Thanks to a large donation from Peconic Landing, Greenport School District unveiled a new, larger weight room Monday morning.

With a recent expansion at Peconic Landing that included purchasing all new gym equipment, the organization donated nearly $20,000 of used equipment to the district, Superintendent David Gamberg said.

“The equipment that we now have that takes up this room is a huge improvement over what we had previously,” Mr. Gamberg said. “We were in a smaller room. We couldn’t have fit all of it into that small room. Not only the students here who are representative of Greenport schools, but all students stand to benefit. We’re really so grateful.”

Some of the equipment in the new gym, which is located in the school basement, was transferred from Greenport’s old space across the hall. The majority of it — such as treadmills and weight lifting machines — was donated from Peconic Landing.

“Peconic Landing loves Greenport school,” said Bob Syron, the president and CEO of Peconic Landing. “I know most of the kids here and I’ve coached some as well, so we’re honored to be able to do it.”

The workout center is currently for student use only, Mr. Gamberg said, adding that more updates, such as mirrors, will be added to the room.

Facilities director Marcus DaSilva said new mats for the workout center were installed at the end of April and the donated equipment was placed inside the room Friday. Students started using the equipment that day, he said.

Mr. DaSilva said students can use the workout center after school or during physical education classes. An added benefit of the new room is that it has a door that leads to the track so students can lift weights, go for a run, and come back to the workout center easily, he said. The old room, which is currently empty, will be used for elementary students to play and take tumbling classes.

“Taking advantage of this space here is going to promote good health and well-being,” Mr. Gamberg said. “It’s very important for those of us that jog, or lift weights, or even walk, all those activities, you start doing them now you make a lifetime experience, which is really important.”

nsmith@timesreview.com

Photo Caption: Bob Syron (third from left), President and CEO of Peconic Landing, cuts a ribbon symbolizing the opening of the new workout center in the Greenport School District Monday morning. (Credit: Nicole Smith)

New equipment donated by Peconic Landing. (Credit: Nicole Smith)

Superintendent David Gamberg gives a tour of the new gym. (Credit: Nicole Smith)

The correct date for the Mattituck Park District’s monthly meeting is Tuesday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. and will take place in the district office at Veterans Beach.

District officials incorrectly stated in Thursday’s Suffolk Times the meeting was scheduled for May 12.

After all the raw days of cold, rain and wind this spring, nice weather finally made a belated appearance for the Mattituck High School girls track and field team on Monday. It has been a while. Then again, the Tuckers had waited for something even longer: a league championship.

On the day when the sun smiled down on the Mattituck track, the Tuckers claimed their sixth league title and first since 2000 with a 107-39 defeat of Greenport/Southold in the final dual meet of the season for both teams. The result leaves Mattituck and Bishop McGann-Mercy tied for first place with 4-0-1 records. It is the fifth league crown in six years for Mercy, which tied Mattituck, 73-73, earlier this season.

“First time in forever,” Mattituck junior Melanie Pfennig said when told that it had been 16 years (the same as her age) since the Tuckers were last league champs. “That’s crazy.”

As was the workload Pfennig carried on Monday. Really, though, it was nothing unusual for her. She ran a total of 6,100 meters of competitive racing. Not only did Pfennig grab first place in the 1,500 meters (5 minutes 2.9 seconds), 800 (2:30.4) and 3,000 (11:42), but she also anchored the victorious 4×800 relay team. That team, which included Sascha Rosin, Katie Stumpf and Payton Maddaloni, was clocked in 11:15.4.

“Melanie never surprises me,” Mattituck coach Chris Robinson said. “If you told me anything other than that, I wouldn’t have believed you. She comes out here and she’s a workhorse.”

Megan Dinizio and Sam Husak were both double winners for Mattituck. Dinizio dashed to victories in the 100 (13.3) and 200 (27.9). Husak claimed first in the high jump (4 feet 6 inches) and pole vault (6-0).

