pharmacy, dual-purpose rooms and a conference/community meeting room where support programs such as yoga and group therapy sessions will be held.

Flooded with natural light, flowers and uplifting portraits, the center was lauded by each speaker for its architectural integrity.

“Medical oncology patients can choose between private or shared treatment spaces amongst glass murals of East End beach scenes with lots of skylights letting in ample sunlight and expansive windows offering wide views, including views of grounds and gardens,” said Kenneth Wright, chairman of the Southampton Hospital Association.

The head architect, Blaze Makoid, took inspiration from the potato farming history of the property, Mr. Wright said. Healthcare facilities architect Victor Famulari created the interior layout and finishes, designed to enhance healing. Edwina von Gal of Perfect Earth Project and Christopher LaGuardia of LaGuardia Design Group supervised the outdoor gardens and landscapes, visible from the center’s chemotherapy treatment rooms.

The opening of the center reduces the hurdle for East End residents who may otherwise travel miles for treatment. Previously, cancer patients had limited options to receive care, whether due to insurance restraints, distance, etc.

“Cancer treatment typically involves daily treatments for over a period of weeks or even months,” Mr. Wright said. “Now, East End residents can get world-class cancer treatment — be it chemotherapy or radiation — right here in this building close to home.”

The speakers gave a special thanks to the benefactors of the center, The Phillips Family.

“Their commitment to bringing cancer services to this community extends back over 30 years,” Mr. Chaloner said. 

Barbara Phillips spoke on behalf of the Phillips family, telling the story of her mother who used to work on the board of Saint Clare’s Hospital in Manhattan. There, Ms. Phillips said, was an AIDS wing with roughly 100 beds and staff devoted to helping and encouraging people to have hope to live.

“People used to say to my mother, ‘Why do you go there? These people are done,’ ” Ms. Phillips said. “And my mother said, ‘No, they’re not done because they have hope. They have medicine. They have science on their side.’ And in fact, today we know, they’re not done. And we’re not done.”

Radiation therapy will begin being offered in May, when the center welcomes its first scheduled patient, and medical oncology will begin in August. The new center features state-of-the-art technology, including the only linear accelerator on the East end, according to the Stony Brook Southampton Hospital website. The accelerator “provides more precise targeting of cancer cells during radiation therapy, sparing healthy surrounding tissue.” All chemotherapy treatments are formulated in the on-site pharmacy, according to the site, and an integrated computer system is being used so that patients can be seen at Stony Brook and be treated at the Phillips Family Cancer Center, or vice versa.

Patients will have access to Stony Brook’s clinical trials, too, according to Dr. Kenneth Kaushansky, who serves as dean of the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University and as senior vice president of Health Sciences.

“It’s not only the beauty on the outside of the building that counts,” said New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele Jr., who attended the ribbon cutting along with other officials. “It’s what’s going to be going on inside of the building. And nothing strikes fear in a person or a family than to hear the word ‘cancer.’ ”

The only way to combat fear, he said, is with hope.

“And what your family has done by providing our community with this center is to provide us all — each family, each person, with hope if they ever have to hear the fearful word,” he said.

Top photo caption: Barbara Phillips spoke on behalf of the Phillips family. (Credit: Mahreen Khan)

mkhan@timesreview.com

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Jack Schirtzer didn’t do anything odd, like accidentally walk into the Shoreham-Wading River huddle. Still, it had to feel strange for Schirtzer, now a member of the Mount Sinai boys lacrosse team, to line up against SWR, a team he had played for less than a year ago.

At least in some small measure, Schirtzer must have felt mixed emotions when SWR and Mount Sinai, arguably two of the best teams in Suffolk County Division II, faced off Friday in what could be a preview of the Suffolk Class C final. Despite wearing Mount Sinai’s home white uniform, the junior long-stick middie is friends with many of the players who wore SWR’s navy blue and gold.

“It was very interesting because I’ve been with those guys literally my whole life, so playing against them felt good, but it was a hard game,” he said after first-place Mount Sinai (13-0, 11-0) retained its unbeaten record with an impressive 14-9 defeat of SWR.

Schirtzer attested to feeling “very nervous” in the early going, but those nerves dissipated as the game progressed, perhaps thanks to the considerable efforts of his new Mount Sinai friends. Russell Maher finished with five goals, Joey Spallina put up four goals and two assists and Tyler Gatz registered three goals and an assist for Mount Sinai. The Mustangs showed their quality, charging out to a 3-0 lead on goals by Spallina, Gatz and Bobby DeMeo. They never trailed. DeMeo had a goal and an assist, as did teammate Brandon Ventorolo.

