Top 10 high school sports stories on Long Island in 2023

From tragedy to triumph, Long Island athletes were resilient in 2023.

Here are the top 10 stories from the high school sports season: 

1. FARMINGDALE MARCHES ON

The Farmingdale football team fell short of its goal of repeating as the Long Island Class I champion, but it may have done something far more important in 2023. The Dalers gave people in a community laid low by tragedy a place to unite and comfort one another and heal.

Farmingdale was heartbroken after a bus carrying members of the vast and popular high school marching band that was bound for a Pennsylvania band camp crashed and rolled down an embankment in Wawayanda, N.Y. Dozens of students were injured and band director Gina Pellettiere, 43, and former teacher and chaperone Beatrice Ferrari, 77, perished. The town mourned through funerals and vigils, and across Long Island high school populations showed support by donning Dalers green and observing moments of silence at their events.

The football program did not play its scheduled game against Freeport that weekend but, when it returned, it offered hope, inspiration and successes to cheer for. Farmingdale fans who came out for a road game at Port Washington saw the home team and its town extend a sympathetic hand. And when the band returned to the field for Farmingdale’s homecoming game against Baldwin, thousands filled the stands and ringed the field to see this pillar of their community perform again.

The football players parted to create a lane for the band to march on to the field for the national anthem and the throng — many teary-eyed — showered them with a three-minute standing ovation before they could play a note. It put on a cathartic halftime show that all who attended will never forget.

2. WEST ISLIP WINS FOR KYLE

Senior Kyle Dilegame would have celebrated his 17th birthday with his West Islip teammates on Friday, Nov. 10. Instead, the Lions played in the Suffolk Division II football semifinal without him.

They sold out the shirts ‘We play for Kyle’.

Dilegame, a halfback/ linebacker for the Lions, died in a house fire early Nov. 4 on Udall Road in West Islip. His teammates mourned his loss all week and vowed to bring home a win in his honor. And they did so in stunning fashion.

The night that began with a stirring moment of silence for Dilegame and his 24-year-old brother, Matthew Kreamer, ended in jubilant mayhem.

Halfback Rocco Carpinello followed a block from fullback Chris Piropato for a 3-yard touchdown with 11 seconds remaining to give West Islip a 31-26 win over Half Hollow Hills East in front of more than 4,000 fans.

The scoring run, Carpinello’s third of the game, capped a nine-play, 80-yard drive in the final 2:25.

“It was Kyle’s birthday and we’re celebrating in his honor,” said Piropato, tears streaming down his face. “The whole week has been so difficult. But we came together as a family and stayed focused on a very good Hills East team. Kyle would be proud of this comeback.”

3. WARD MELVILLE GIRLS SOCCER

Ward Melville stepped up in classification and proved that defense wins championships at any level. The Patriots, the state’s defending Class AA champions, moved into Class AAA and didn’t skip a beat.

They held opponents scoreless through the playoffs and allowed only five goals all season to finish with a 19-0-3 record.

Ward Melville beat Monroe-Woodbury, 4-0, to complete its second consecutive undefeated season to capture the inaugural Class AAA title game on November 12 at Tompkins Cortland Community College. They were led by Newsday’s Player of the Year, Peyton Costello, who scored 15 goals and four assists. The Patriots are 36-0-6 over the last two years.

4. BRENTWOOD BOYS SOCCER

Brentwood put together a perfect season, going 22-0 and winning a Long Island championship for the 10th time and the inaugural Class AAA state championship.

This was the first state title for the program since 2019 and the fifth overall, the fourth under coach Ron Eden.

Brentwood was loaded with talent, including five Newsday All-Long Island players combined on the first and second team. But it also overcame key injuries and deficits. The team, which had 21 seniors, trailed three times by two goals along the way before staging comebacks.

It also survived a double-overtime game in the state semifinals, winning 2-1 against Arlington, and then also edged Baldwinsville, 2-1, in the final. The United Soccer Coaches named Eden as National High School Coach of the Year.

5. GARDEN CITY FOOTBALL

The Trojans football machine rolls on. The program earned its third consecutive Long Island Class II championship with a 38-7 win over North Babylon at Stony Brook University on Nov. 25. There have been legendary Long Island football dynasties but this one stands on its own. The Trojans earned the school’s sixth LIC crown in the past seven seasons and a Long Island record 11th since 1992.