The Tuckers saw Alya Ayoub equal her personal record in the long jump with a winning distance of 16-2 1/4.

Mattituck is well-rounded. “We have strong girls on every place on the track,” said Robinson.

It showed. The long list of Mattituck winners included Jordyn Maichin (30-3 1/4 in the triple jump), Christina Hatzinikoloau (17.8 in the 100-meter high hurdles), Dawn Rochon (1:07.7 in the 400), Rosin (1:18.3 in the 400-meter intermediate hurdles), Julia Vasile-Cozzo (9:54 in the 1,500 walk), Miranda Sannino (65-7 in the discus) and Charley Claudio (26-5 in the shot put).

“It’s been 16 years since we’ve seen results like this,” said Pfennig.

Greenport (2-3, 2-3) picked up wins in two relays. The 4×100 team of Kyla Smiley, Marie Mullen, Jillian Golden and Marina DeLuca equaled their season-best time of 54.6 seconds. The 4×400 foursome of Hayley Brigham, Madeline Malinowski, Emilys Villareal and Smiley turned in a winning time of 4:40.3.

Smiley, one of the Clippers’ four seniors, had quite a day in her final dual meet. She also set personal records in the 100 (second in 13.5) and 200 (second in 28.3).

“I thought Kyla came though,” said Greenport coach Mike Gunther.

Smiley, clutching roses that were presented to the seniors, said: “It was a really good day today. I was really nervous. I heard good things about Mattituck, that they were a really good team. My performance today, I was kind of proud of myself because I was able to keep up.”

After a day of testing in school and then the track meet, the Tuckers might have been drained, but they were happy.

Ayoub said, “I think it’s really accomplishing because Rob told us in the beginning of the season how much he cares and how much he really wants us to put another banner up there, and now that we finally did, it’s very fulfilling.”

The way Robinson saw it, it was “just a perfect ending.”

Sixteen years in the making.

bliepa@timesreview.com

 Photo caption: Mattituck’s Megan Dinizio and Greenport/Southold’s Kyla Smiley racing side by side in the 100 meters. (Credit: Garret Meade)

Michael Brown’s sister, Karre Brown, and mother, Denise Wilson, hold a picture of the late Greenport resident from his time in high school. Mr. Brown, who had cerebral palsy, was killed in Northampton when his car was struck by a bus in 2010. A scholarship in his name will now benefit a local student with a disability. (Credit: Grant Parpan)

Update: The 2016 Miles for Mike 5K Walk/Run is scheduled for this Saturday, May 14 at noon. You can buy tickets here.

The following story was originally published April 16, 2015:

Walking on a treadmill at the gym, Karre Brown recently had a thought about her late brother, Michael.

Each year since his death in February of 2010, family and friends have gathered for a fish fry to raise money toward a scholarship at Greenport High School that’s named after Mr. Brown, who was killed at the age of 21 when his car was broadsided by a bus in Northampton.

Thinking about her younger brother, who lived with cerebral palsy, Ms. Brown realized there was a better way to celebrate his life.

“Walking was so important to Michael,” she said, recalling how much it meant to him every time he was able to shed his wheelchair and get around on his own two feet.

Paying tribute to Mr. Brown’s ability to overcome his disability, the Michael Brown Memorial Scholarship Fund will host the Miles for Mike 5K Walk/Run at Greenport High School. Those who knew him best say it’s a fitting way to remember a young man who fought to live life to the fullest before it was cut tragically short.

Walking never came easily to Mr. Brown, who was born on Oct. 27, 1988, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Brooklyn. He had six surgeries in his lifetime to address a variety of problems including issues with his hip flexors, hamstrings and heels. He walked with bent knees and a bit of a shuffle, but he always kept moving forward.

“This was a kid who had every reason to be angry with the world, but always found the good in every person,” said Joan Dinizio, a secretary at the school. “And he was an inspiration to everyone.”