“Saves and faceoffs and possessions” were the difference, Schirtzer said. “Whenever we had a possession we made the best out of it.”

Not even a career-high six goals by SWR junior midfielder Johnny Schwarz was enough to help the Wildcats (9-2, 9-2) prevent their second straight loss. They had suffered a 12-5 non-league defeat in Garden City eight days earlier.

The only other SWR player to pick up a point was junior attackman Xavier Arline, who tallied three goals and three assists.

“I think turnovers affected our game,” Schwarz said. “I though we played good ‘D’ at times, good offense, but just the turnovers really killed us.”

SWR twice pulled to within one. Schwarz’s first two goals trimmed the Mount Sinai lead to 3-2 before the Mustangs responded with a pair of Maher goals, the second coming with four seconds left in the first quarter. Then Arline worked some of his magic, finishing a leaping, righthanded shot 1 minute, 37 seconds into the second quarter. More “X” artistry followed 2:04 later when he punctuated his goal pulling SWR within 5-4 by turning to the Wildcats’ bench and going down to one knee while executing an emphatic fist pump.

That was as close as it got for SWR, though. Mount Sinai ran off the next six goals, including two each by Spallina and Maher. Spallina’s third goal of the game might have been the flashiest of the day, a tricky piece of no-look work over his right shoulder.

With the help of faceoff man Kevin Sweeny, Mount Sinai won 15 of 24 faceoffs. Nico Nigohosian made 10 saves.

“It’s definitely a kick in the butt,” said SWR goalie Liam Daly, who was credited with five first-half saves, including a fantastic stop on Maher. “We just got to keep preparing because our coaching staff does a great job of preparing us for every game … Every year there’s always going to be a few games where we’re not on top of our game, but it’s just going to help prepare us for later in the season.”

Between the two teams, there was a lot of talent on the field.

“We have a lot of individual talent but I think teams are what wins games,” said Mount Sinai coach Harold Drumm, whose Mustangs lost to Islip in last year’s Suffolk Class C final.

Schirtzer has been doing his part, the coach said. “It’s got to be a lot of pressure on him, you know, I’m sure,” Drumm said of Schirtzer facing his former team. “Obviously, he’s a very good player and he moved into Mount Sinai, so it’s obviously an awkward situation for him. We’re real proud of how he handled it. We actually tried not to make a big thing of it. We didn’t want to put more on his shoulders than he needs. We just came out to play a lacrosse game and do what we do well.”

Meanwhile, two straight losses to high-quality opponents aren’t anything for the Wildcats to fret about. “These are just bumps in the road,” said Schwarz.

A SWR-Mount Sinai rematch could be in the near future, with a lot more at stake.

“We’ll probably see them again,” Schirtzer said. He added: “I know everybody here is determined to win, which is what I’m looking for. I’m very excited about that.”

Photo caption: Mount Sinai’s Jack Schirtzer, a former Shoreham-Wading River player, is chased by SWR’s Tyler Schwarz during Friday’s game. (Credit: Bob Liepa)

bliepa@timesreview.com

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Big E is headed to the Big Easy.

Ethan Greenidge, a former standout athlete at Riverhead High School, will get his shot to play football at the ultimate level.

Greenidge, 21, intents to sign with the New Orleans Saints, he said shortly after the end of the 2019 NFL Draft Saturday. His name was not called among the 240 picks in the seven-round draft, but he still had several offers to choose from as an undrafted free agent, he said.

Greenidge, a 6-foot-4, 335-pound offensive tackle from Flanders, played in 43 games during his four-year career at Villanova. He was a two-time selection to the CAA Football All-Conference Team. This past season he was first team all-CAA, starting 10 games.

As the final rounds of the draft unfolded Saturday, he said he received calls from Oakland Raiders GM Mike Mayock and the Buffalo Bills. Neither team ended up selected him with a draft pick.

When the draft ends, teams race to sign remaining players who they believe can be impactful in the future. Undrafted free agents often have an equal shot at landing a roster spot as late round draft picks.

Rookie minicamps are held in early May, the next step in the process for players to earn a spot on the roster in August. Preseason training camp starts in July.

“We are very proud of him and I know he will represent the Riverhead football family in the most positive way,” said Riverhead varsity coach Leif Shay.

Greenidge had received an invitation to the NFL Combine in late February and early March. An injury prevented him from competing in workouts, but he still interviewed with teams. He had surgery in late January to repair a torn shoulder labrum. Prior to the combine, he played in the 95th annual East-West Shrine Game, a college postseason all-star game.

A draft profile on NFL.com graded Greenidge as a 5.0, projecting to a 50/50 chance at making a final roster.

