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Category Archives: Section XI News
Q&A: Andrew Miller, 2023 Enners Award Winner
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.
Understanding Your Influence: NFHS Searches for Solutions to Poor Fan Behavior
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 Class of 2023!
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.
Happy Father’s Day from Section XI
A very Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there in Section XI making a difference! Enjoy your day.
Charles Giachetti Named NYSPHSAA SAC Recognition Honoree
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.
NIAAA Student Essay Scholarship Winners Announced
NIAAA Student Essay Scholarship Award Winners Emma Ellis from Riverhead High School and Shae Mullahey ( not pictured).
Pictured are Kathy Masterson East Hampton AD, Brian Sacks Riverhead AD and Scott Reh Mt. Sinai AD.
Also representatives from Suffolk Transportation who sponsored each winner with $2,500.
Grand Slam Challenge Returns in Honor of Commack Coach
The Blue Chips Grand Slam Challenge high school baseball all-star game is back this year and will be renamed in honor of Commack coach Bryan Bonin.
The game has not been played since the pandemic, but is on year 16 and will continue in 2023 to play the best in Nassau and Suffolk against each other.
Bonin died in 2022 after battling melanoma.
The game is scheduled for Wednesday, June 14 at Farmingdale State. Tickets are $10 and the game starts at 7 p.m.
Pat-Med’s Josh Knoth Wins Second Yaz Award
Pat-Med’s Josh Knoth won his second Yastrzemski Award as the top baseball player in Suffolk County.
He was awarded Monday night at the annual Suffolk County Baseball Coaches Association ceremony.
Knoth, who could be a first or second round MLB draft pick, has committed to play at Ole Miss. He graduates as one of the best pitchers in New York high school baseball history with a record of 17-3, 291 striketoues and a 0.90 ERA.
He is the third pitcher to win the award in consecutive years after Ron Whitmeyer from East Islip and Brian Morrell from Shoreham-Wading River.
Among other top honorees at the dinner were Ward Melville’s Charlie West who was awarded the Gibson Award as the top pitcher in the county and Thomas Charlwood, who earned the Silver Slugger Award as the top hitter with a .551 average.
Hauppauge’s Stefania Abruscato Named Gatorade NY Softball Player of the Year
In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Stefania Abruscato of Hauppauge High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade New York Softball Player of the Year.
Abruscato is the first Gatorade New York Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Hauppauge High School. The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Abruscato as New York’s best high school softball player.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award to be announced in June, Abruscato joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Jordyn Bahl (2020-21, Papillion-La Vista High School, Neb.), Megan Faraimo (2017-18, Cathedral Catholic High School, Calif.), Rachel Garcia (2014-15, Highland High School, Calif.) and Cat Osterman (2000-01, Cypress Springs High School, Texas).
The 5-foot-7 senior catcher batted .655 with nine home runs this past season, leading the Eagles (18-6) to the Class A, Section XI championship game. Abruscato scored 39 runs, drew 29 walks and struck out just once. Ranked as the nation’s No. 13 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball and a member of the USA Softball Under-18 National Team, she swiped 15 bases and drove in 42 runs while posting a .769 on-base percentage and a 1.431 slugging percentage.
Abruscato has volunteered locally at the Hauppauge Youth Organization and as a youth softball coach. She has also donated her time to multiple community service initiatives through her church.
“Stefania is a special ballplayer,” said Marie Racano, head coach of Deer Park High School. “She is physically strong and has a unique sense of the game, well above those she plays with and against.”
Abruscato has maintained a weighted A average in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play softball on scholarship at the University of Missouri this fall. The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.
The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
Abruscato joins recent Gatorade New York Softball Players of the Year Atalyia Rijo (2021-22, Corning-Painted Post High School), Shannon Becker (2020-21 & 2019-20, Mahopac High School), and Makenzie Stiles (2018-19, Deposit High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport.
To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations. For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate studentathletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.