Michael Brown received a standing ovation at his Greenport High School graduation in 2008. (Credit: Greenport Yearbook)

Mr. Brown’s disability kept him from playing sports, but he proudly served as a manager on the Greenport High School basketball team and aspired to one day work in sports management. He was in his second year studying at Suffolk County Community College’s Eastern Campus when one day he didn’t make it to class.

Mr. Brown was driving his 2000 Ford Focus south on Route 63 near Wildwood Lake Bowl shortly before 8 a.m. on Feb. 2, 2010, when he entered the Route 51 intersection and was struck by a northbound Suffolk Transit bus. He died at the scene.

For Mr. Brown’s mother, who always joked with her son that he had to stay with her forever — even after he might one day start his own family — the 21-year-old’s death was particularly jarring.

“That first year was very devastating and it really still is,” said his mother, Denise Wilson of Riverhead. “Back then it was like he’s gonna walk through that door at any minute and be here with us. Me and Karre had to just hold on to each other.”

Ms. Brown, who was born a year before her brother, describes him as her soulmate. She always felt she had to look out for him and he did the same for her. They felt, in some ways, like the same person.

“When I think of him, I know he wouldn’t want me to be mourning forever,” she said. “He never wanted anyone to feel sorry for him and he wouldn’t want me to feel sorry for myself.”

Mr. Brown didn’t always look at his cerebral palsy as a setback, mostly thanks to the way his fellow students and the staff at Greenport High School treated him in his time there. He was voted both prom king and homecoming king, earning him the moniker “King Mike” from his peers. And when his health prevented him from making road trips with the basketball team, the coaching staff would send him a tape and everyone would come over to watch the game with him.

Ms. Wilson said when her son was young, she feared people might make fun of him. And Ms. Brown said that, as a big sister, she felt she had to be overprotective of her little brother because of his diagnosis. But Mr. Brown’s personality overshadowed his physical disability, making it a non-issue.

“I once thought, ‘I’m not gonna let people pick on him,’<\!q>” Ms. Wilson said. “Instead, they were always laughing with him.”

At Mr. Brown’s funeral at Greenport’s Clinton Memorial AME Zion Church, the crowd spilled out onto the lawn. Former Greenport principal Michael Comanda and teacher Ron McEvoy both spoke.

Mr. Comanda said Mr. Brown could “brighten your darkest day.”

Two years earlier, at Mr. Brown’s graduation, a visibly moved Mr. Comanda announced him as “Downtown Michael Brown,” and as he walked across the stage, leaving his wheelchair in the dust as he had always told his mother he would, the crowd rose to a standing ovation.

His family is hoping once again the people of Greenport will rise to their feet in honor of Mr. Brown.

The walk/run features five-person relay teams, creating a sense of people working together. Food will be served, music will be played and several sponsors have stepped up to provide financial support.

The proceeds from the event — just as with the past fish fries — will be used to give a scholarship to a pair of college-bound high school seniors. For the first time, one of those scholarships is expected to be given to a North Fork student with a disability, a practice the family hopes will become a tradition, one they know Mr. Brown would be proud of.

“You have to be your brother’s keeper,” Ms. Brown said. “It’s nice to know that a sibling or parent of another kid with a disability could see this story and say, ‘This scholarship can help you some day.’ ”

gparpan@timesreview.com

The musical comedy “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” will be presented this month at North Fork Community Theatre in Mattituck.

Performances will take place Thursdays-Sundays, May 12-29.

The action, involving two con men and the women they encounter, takes place on the French Riviera. The 2004 musical is based on the 1988 film of the same name. The book is by Jeffrey Lane, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek.

The NFCT production is directed by Laura Pearsall and produced by Mary Motto Kalich, with musical direction by Karen Hochstedler. The cast includes Jack Seabury, Michael Hipp, Kelsey Cheslock, Manning Dandridge, Marguerite Volonts, Nancy DiGirolamo, Heather Cusack, Thomas Del Prete, Jen Eager, Matt Eager, Justin Harris, Patti Hautsch, Mary Kalich, David Lopez, Eric Momente, Ryan Nowak, Linda Aydinian, Jan McGoey and Lauren Sisson.

Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays. A free opening reception, featuring wine tastings with Sparkling Pointe Winery, will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 12.

Admission is $20, with student rush admission of $15 offered 10 minutes before curtain, if available.

To reserve a seat, visit nfct.com or call 631-298-6328.

Click on the images below to enlarge photos.

Marie Foppiani Schlecht

Marie Foppiani Schlecht, also known as Mimi by her friends and family, passed away May 4 in her Southold home. She was 93 years old. 

Marie was a well-known award-winning water colorist and her work was widely exhibited, sought after by private and corporate collectors alike. She also owned her own gallery from 1966 to 1985, The North Fork Gallery, in Southold. Marie was a consummate artist in every sense. She was a prolific painter, fabric designer, decorator, and an inspired chef.

Marie is best remembered for her fearless approach to life and its challenges. In the early 1950s, when women were learning to stand up for themselves, she encouraged other women to be expressive and self-reliant, while balancing the demands of motherhood. “I remember Mom was always teaching someone to drive a car,” said daughter Linda Kohut.

Marie married John A. Schlecht in 1946. Their marriage was a loving relationship admired by everyone they met. The couple raised two children in Nassau County. Thomas J. Schlecht of Southold, was born in 1949. Linda L. Kohut, of New York City and Greenport, was born in 1951. After the children were grown, the couple followed their passion for the arts and moved to Greenwich Village. They divided their time between the Village and Southold.

John Schlecht passed away in 2001. To be closer to her family, Marie moved to Southold in 2013. “Hers was a life well-lived and we’ll miss her,” said her daughter Linda. “She was a loving, caring, and supportive mother and wife, in addition to being an artist in her own right.”

She is survived by her son, Tom and his wife, Jennifer; her daughter, Linda and her husband, Rick; her grandchildren, Lauren Ocker, Mariel Schlecht, and Jack Kohut and great-grandchildren, Gretchen and Nora Ocker, all residing on the East End.

This is a paid notice. 

Joseph A. Ristuccia

Joseph A. Ristuccia, a long time resident of Southold and devoted husband to Ann (Deister) passed away peacefully May 8, 2016. He was 84 years old. 

Joe was born in Brooklyn, May 31, 1931. The son of Lorenzina (Beninati) and Vincent Ristuccia, he was raised in Baldwin and graduated from Baldwin High School in 1949. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He graduated from Hofstra University earning both a Bachelor of Science in 1953 and a Masters of Business Administration 1964. He played football for the Flying Dutchman as an undergraduate. He also attended Cornell University Graduate School for Industrial and Labor Relations.

Joe spent his entire 30+ year career with The New York Telephone Company/NYNEX, now known as Verizon. He held many management positions throughout New York City and on Long Island. He ended his career as the district operations manager installation/repair for Eastern Long Island. If you lived east of Patchogue in the 1980s, Joe was responsible for ensuring your phone worked. A highlight of his telephone career was upgrading telecommunications on the East End to support the 1986 US Open Golf tournament at Shinnecock Hills.

Joe and his wife Ann lived for many years in Wantagh until they moved to Southold in 1986.

After retirement in 1989, Joe became involved in anything that would benefit the Southold community and his fellow retirees. Literally, within days of retiring, Joe was active in the 1989 Southold Library expansion. His volunteerism was wide and varied and his commitment to any cause he championed was unwavering.

Joe, always interested in ensuring organizations ran responsibly, became Southold Town TaxPac president alongside Ed Siegmann as vice president. His involvement with TaxPac led to Joe becoming a Southold school board member for nine years. During his tenure he was involved with the renovation of Southold High School and construction of Southold Elementary School.