In February 2015, Greenidge formally signed with Villanova and accepted a full scholarship.

“He’s probably one of the best students of the game that I’ve seen here in a long, long time,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said in December. He watches a lot of film on his own. He does a lot of self study. He does a lot of opponent study.”

The ultimate team player, Ethan Greenidge is known not just for his talents on the @novafootball field, but his charisma off it pic.twitter.com/ZD3xNDcByd

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) December 14, 2018

Greenidge not only excelled in football at Riverhead, but also played basketball and threw the shot put and discus in the spring track and field season. He threw the shot put just over 50 feet as a junior in 2014. He was a two-way player at Riverhead in football, also excelling on the defensive line.

Prior to the start of the 2014 season, Greenidge’s teammate Raheem Brown said: “Ethan swallows five kids by himself, so it’s great to have him on our team.”

Greenidge becomes the first Riverhead graduate to get a shot at the NFL since Miguel Maysonet, the talented running back who played at Stony Brook University. Maysonet signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles shortly after the 2013 NFL draft ended. He bounced around several teams from 2013-15 and played in preseason games, but never made it onto a team’s final roster.

Riverhead has history of graduates going on to play in the NFL. Ed Danowski (Class of 1930), Ted Wegert (Class of 1951) and Scott Mersereau (Class of 1983) all played in the NFL.

Photo caption: Ethan Greenidge excelled on the offensive line for Villanova the past four years. (Credit: Villanova Athletics)

joew@timesreview.com

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Roxanne Gordon, 55, of East Quogue was arrested last Tuesday evening in Riverhead for driving while intoxicated, according to Riverhead Town police. 

Ms. Gordon was allegedly driving a 2015 Nissan SUV on Peconic Avenue when she was stopped for two vehicle and traffic violations. Police found Ms. Gordon to be intoxicated and she was arrested around 9 p.m.

She was charged with two counts of DWI and two violations.

• Police arrested Joseph Booker, 69, of Riverhead last Wednesday morning for driving with a revoked license, reports said.

Mr. Booker was pulled over on Sweezy Avenue in Riverhead for talking on his cellphone while driving. After police interviewed Mr. Booker, they conducted an investigation and found he was driving with a license that had been revoked seven times for alcohol-related incidents. He was released with an appearance ticket for a later court date.

• Three horses escaped from a farm in Northville last Thursday evening, according to reports.

Around midnight, police received a report that three horses were loose near the intersection of Northville Turnpike and Cross River Drive. The caller had one russet-colored horse at the roadside when police arrived. Officers secured the horse to a large road sign with a rope and continued to search for the other two darker-colored ones, which were last seen running northbound along Northville Turnpike.

As patrol units searched the area for the other two horses, the russet-colored horse allegedly broke free of the rope and ran to Garden of Eve Organic Farm at the north end of Northville Turnpike and Sound Avenue in Riverhead. The loose horses were from that farm, police reports said. The owners were notified by police and the road was cleared. No further action was taken by police.

• Police are investigating a report of a stolen 2005 Ford Taurus in Riverhead.

Last Tuesday evening, a caller reported his green Ford Taurus was stolen from his home on Fanning Street. The caller told police the vehicle was last seen on the property Sunday, April 14, at noon. Police filed a report on the stolen vehicle.

A suspect has not been found but would be charged with felony grand larceny. 

• Hayden Dixon, 27, of Riverhead was arrested in Riverhead Monday afternoon for driving with a revoked license, according to reports.

Mr. Dixon was stopped by police in the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot on Route 58. When police spoke with Mr. Dixon, they found he was driving with a revoked license with five prior suspensions on two dates. Mr. Dixon also had a warrant out for his arrest through the Southampton Police Department. 

Mr. Dixon was arrested and is due back in court May 28. He was charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a misdemeanor, and two violations.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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The mental challenge of completing a marathon, all 26.2 miles, can be as daunting as the physical, especially for amateurs.

As Katy Pettit began the Boston Marathon April 15 — her dream race she had tried five years to earn entry into — she dedicated the first mile to her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s. The second mile was dedicated to a few former students who have died. Each successive mile, she would race the 5,280 feet in honor of a different person. As the pain intensified for the 51-year-old, she would focus on the person to whom she had dedicated that mile. And she thought about all her students back at Aquebogue Elementary School who were tracking her results and rooting for her.

“It really makes a difference,” she said. “You can get in your own head and it’s not a good thing when you’re out there. You can talk yourself right out of it.”