The Trojans won it without injured halfback Michael Berkery, who earned the Thorp Award as Nassau’s top player. They inserted Blake Cascadden (144 yards, two TDs) at halfback and the offense rolled to 333 yards on the ground and 354 total.

Garden City recorded its 42nd straight victory, tying the longest winning streaks in Long Island football history. The Trojans share the record for most consecutive wins, set by Floyd from 2005-08 and duplicated by Garden City from 2016-19. They also became the first team in Long Island history to go four straight seasons unbeaten and untied.

6. BAYPORT-BLUE POINT GIRLS LACROSSE

The Phantoms completed a 20-0 season with their first state title in program history. Bayport-Blue Point defeated John Jay, 13-5, in the state Class C championship on June 10 at SUNY Cortland. The Phantoms were a juggernaut on offense, outscoring opponents 231-79. The defense allowed the fewest goals on Long Island despite playing the most games.

Goalie Felicia Giglio was a Newsday All-Long Island selection. Midfielder Katie Clare, attack Mikaela Mooney and defender Madison Weybrecht were all recognized on the second-team All-Long Island as Bayport-Blue Point had elite playmakers all over the field. Mooney had 45 goals and 28 assists, including eight goals in the state semifinals and final. Clare had 30 goals and six assists, including six up in Cortland. Bayport-Blue Point won all 20 games by multiple goals.

7. GIRLS WRESTLING ENTERS THE MAT

The sport of girls wrestling continues to grow statewide. Three Long Island wrestlers earned titles at the inaugural all girls state wrestling invitational at the SRC Arena and Events Center in Syracuse on January 28.

Mepham’s Yianna Foufas beat Teegan Sibble of Bolivar-Richburg, 2-0, to capture the 114-pound crown. Seaford’s Ashley Diaz pinned Pine Bush’s Brooke Tarshis in 5:05 to win the 120-pound title and Rocky Point’s Alexandra Viera pinned Newfane’s Alexa Doxey in 2:51 in the 126-pound final. The state plans to have another invitational in 2024 with the hopes of having the first official state championship in 2025.

8. JOSIAH BROWN RECRUITMENT

The high-profile recruitment of Malverne’s Josiah Brown took an unexpected and unfortunate turn during the Mules' homecoming game against Cold Spring Harbor on Oct. 13. The blue-chip prospect had played three years of fantastic football for Holy Trinity High School and returned home for his senior season in his hometown at Malverne.

The Mules reeled off five straight wins to open the season and had high hopes to play for the LIC Class IV. Adding to the excitement of the evening was a visit from Penn State coach James Franklin, who flew in from Pennsylvania to see Brown play.

As Franklin's helicopter landed in an adjacent field, the spotlight from it drew the attention of the Malverne crowd as he made his way to see his star recruit. Brown committed to Penn State in June.

Franklin had barely got into his seat when Brown suffered a season-ending knee injury. The timing couldn’t have been worse. Brown suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus and has since undergone reconstructive knee surgery. The good news: Brown’s surgery was successful and he is looking forward to his days with the Nittany Lions.

9. EAST HAMPTON: THIS ONE’S FOR COACH

East Hampton football’s regular-season finale was anything but regular. The Bonackers hosted Eastport-South Manor on Oct. 21 in what was supposed to be a joyous Senior Day celebration, but the team was missing its leader: coach Joe McKee. Walking to buy flowers for the team’s seniors around 9 a.m., McKee was struck by a car and taken to the hospital.

McKee was fortunate not to suffer any broken bones, and the team rallied around his absence. Sophomore running back Alex Davis rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns and had an 86-yard kickoff return touchdown in the Bonackers’ 35-14 win.

Athletic director Kathy Masterson FaceTimed McKee with the team following the win. “That was for you, brother,” Masterson told McKee. “That was for you.”

10. AIR QUALITY ISSUES

Smoke filled the sky and placed a shadow of doubt on the conclusion of spring high school sports. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association acted fast when smoke from Canadian wildfires made air quality unsafe around New York. State boys lacrosse semifinal games were postponed a few days to Friday, June 9.

The Farmingdale, Garden City, Manhasset and Cold Spring Harbor lacrosse teams adapted to new state semifinal schedules at the University of Albany. The schedule change did not affect them as all four teams won their semifinal games and represented Nassau in their respective classifications at the state championships.

With Brian Heyman, Ben Dickson, Owen O’Brien, Dean Zulkofske

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com,roger.rubin@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra,

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.