May 20, 1999
Friday’s 11-8 junior varsity lacrosse victory here over Rocky Point has to go down as the greatest in the history of the East Hampton High School program, a program that began about six weeks ago.
The young Bonackers’ coaches, Ralph Naglieri and Ed McGintee, were beside themselves in celebrating the dramatic comeback against a team that Naglieri had deemed the best in the jayvee loop.
Things didn’t start off well, as the Eagles capitalized on a number of early penalties assessed the Bonackers. At one point in the early going, East Hampton was playing two men down. At the half, it was Rocky Point 6, East Hampton 3.
“But in the second half,” Naglieri said later in the week, “we controlled the face-offs and the ball, and we didn’t force it into the crease. We kept the ball out of their sticks.”
Meanwhile, Bonac’s defenders, including Phil Cangiolosi, Chris Carillo, Scotty Bertrand, and Joe Marciniak, virtually stifled the visitors’ attack. When it was over, the Bonackers had outscored the Eagles 8-2 in the second half for the aforementioned 11-8 decision.
“Yes, I think they were shocked, stunned,” Naglieri said. “Their coach told me he thought that coming over here on the bus his kids were taking us too lightly.”
Those scoring goals that day for East Hampton were Ryan Jackson, with four, Tom Marquis, with two, Lou Russo, with two, and Ryan Balnis, Casey McKee, and Steve Turza (who handled the face-offs) with one each. In addition, McKee had three assists, and Jay Keyes had one. Jeremy Cuevas, Bonac’s goalie, was credited with 16 saves.
. . . As a result of the win, East Hampton evened its record at 6-6.
May 27, 1999
A lot was on the line for East Hampton High School’s track competitors Saturday. To begin with, for most, there were the three-hour-long Scholastic Assessment Tests, after which came county track meets for boys and girls, after which came the junior prom.
“Parents were in the parking lot with their motors running,” Diane O’Donnell, who assists Mark Sucsy with Bonac’s girls team, said. “They had to run fast so they could leave!”
The girls, said O’Donnell, acquitted themselves very well, finishing 10th among the 20 Class B schools. Taneesha Harris, a senior standout from Bridgehampton, came away with four medals for having been the runner-up in the 400-meter race, placing fourth in the 200, and for having been a member of the second-place 4-by-100 and fourth-place 4-by-400 relay teams.
“She was somewhat disappointed with the way she did in the 200,” said O’Donnell, “but the 400 and 200 is a very tough double. Even Michael Johnson, if I recall, was afraid to do that double in the Olympics.”
The runner-up 4-by-100 team comprised Maria Dayton, Stephanie Talmage, Danielle Demarne, and Harris.
. . . As for the boys, Kyle Russell, despite a bothersome hand injury, matched his Mount Sinai opponent, Alex Kretz, throw for throw in the Class B shot-put, until Kretz, who needed to beat Russell’s 51-5 1/4 to win, reached back and launched a winning heave of 51-7 1/2.
“It was the farthest Kretz has thrown by two feet,” said Kevin Barry, Bonac’s head coach, adding that “Kyle had a good day -- the other guy had a great day. It was a great duel. It wasn’t that Kyle lost it -- the other kid threw great.”
Russell, who hadn’t thrown for a week after seeing a doctor about his hand, still has a fighting chance to qualify for the state meet. “I think he’ll win this week,” Barry said of Russell, who is to go up against Kretz again today in the state qualifying meet at William Floyd.