Always interested in retiree issues, Joe became a founder of the Association of BellTel Retirees and worked as vice president of government Relations. Joe was also a founder of National Retirees Legislative Network (NRLN). His work for these groups included many trips to Washington D.C. to the Pension Rights Center and Capitol Hill to meet with congressmen and senators. He worked tirelessly to get a bill, authored by Congressman John Tierney of Massachusetts, through Congress. The bill’s purpose was to ensure that retirees who were receiving healthcare from their former employers would not lose the promised benefit.

Closer to home, Joe became a member of the North Fork Planning Conference.
He was also a member of The Southold Stewardship Task Force for which he and his fellow members received the Suffolk Times Civic leader of the Year Award. In August 1996, Supervisor Jean Cochran, concerned about the vandalism and graffiti at the Goose Creek Bridge and beach, reached out to the community and Joe became a member of the Anti-Vandalism Task Force. He also served as an adjunct professor of telecommunications at New York Institute of Technology.

Joe spent many happy hours aboard Kona, his beloved Ericson 39ft sailboat. A lifelong sailor Joe was a member of the Eastern Long Island Sailing Association and Off Soundings Club. An avid traveler, Joe made many trips to visit family in Italy, Australia and San Diego. A doting grandfather he loved spending time with his two grandsons, Matthew and John. Joe was a member of St. Patrick R.C. Church in Southold. He was also a member of the Amici Club.

Surviving are his wife Ann; his son James and  two grandsons Matthew and John of Encinitas, Calif.

The family will receive visitors Wednesday, May 11, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, May 12 , 2016 at St. Patrick R.C. Church in Southold.

Memorial donations may be made to the Southold Fire Department Rescue, North Fork Parish Outreach, Hofstra University or any organization of your choice.

This is a paid notice. 

Anne Cecilia Hurley

Anne Cecilia Hurley of Cutchogue, known to her friends and family as Nancy, passed away at her home April 28, 2016 with her family by her side. 

Nancy was born Nov. 22, 1933, to Mary Walker and John Rogers. She was one of six children. Nancy grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from Catherine McAuley High School and soon began working at the New York City Foundling Hospital helping to care for orphan newborns and young children. She loved children so very much and her plan to become a pediatric nurse changed when she married soon thereafter and had 10 children of her own.

Nancy is predeceased by her sisters Maybeth Rogers and Joan Woods and her brother John Rogers. Her surviving family includes her husband Richard V. Hurley; her children, Timothy, Jean, Christopher, Margaret, Patricia, Richard, Rosemary, Anne, Roberta and John; 14 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

The following words will not properly convey the essence of this woman, but might give you a glimpse of the kindest, sweetest, most giving soul anyone can imagine. Nancy was universally loved because she exuded only love. She lived by her faith which gave her the strength to raise her family.

Nancy was a very creative soul. She loved to paint; especially with oils. She was especially gifted at painting portraits. She also liked reading biographical and mystery novels as well as keeping a journal. Nancy was very close to nature. She enjoyed all kinds of animals; especially the birds on Nassau Point. She loved wind chimes, jingle shells, flowers and lighthouses.

Nancy was a devoted army bride. With kids in tow she moved with her husband from army camp to army camp throughout the United States. Several of her children were born at the camps. She would say her greatest accomplishment was her children and spent as much time as possible with them. In this respect, she was truly blessed to experience many wonderful milestones with her loved ones over her lifetime.

She enjoyed swimming and summers at the beach with her family and friends.  Nancy was happiest at family celebrations singing songs and enjoying each other’s company. She touched everyone she met, always welcoming others and giving them a hand. She was the epitome of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, and lived by this golden rule, passing this light of truth onto her husband, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

She will be sorely missed, but the memory of her will remain as a lighthouse of peace and joy in all of us, forever.

Arrangements were entrusted to Coster-Heppner Funeral Home in Cutchogue.

This is a paid notice. 

Former Greenport resident Ella Henrietta Walker died peacefully May 6, 2016, at her home in Ludlow, Vt., surrounded by family. She was 93. 

