It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Pat-Med ace Josh Knoth.
After being selected by the Brewers in the second round, 33rd overall, he signed his pro contract and is ready to report to the Milwaukee training facility in Arizona.
Knoth won the Yastrzemski Award as the top play in Suffolk County as a junior and senior.
Pat-Med has also produced pitchers Marcus Stroman and Matt Vogel.
Three former Section XI lacrosse players have been named to the Team USA U20 women’s training team by head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller.
The Suffolk County natives include:
The training team roster is now at 42 women. They train again in August before competing in the USA Lacrosse Fall Classic in October. The U20 World Championship is in China next summer.
West Islip High School football players and coaches Steve Mileti and Steve Fasciani had the opportunity to travel to the National Football League headquarters in New York City and attend a leadership symposium.
Panelists included Robert Boland, a nationally known sports law professor; Ted Gregory, investment banker and current Columbia University director of diversity initiatives and talent retention; Dr. James Paci, orthopedic surgeon and associate professor at the Hofstra University Zucker School of Medicine; Mathew Whalen, president and CEO of Cord Meyer Real Estate Development Company; Kevin Boothe, NFL director and management council; Dawn Aponte, NFL chief football administrative officer; and David Gardi, NFL senior vice president of operations and policy compliance (and moderator).
West Islip alum and National Football Foundation board member Gabe Gallante from Rockline Wealth Management provided two coach buses to transport Suffolk County football players and families into NYC.
One of the all-time great lacrosse players to hail from Section XI is now the all-time scoring leader for U.S. Men’s Lacrosse.
Rob Pannell, who played at Smithtown West, broke Mark Millon’s previous record during a 19-3 victory over Israel in the World Lacrosse Men’s Championship quarterfinals in San Diego.
The U.S. Men’s team beat Canada to win another world title as well.
Happy Fourth of July from Section XI! Enjoy the day and stay safe.
Northport’s Andrew Miller Named 2023 Lt. Ray Enners Award Honoree
Northport’s Andrew Miller has a long list of lacrosse accolades, but none may mean more than being named the Lt. Ray Enners Award honoree as the top player in Suffolk County. The West Point-bound long stick midfielder (LSM) shares the Army connection with Enners, a Long Island hero who died on the battlefield in Vietnam.
Miller, a two-time All-American and two-time Suffolk County LSM of the Year had 77 points in his varsity career (53 goals, 25 assists), is the first Northport player since Chris Theofield in 1991 to earn the honor.
We caught up with Miller on the meaning of the award, leadership, and his future.
What does the Enners Award mean to you?
It is an incredible honor to be recognized as the next in line to represent Lt. Enners through this award. Prior to receiving this award, I knew his story and how impactful he was. To be attending West Point just as Lt. Enners had is surreal, and I am really grateful to be recognized in such a way.
Describe yourself as a leader.
I like to do my best to lead by example by providing an optimistic and confident front for others to work with me.
How would your teammates describe you?
I hope my teammates describe me as a positive role model and an extremely driven/motivated individual.
How important is the purpose of team and program culture to you?
I take team and program culture seriously because, as a team, you represent your community. With many people behind you supporting your team, a strong, good team culture is necessary in my eyes.
Best moment of your career so far?
I would like to say the best moment of my career was winning my last game as a sophomore in 2021. I learned so much from the seniors, and those moments growing up really propelled my high school career and pushed me to where I am today.
Describe what it means to play at Northport.
Northport is a lacrosse town with immense history and great culture around the sport. It is the greatest honor to captain such a big team and have fun with my teammates on such a big stage for my community.
College goals?
I hope to make connections at the Academy that will last a lifetime and bring home a championship to West Point on the lacrosse field.
Career goals?
I would love to pursue a career in medicine or engineering out of West Point while gaining the best possible leadership and character development.
The following column was written by Dr. Karissa Niefhoff, executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations.
For several years, we have drawn attention to the poor behavior exhibited at high school athletic contests, hoping to bring awareness to the issue and the damage it can cause to education-based athletics.
We have pleaded. We have scolded. We have condemned unfortunate incidents across the country and, as a result, successfully proven that the problem was widespread and needed to be addressed. Now is the time for solutions.
The NFHS will target solutions when it hosts the Behavior in Sports Summit: Understanding Your Influence, August 14-16 in Indianapolis. The Summit will bring together high school leaders for two full days of speakers and panel discussions to offer solutions to behavior issues at high school sporting events.
This Summit is a continuation of the two Official Consortiums the NFHS held the past two years where officials’ groups addressed behavior issues that have caused officials to leave the avocation and keep others from joining.
The Behavior in Sports Summit will include a wider range of roles, bringing together as many groups as possible to offer solutions to behavior issues at high school sporting events – and continue in our quest to retain and recruit contest officials for high school sports.
We hope to involve athletic administrators, state high school association directors and media relations personnel, media members, students and coaches in finding solutions to changing the atmosphere and culture at events.
Congratulations to all of our Section XI Student-Athletes graduating over the next few days!
Thanks for making us proud and we’re looking forward to following your journey.
Never forget the memories you made playing the sports you love in your community.
A very Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there in Section XI making a difference! Enjoy your day.
Congrats to Ward Melville High School’s Charles Giachetti, this year’s NYSPHSAA Student-Advisory Committee Recognition honoree.
He is pictured with Three Village Schools AD Kevin Finnerty.