Had it not been the Boston Marathon — which dates back more than 120 years and coincides with Patriots’ Day — Ms. Pettit never would have even started the race due to a lingering hip injury. She had trained for the last New York City Marathon but couldn’t complete the race. Not wanting to disappoint her friend who was also racing, she began the marathon, walked a bit and then skipped ahead to the finish line to wait for her friend to finish.

No physical limitation, however, was going to stop her from running — and completing — Boston.

Even in ideal conditions, the race was going to present an extraordinary challenge. Then the weather took a turn for the worse, with heavy wind and rain. It then became hot before switching back to rain. 

“I had every weather condition there could be out there,” she said.

And at mile 14, she was accidentally tripped and fell, further hurting her hip. She fought through the next two miles before facing a large hill, a staple of the course. She struggled to continue running and realized she needed to walk. She did so for the remainder of the course, ultimately finishing in 7 hours and 12 minutes.

She never allowed herself to become disappointed. Her husband offered to come get her when she fell. She told him there was no way she would quit.

“I do not know how those last 10 miles got done,” she said. “Sheer determination. I’m proud of the fact I didn’t quit.”

Her time was about 25 minutes ahead of pace when she fell, she said. She had been doing so well, in fact, her husband had texted her saying to slow down. Her plan was to start off conservatively and preserve energy for the hills later in the course.

Back in Aquebogue, her elementary students were tracking her pace on a laptop to see who could come closest to guessing her finish time. They even got a chance to Facetime during the race.

“They were like, ‘Did you get to Heartbreak Hill yet?’ she said. “They studied the whole course and they were so into it. It was fun for them.”

At a schoolwide assembly April 3, students learned about the course and put in their estimated times for the chance to win prizes donated by the school’s PTA and the charity for which Ms. Pettit was running. A third-grade student whom she had previously taught ended up winning the contest.

Past the halfway point of the race, Ms. Pettit’s phone began to buzz with texts from concerned friends. It appeared she had stopped running. The online tracker showed her no longer moving.

Ms. Pettit said as a storm was moving in, the marathon staff began to pull up the timing mats throughout the rest of the course.

“The kids really thought I had gotten to mile 18,” she said. “I never went into it thinking that I would run well there. My goal was just to finish and finish healthy.”

To earn a spot in the Boston Marathon, Ms. Pettit had to apply to a charity. She had tried four previous times and ended up on waitlists. This year, she applied for Team Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a charity started by Paul Newman. It started off as a camp for children suffering from severe illnesses and has grown from there, Ms. Pettit said. She raised $8,500.

Ms. Pettit, who lives in Rocky Point and has taught in the Riverhead district for 25 years, said she was a runner dating back to high school, but had actually been a sprinter. Her high school coach, she said, had always wanted her to run distance, but she never went for it.

She continued running later in life and her jump into marathons began after her son Kyle suffered a critical brain injury following a car accident. He had to learn so many life basics again like how to walk. It was a frustrating process.

That frustration he faced inspired her to tackle something challenging herself. She told him how running a marathon scared her.

“He goes, ‘Do it, ma!’ ” she said.

Her son is now 27 and is doing “fantastic.” Her daughter, Michaela, is 24.

After finishing last week’s race, Ms. Pettit didn’t have too much time to celebrate. She had to get back to work the next day.

“I hobbled in and everyone was like, ‘What are you doing here?’ ” she said with a laugh.

The kids in the foyer were chanting for her.

“The whole school was phenomenal about the support,” she said. “My colleagues supported everything I did. My principal, my assistant principal, they were all amazing.”

She won’t take too much time off from running now. Already this weekend, she’ll be back running a 15K. She’ll also run the Long Island Half Marathon next month.

joew@timesreview.com

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For Judy Doll, there’s no such thing as a typical day.

For more than three decades, Ms. Doll has worked for Riverhead Town, most recently as department head for the Riverhead Senior Center, where seniors can enjoy breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday as well as other recreational activities. About 60 seniors per day use the facility.

“My job is … about being able to drop what you’re doing in a second because there’s a call for you, or there’s an unexpected visitor or there’s an emergency in the dining room,” she said.

So when Riverhead Senior Center manager Debbie Schwarz told Ms. Doll that a fight broke out between two seniors in the banquet hall Friday before shrimp scampi and rice pilaf lunch, she raced to the scene.

Working at the Senior Center, she said, she’s seen it all — but a fight between two seniors isn’t commonplace.

She entered the room and was “floored” — more than 60 seniors and staff with the Senior Citizen program were gathered around a table with an oversized card and balloons to celebrate her retirement.

Ms. Doll, who lives in Riverhead, announced her retirement last week after working for the town for 35 years. On her final day Friday, she was honored at separate events by both the Recreation and Seniors Department and Town board for her longtime service.