She was born Oct. 6, 1922, in Warrenville, N.J. to Oliver and Ella (Spencer) Kline. She was predeceased by her husband of 51 years, Richard Walker, in 1994.

Ella was a compassionate, wonderful caregiver for many years to North Fork residents. In her later years, she enjoyed observing wildlife at her home in Vermont, reading, and spending time with family, especially her great-grandchildren.

Ella is survived by her daughter, Nancy and son-in-law, Paul Grattan, of Ludlow; her son Richard, of Southold; five grandchildren, Richard, Warren, Paul, Kelly, and Lindsay; and three great-grandchildren, Liana, Emma, and Grayson.

Graveside services were held May 9 at the East Marion Cemetery, officiated by Pastor Tom MacLeod.

Arrangements were entrusted to DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Homes.

This is a paid notice. 

A graveside service for Gertrude F. Bowden of New Suffolk will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Cutchogue.

Ms. Bowden died Feb. 22 at the age of 84.

Arrangements are in the care of DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home of Mattituck.

Memorial services Ethel-Jean Mirchel of Southold will be held at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 14, at 11:30 A.M. at Advent Lutheran Church in Mattituck. Pastor George Summers of Advent Lutheran Church and the Rev. Dr. Charles Vogeley of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Port Washington will officiate.

Ms. Mirchel died March 12 at the age of 91.

Arrangements are in the care of DeFriest-Grattan Funeral Home of Southold.

You’ve likely seen the “Pitch Perfect” movies starring Anna Kendrick. But have you ever seen a live a cappella group in action?

If not, this weekend is your chance.

Greenport Village Trustee Doug Roberts has invited nine high school and college a cappella groups to sing at Mitchell Park in Greenport this Saturday, May 14, at 2 p.m. (Unfortunately, Ms. Kendrick isn’t among them.)

Students from Greenport and Riverhead high schools will perform, as will headliners Sigma’cappella of Hofstra University and the all-male Princeton Nassoons.

“It’s hard to not like kids singing in the park one afternoon,” Mr. Roberts said. “I’m hoping [the festival] will help bring people out to Greenport who may not know about it.”

Each group will have a few minutes to perform their selections, with some schools bringing multiple a cappella groups to the event, which is free to attend. The audience is encouraged to bring picnics, blankets and lawn chairs, Mr. Roberts said.

The Multicolored Ties, an all-male group from Northport High School, will also sing, said Mr. Roberts, one of the group’s founding members.

“We all love to perform and have fun and the Greenport festival seems like it will be a great time,” said Patrick Lyons, a current member of The Multicolored Ties. “We are all looking forward to hearing and learning from the college a cappella groups that will also be performing.”

Mr. Roberts said he got the idea for the festival about a year and a half ago when he ran for Greenport Village Board. He hopes to bring more art and music to Mitchell Park and the surrounding area and has been working on the event since last August.

Mr. Roberts said he thought hosting the festival before Memorial Day was ideal because the village won’t yet be “packed to the brim” with people but the weather will be warm enough to draw a crowd.

“The business community seemed interested in it and regular residents seemed interested in having stuff to come check out,” he said.

The a cappella festival is largely made possible thanks to a $2,500 donation from a volunteer group called The Friends of Mitchell Park, which mostly funded Mr. Roberts’ advertising efforts and is paying the headlining groups.

“I’m looking forward to see if it’s successful in getting some people out in Greenport,” said Mr. Roberts, who added that he’s open to the idea of making the festival an annual event.

nsmith@timesreview.com

Photo: Dances in the Park during the 2015 Tall Ships event at Mitchell Park. (Credit: Katharine Schroeder, file)

For a high school boys lacrosse team that is noticeably quieter than last year, Mattituck/Greenport/Southold sure has been making a lot of noise.

When Tim Schmidt was asked what the biggest difference is between last year’s team and the current version, the senior attack didn’t hesitate to bring up the change in volume.

