Tag Archives: featured

Longtime Port Jeff Coach Al Desiderio Will be Missed

Longtime Port Jefferson coach and teacher Alphonse (Al) Desiderio passed away recently. He was a business teacher and coach for the Port Jefferson School District from 1958 to 1995.

Coach Desi is the longest-tenured high school baseball coach in Suffolk County’s history, having coached at Port Jefferson for 37 years. He has coached his teams to over 400 wins, including 10 league championships and 20 playoff appearances.

He was inducted into the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in 1997. He was also a professor of business management at Suffolk County Community College for over 40 years. Always willing to help others, he was involved with the Miracle League of Long Island and helped bring the first softball team to Suffolk County for autistic and handicapped children.

The funeral mass for Al Desiderio will be at Infant Jesus Church in Port Jefferson on Thursday, November 14 at 10:30 a.m. The burial will be at Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Hauppauge Raises $50,000 at Kicks for Cancer Event

On October 18, the stands of Hauppauge High School’s turf field were a sea of pink as the entire school community supported the 17th annual Kicks for Cancer event, which raised around $50,000.

Kicks for Cancer began as a way to honor and support a Hauppauge High School student, Courtney Tomkin, who was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 17. The summer after Courtney was diagnosed, Hauppauge High School’s girl’s varsity soccer goalkeeper, Alexis Gonzalez, went to her coach, Jessica Kulesa, asking how the team could put something together to help Courtney and her family. From that conversation, Kicks for Cancer was born.

Under the Friday night lights, Hauppauge roared with thunderous applause as the girls’ and boys’ varsity soccer teams took to the field wearing special pink uniforms. The boy’s team played Eastport-South Manor Junior-Senior High School, and the girl’s team competed against Comsewogue High School.

Food trucks and tents filled with homemade gift items, food, and Kicks for Cancer gear lined the field. Supporters enjoyed several activities before and during the soccer games, including bounce houses and raffle prizes. The event proceeds went toward research and finding a cure in Courtney’s memory.