Councilwoman Catherine Kent presented Ms. Doll with a proclamation Friday afternoon.

“Judy Doll has inspired and advanced the lives of those who know her, including the staff, her family and the entire community, through her wealth of experience, knowledge and contributions,” Ms. Kent read.

Ms. Doll said she grew up in Levittown. She bought a house in Riverhead in 1974 with her husband, Joe, while her parents were living near Lake Panamoka in Ridge.

She started volunteering with Riverhead CAP in the early ’80s and later worked part-time in the teen center for the Juvenile Aid Bureau. She was a part-time neighbor aid in the Senior Citizen Department beginning June 1984.

She was appointed a part-time recreation center manager in March 1985 and became full-time in 1988. In 1992, she was appointed as an administrative assistant in the recreation department. Four years later, Ms. Doll became the senior citizen program director.

On Oct. 29, 2007, Ms. Doll became the department head — a spot she held until her retirement.

The job, she said, has been a mixed bag of emotions: she connects with seniors on a daily basis, but has also watched them pass.

It’s something her longtime friend Daryl Sulzer, who previously worked at the Center, said is unavoidable.

“You can’t help but get personally involved with almost every single one of them,” she said. “Judy has definitely done that, along with all the staff here.”

Ms. Doll is credited with leading the Senior Center’s move from Howell Avenue to 60 Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue in 2002. At the time, it produced some skepticism among the department.

“We were scared our dreams were too big,” Ms. Doll said. “People were saying we wouldn’t fill the rooms … and now there’s not a seat that’s not filled. Knowing we reached the goals that we set out back when we were designing the building.

Danielle Hendrickson said her mother’s immense love and consideration is a model others should follow.

“Her warmth and her ability to connect with people is something I’ve seen since the day I was born,” she said. “As role models, mothers and bosses go, she’s impossible to beat.”

Photo caption: Judy Doll received a surprise send-off Friday on her final day. Councilwoman Catherine Kent read a proclamation. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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Good things come to those who wait. Or so they say.

The Riverhead girls lacrosse team was perhaps at its most patient Saturday. The Blue Waves were in anything but a hurry, taking their sweet time on offense (sometimes minutes at a time), passing the ball around clockwise, and then counterclockwise, as if in a practice drill. They were in no rush at all as they probed, looking for weaknesses in Bayport-Blue Point’s defense.

They didn’t find many.

Host Bayport exhibited patience of its own, but the Phantoms also have good speed and skill, which they put to use in a 9-4 non-league defeat of Riverhead. It was a season-low goal total for Riverhead.

Both teams were coming off tough losses in their previous games, Riverhead’s being an 18-6 pasting by Northport Thursday. Those two teams entered that game tied atop the Suffolk County Division I standings.

“It was a shock,” Riverhead defender Ella Malanga said. “I think the loss against Northport kind of shows us how much harder we need to work if we want to be one of those top teams.”

The “shock” Malanga referred to may have been more about the goal margin than the actual result.

“Everyone was talking about how it was going to be the game of the season,” she said. She added: “It was supposed to be the most exciting game of the season, so it was definitely a huge letdown and a huge setback for us, but right now we’re trying to keep our heads up and get back into the season because we do still have important games left and we’re definitely going to see Northport again in playoffs.”

Riverhead goalie Sofia Salgado said: “I think we slowly got to get our confidence back. That was a huge hit that we took at Northport to our team.”

Riverhead’s play Saturday was an improvement from the Northport game, but still not to the level the Blue Waves (8-3, 8-2) want. After a 3-3 first half, Northport’s zone defense held Riverhead to a single second-half goal, by Emma Conroy, her second of the game.

Bayport’s Ailish Kelly was a force to be reckoned with, scoring on four of her seven shots and assisting on three other goals. Kelly scored off a pass from Megan Brockbank while being pushed into the crease with seven seconds left in the first half to make it 3-3. That was the first of five straight goals by Bayport (9-2, 7-2 Division II). Kelly had two of those goals and Madison Waters (two goals, one assist), Maddigan Miller (two goals) and Jacqueline Mason netted the others, putting Bayport ahead, 7-3, with 11:01 left in the game.

“We like to play quick on both sides of the ball,” Bayport coach Ryan Gick said, “but they slowed it down offensively and, you know, I think we have faith in what we do defensively that if they want to play slow, we’ll wait on you and make you have to make smart decisions.”

Riverhead was outshot, 20-8. Bayport goalie Madison Grazidei made two saves. Salgado stopped seven shots.

Bayport also caused turnovers, and they take a toll. “Pickoffs, knockdowns, it just deflates a team after they keep coming down,” said Gick.