“It’s a lot quieter,” he said. “We had a lot of noisy seniors” last year.

These younger Tuckers are a quiet sort, and yet they are getting the job done. With its two most recent wins — 17-7 over Center Moriches last Thursday and 20-6 over Southampton/Pierson on Friday — Mattituck (9-4, 9-1 Suffolk County Division III) sits in a first-place tie with Babylon (10-4, 9-1).

“It’s a good place to be,” said Schmidt, who will move on to play NCAA Division I lacrosse for Wagner College.

Mattituck will close out its regular season at Hampton Bays on Wednesday. Babylon has home games against Bishop McGann-Mercy on Wednesday and Bayport-Blue Point on Tuesday.

It would seem as if Mattituck and Babylon are on a collision course. The teams faced each other in last year’s Suffolk Class C final, with Babylon winning. This season the teams split their regular-season meetings, each winning on its home turf, Babylon by 10-4 and Mattituck by 8-7.

“We match up really well,” Mattituck coach John Amato said. “I wish we had 12 games like that. Every time we play them it should be a one-goal game, a two-goal game, either way.”

Mattituck’s win over Babylon was part of its current five-game win streak that began following a 7-3 loss to one of Connecticut’s top teams, Glastonbury, on April 16. That result was a confidence-builder for the Tuckers.

“I didn’t tell my team how good [Glastonbury was] and they played really well because they didn’t know who’s who,” Amato said. “They just went out and played lacrosse. That was a real eye-opener, that we could play high-level lacrosse, regardless of the opponent, and that was a big turning point.”

The numbers don’t lie. Mattituck has been getting offensive production from its attack. Schmidt has put up 36 goals and 17 assists. Max Kruszeski has totaled 19 goals and 20 assists while Tom Hoeg has 18 goals and 15 assists.

Mattituck runs two lines of middies, one offensive and the other defensive. On the offensive line there is Jeff Hauser (20 goals, seven assists), Tyler Seifert (19 goals, seven assists) and Matt Mauceri (seven goals, five assists). The defensive middies are Lucas Webb, Zach Holmes and Pete Fouchet.

Dylan Marlborough’s faceoff work and Rob Kruszeski’s goaltending have made a big difference, too. Marlborough has won 69 percent of his faceoffs, and Rob Kruszeski has made 127 saves.

“Everything seems to be coming together at the right time,” said Rob Kruszeski, who is Max’s brother.

The Tuckers, who have never won any sort of title before, have first place to play for and, beyond that, a county title as a possibility. Now that would be something to shout about.

“It’s a great opportunity, and I stress that to the team every day that opportunities like this don’t always happen,” Amato said. “When they’re there, you got to grab them.”

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Tom Hoeg has brought Mattituck/Greenport/Southold 18 goals and 15 assists. (Credit: Garret Meade, file)

A Mattituck man was arrested on a felony drunken driving charge Friday in Westhampton, Southampton Town police said.

Alvaro Uyupuluc, 23, was involved in a car accident after he rear-ended another car trying to make a left turn onto Summit Boulevard at around 10:30 p.m., officials said. When talking to police, he allegedly smelled of alcohol, was unbalanced and had bloodshot glassy eyes. He reportedly performed poorly on sobriety tests and was taken to headquarters for processing. 

Mr. Uyupuluc was charged with first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, a felony, driving while intoxicated, a misdemeanor, and a traffic violation, officials said.

• A Cutchogue man whose driver’s license had been suspended more than a dozen times was arrested in Laurel last Thursday night and charged with aggravated unlicensed driving, Southold Town police said.

Zachary Branker, 23, was driving a 1992 Mazda on Peconic Bay Boulevard at around 10:45 p.m. and was pulled over by police for having a loud exhaust, officials said.

A check with the DMV revealed that he had 13 suspensions on his license, police said

He was arrested on the misdemeanor charge and released on bail, officials said.