Megan Kielbasa and Ava Lily Sumwalt scored Riverhead’s first two goals. Lauren Kenny had two assists and Chrissy Thomas one for the Blue Waves.

“We have the looks and we have, obviously, some of the most talented offensive players on Long Island,” Malanga said, “and I think just finishing it and getting it in the back of the net was something we struggled with with Northport and we also struggled with in this game.”

Riverhead coach Ashley Schandel called the one-sided loss to Northport “terrible.” Not that she wanted to use it as an excuse, but the Blue Waves are not at full strength. Two starters, midfielder Delu Rizzo (wrist growth plate) and attack Angie Graziano (pulled hamstring), are out with injuries, as is backup goalie Leah Zenk (concussion). At the same time, ankle troubles have slowed midfielders Caleigh Kalmus and Conroy.

Schandel said: “I think they’re going to learn from this and that we’re moving forward and we need to get some more wins under our belt to go from here because the playoffs are right around the corner and from there you lose and you’re out, you’re done. Every single game from here on out for the whole season matters.”

Photo caption: Riverhead goalie Sofia Salgado (seven saves) looks for a teammate to pass to while Bayport-Blue Point’s Megan Brockbank chases her during the first half. (Credit: Bob Liepa)

bliepa@timesreview.com

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Big E is headed to the Big Easy.

Ethan Greenidge, a former standout athlete at Riverhead High School, will get his shot to play football at the ultimate level.

Greenidge, 21, intends to sign with the New Orleans Saints, he said shortly after the end of the 2019 NFL Draft Saturday. His name was not called among the 240 picks in the seven-round draft, but he still had several offers to choose from as an undrafted free agent, he said.

Greenidge, a 6-foot-4, 335-pound offensive tackle from Flanders, played in 43 games during his four-year career at Villanova. He was a two-time selection to the CAA Football All-Conference Team. This past season he was first team all-CAA, starting 10 games.

As the final rounds of the draft unfolded Saturday, he said he received calls from Oakland Raiders GM Mike Mayock and the Buffalo Bills. Neither team ended up selected him with a draft pick.

When the draft ends, teams race to sign remaining players who they believe can be impactful in the future. Undrafted free agents often have an equal shot at landing a roster spot as late round draft picks.

Rookie minicamps are held in early May, the next step in the process for players to earn a spot on the roster in August. Preseason training camp starts in July.

“We are very proud of him and I know he will represent the Riverhead football family in the most positive way,” said Riverhead varsity coach Leif Shay.

Greenidge had received an invitation to the NFL Combine in late February and early March. An injury prevented him from competing in workouts, but he still interviewed with teams. He had surgery in late January to repair a torn shoulder labrum. Prior to the combine, he played in the 95th annual East-West Shrine Game, a college postseason all-star game.

A draft profile on NFL.com graded Greenidge as a 5.0, projecting to a 50/50 chance at making a final roster.

In February 2015, Greenidge formally signed with Villanova and accepted a full scholarship.

“He’s probably one of the best students of the game that I’ve seen here in a long, long time,” Villanova coach Mark Ferrante said in December. “He watches a lot of film on his own. He does a lot of self study. He does a lot of opponent study.”

The ultimate team player, Ethan Greenidge is known not just for his talents on the @novafootball field, but his charisma off it pic.twitter.com/ZD3xNDcByd

— CAA Football (@CAAFootball) December 14, 2018

Greenidge not only excelled in football at Riverhead, but also played basketball and threw the shot put and discus in the spring track and field season. He threw the shot put just over 50 feet as a junior in 2014. He was a two-way player at Riverhead in football, also excelling on the defensive line.

Prior to the start of the 2014 season, Greenidge’s teammate Raheem Brown said: “Ethan swallows five kids by himself, so it’s great to have him on our team.”

Greenidge becomes the first Riverhead graduate to get a shot at the NFL since Miguel Maysonet, the talented running back who played at Stony Brook University. Maysonet signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles shortly after the 2013 NFL draft ended. He bounced around several teams from 2013-15 and played in preseason games, but never made it onto a team’s final roster.

Riverhead has history of graduates going on to play in the NFL. Ed Danowski (Class of 1930), Ted Wegert (Class of 1951) and Scott Mersereau (Class of 1983) all played in the NFL.

Photo caption: Ethan Greenidge excelled on the offensive line for Villanova the past four years. (Credit: Villanova Athletics)

joew@timesreview.com

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Southampton Town police arrested a Riverhead man for driving while intoxicated Saturday after he entered a DWI checkpoint in Riverside with an open bottle of Corona in his center console cup holder.

Johnny Manuel Gomez, 31, was subsequently arrested and charged with DWI around 9:40 p.m., officials said.

• A Medford man was arrested Sunday after allegedly stealing a Michael Kors wallet containing $200 from the counter at McDonald’s in Riverside.

Erik Reyes, 35, was charged with misdemeanor petit larceny, according to a police report.

• A Miller Place man who was stopped at a checkpoint in Riverhead last Saturday was found to be intoxicated, according to New York State Police.

Robert Hludzinski, 61, was driving on Route 25A when he stopped at the checkpoint. Police said he was found to have a blood alcohol content of .14%. He was charged with DWI and released on an appearance ticket for Riverhead Town Court.

• A Riverhead man who was stopped for a traffic violation was found to be intoxicated, according to state police.

David Przestrzelski, 23, was driving on Pulaski Street and was found to have a blood alcohol content of .15%, police said. He was charged with DWI and released on an appearance ticket for Riverhead Town Court.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

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A veteran INEX Legend driver died from his injuries following a crash that occurred Saturday at Riverhead Raceway, according to raceway officials.

Silas Hiscock Sr. of Bridgehampton crashed into the wall during a practice run and had to be extricated from the car, officials said. He was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center and then moved to Stony Brook University.

In a statement Monday morning, Riverhead Raceway announced Mr. Hiscock had died. He was 78.

“All of us at Riverhead Raceway send our condolences and prayers to the Hiscock family on the loss of this wonderful man,” the raceway said in a Facebook post.

Raceway co-owner Tom Gatz said the raceway owners received word Monday that Mr. Hiscock had died.

“We’re definitely very shaken up by it,” said Mr. Gatz, who owns the raceway along with Ed Partridge and his wife Connie. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

It’s the first in-car fatality since 1994 when NASCAR Modified driver Bill Quilligan, 45, died while racing in a non-contact incident after suffering what was determined to be heart failure, according to the raceway. Mr. Hiscock’s death is the fourth at the track in the past 25 years.

Bob Finan, the longtime voice of Riverhead Raceway, also called Mr. Hiscock, who raced in the No. 07 car, a “wonderful man and racer” in a Facebook post.

Mr. Hiscock’s long racing career spanned two different eras. In the 1950s and ’60s he raced both Sportsman and Modifieds and he earned his lone Modified win July 8, 1961. He stepped away from racing before ultimately making a comeback with the introduction of a new class at Riverhead Raceway called the INEX Legend. The class features body styles of coupes and sedans from his racing heyday, Mr. Finan wrote in a press release on Mr. Hiscock’s passing.

In 2018, he made nine starts in his No. 07 car and placed 24th in the final point standings.

“What made returning to racing more attractive to Silas this time around was the fact his sons Silas Jr. and Will joined him on the track often racing side by side,” Mr. Finan wrote.

Mr. Hiscock owned and operated Hampton Gas Tank Services in Bridgehampton.

It was in his hometown where he was well-known for driving around, with his sons, in a 1913 Mercer Raceabout, considered by some to be America’s original sports car. The Raceabout was originally purchased by his father, Fred, some time in the 1920s and was a prized family possession. 

While the raceway season hasn’t officially started yet, Saturday was a “sneak preview” with free public practice. The first practice day scheduled for April 20 was rained out.

His son Will was making a return to Legend racing and was also practicing Saturday but was not on the track at the time of the crash.

The season is scheduled to officially begin Saturday, May 4 with a 50-lap NASCAR Modified main event.

Another crash occurred during Saturday’s practice but did not result in serious injury.

The circumstances that led the impact involving Mr. Hiscock’s crash are not fully known, the raceway said. The crash occurred “just feet away” from the turn four entrance gate to the track. It happened in close proximity to the ambulance EMT and other safety personnel who “were on scene immediately,” the raceway said.

He was transported to PBMC and once he was stabilized, doctors determined he needed to be transferred to a Level-1 trauma center at Stony Brook University. He passed Sunday night into Monday morning, the raceway said.

Funeral arrangements for Mr. Hiscock are pending.

In 1999, Walt Edsall, the NASCAR chief steward at the track, was struck by a wheel that came off a Modified car during a heat race. He died a few weeks later. In 2002, Larry Costa, a Blunderbust/Charger driver, was fatally injured after falling from a golf cart at the track.

WITH TIM GANNON

AND DREW BUDD, SOUTHAMPTON PRESS

Photo caption: Silas Hiscock Sr. competed in the Legends division at Riverhead Raceway. (Credit: Riverhead Raceway)

joew@timereview.com

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I’m Karissa Despres. I am the owner and artistic director of North Fork Academy of Dance. We have locations in Aquebogue, Southold and Greenport. I purchased the business five years ago from Harry Precht and this is our 31st year of business on the North Fork.

I started my dance training in Ballet Austin in Austin, Texas. Then we relocated here because of my father’s job and I was a student of Mr. Precht’s when I was in sixth grade. I started in 1994 and would dance with him until my senior year, went to New York and studied arts administration at Baruch College. 

Unfortunately, he passed away six years ago. He was a very comedic man and was like a grandfather to me. He showed me all the ropes. I was always interested in being a dancer, but he made me interested in being a teacher. He taught me how to engage with children, the public, the parents — he shared the love of the art. It was never about running a dance academy, it was about teaching the children.

I teach ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip-hop, breakdancing. We start at the age of two and go up to adults. We have 103 students and I have a staff of nine teachers at all locations. 

There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes work. We come in, we answer all of our phone calls and all of our correspondence. In the afternoon is when our clients come in and our classes start.

We always start with our warm-ups, progressions across the floor and then we usually end our class with some type of combination.

I love coming to work. I love being on a set and being on a stage. I love to perform. And I did do that for a certain amount of time in my life, but I really enjoy teaching and seeing the kids learn and watching them from day one to the end of our recital or annual showcase. It’s great to see how much they grow and how much they enjoy dance just as much as I do.

“The Work We Do” is a News-Review multimedia project profiling workers around Riverhead Town. It is made possible by Peconic Landing in Greenport. See more photos on Instagram @riverheadnewsreview. 

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For Judy Doll, there’s no such thing as a typical day.

For more than three decades, Ms. Doll has worked for Riverhead Town, most recently as department head for the Riverhead Senior Center, where seniors can enjoy breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday as well as other recreational activities. About 60 seniors per day use the facility.

“My job is … about being able to drop what you’re doing in a second because there’s a call for you, or there’s an unexpected visitor or there’s an emergency in the dining room,” she said.

So when Riverhead Senior Center manager Debbie Schwarz told Ms. Doll that a fight broke out between two seniors in the banquet hall Friday before shrimp scampi and rice pilaf lunch, she raced to the scene.

Working at the Senior Center, she said, she’s seen it all — but a fight between two seniors isn’t commonplace.

She entered the room and was “floored” — instead of a fight, she was greeted by more than 60 seniors and staff with the Senior Citizen program gathered around a table with an oversized card and balloons to celebrate her retirement.

Ms. Doll, who lives in Riverhead, announced her retirement last week after working for the town for 35 years. On her final day Friday, she was honored at separate events by both the Recreation and Seniors Department and Town board for her longtime service.

Councilwoman Catherine Kent presented Ms. Doll with a proclamation Friday afternoon.

“Judy Doll has inspired and advanced the lives of those who know her, including the staff, her family and the entire community, through her wealth of experience, knowledge and contributions,” Ms. Kent read.

Ms. Doll said she grew up in Levittown. She bought a house in Riverhead in 1974 with her husband, Joe, while her parents were living near Lake Panamoka in Ridge.

She started volunteering with Riverhead CAP in the early ’80s and later worked part-time in the teen center for the Juvenile Aid Bureau. She was a part-time neighbor aid in the Senior Citizen Department beginning June 1984.

She was appointed a part-time recreation center manager in March 1985 and became full-time in 1988. In 1992, she was appointed as an administrative assistant in the recreation department. Four years later, Ms. Doll became the senior citizen program director.

On Oct. 29, 2007, Ms. Doll became the department head — a spot she held until her retirement.

The job, she said, has been a mixed bag of emotions: she connects with seniors on a daily basis, but has also watched them pass.

It’s something her longtime friend Daryl Sulzer, who previously worked at the Center, said is unavoidable.

“You can’t help but get personally involved with almost every single one of them,” she said. “Judy has definitely done that, along with all the staff here.”

Ms. Doll is credited with leading the Senior Center’s move from Howell Avenue to 60 Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue in 2002. At the time, it produced some skepticism among the department.

“We were scared our dreams were too big,” Ms. Doll said. “People were saying we wouldn’t fill the rooms … and now there’s not a seat that’s not filled.”

Ms. Doll’s daughter, Danielle Hendrickson, said her mother’s immense love and consideration is a model others should follow.

“Her warmth and her ability to connect with people is something I’ve seen since the day I was born,” she said. “As role models, mothers and bosses go, she’s impossible to beat.”

Photo caption: Judy Doll received a surprise send-off Friday on her final day. Councilwoman Catherine Kent read a proclamation. (Credit: Kate Nalepinski)

knalepinski@timesreview.com

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