• A Southold man was charged with driving while intoxicated after he was arrested on Route 48 in Cutchogue early Sunday, police said.

Robert Wheeler was pulled over at around 4:25 a.m. after he didn’t stop at a stop sign, officials said. Police determined Mr. Wheeler was intoxicated and charged him with a misdemeanor, according to the report.

• Nearly $1,500 worth of damage to a tractor in Southold was reported last Monday afternoon, police said.

All four tires were reportedly slashed with a saw and a hole was poked in the tractor’s radiator, officials said.

The tractor’s oil levels may also have been tampered with, police said.

No arrests were made as of Tuesday and detectives are following up on the incident, according to the police report.

Those who are named in police reports have not been convicted of any crime or violation. The charges against them may later be reduced or withdrawn, or they may be found innocent.

A Southold man accused of possessing child pornography involving a 10-year-old pleaded not guilty and was held on $10,000 cash bail after his arraignment in Southold Town Justice Court.

Trent Stack, 44, was charged with one count of possessing a sexual performance by a child, a class E felony, and Suffolk County prosecutor Robert Archer said additional charges may follow.

Mr. Stack was arrested at 6:30 a.m. this morning after police executed a search warrant at 100 Summer Lane in Southold, the home he rents from his father, according to his Legal Aid attorney, Emily Miller.

Southold Town police assisted in the arrest along with the Federal Long Island Exploited Children’s Task Force, according to a police report, which stated the search warrant was part of a continuing investigation into distribution of child pornography over the internet.

Ms. Miller said Mr. Stack had lived at the address for 20 years and works at his family’s business in Hampton Bays. She noted he had no prior arrests and didn’t own a passport. Mr. Stack’s father and sister were in the courtroom to support him, she added.

“He is not a flight risk,” she said, asking Southold Town Justice Brian Hughes that her client be released without bail.

But Mr. Archer said the severity of the charge warranted a high bail. He said investigators were still examining for more evidence that could lead to additional charges and asked Justice Hughes to set bail at $100,000.

The judge ultimately set bail at $10,000 cash or $15,000 bond, a sum that Mr. Stack’s father said would “take some time” to pay.

Family members did not speak with media after the arraignment.

Southold police chief Martin Flatley said Suffolk police were leading the child pornography investigation.

“They generated the case through their computer crime section,” he said.

Detective Sergeant John Best of the Suffolk Police computer crime unit said officers seized a laptop computer and phone during the search warrant.

Det. Sgt. Best said law enforcement tools allow police to track certain “known child pornographic images” that are distributed across the internet. When police can identify an image being uploaded or downloaded, it can sometimes be traced back to an IP address to allow police to narrow down an address for a suspect.

joew@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Trent Stack is led into Southold Town Justice Court to be arraigned on a felony possession of child pornography charge. (Credit: Paul Squire)

Patricia Liantonio understands the importance of feeling good. A licensed amma therapist for nearly 30 years, she’s dedicated her life to helping others find relief from pain and stress.

This year, she expanded on that idea by offering products for outer well-being, mainly by transforming the front of her Southold business, Healing Hands Massage Therapy, into a clothing boutique.

“I wanted to give women the option to feel beautiful from the inside and outside,” she said, adding that the clothes are “casual, elegant and beautiful, but affordable.”

Liantonio, who said she’s loved fashion all her life, began looking into brands about a year ago and officially began displaying the clothes around the massage studio six months ago. She currently carries items that range in cost from $40 to $200.

READ THE FULL STORY ON NORTHFORKER.COM

It was a day for numbers. Mighty impressive numbers.

Start with 16-0, and then consider 501.

The 16-0 refers to the sparkling record the Bayport-Blue Point High School girls lacrosse team finished a perfect regular season with on Wednesday, thanks to a 14-7 defeat of Mattituck/Greenport/Southold. As for the 501, that is the current career points total for senior Katie Hoeg, Mattituck’s all-time points leader. She has collected 295 goals and 206 assists over six varsity seasons. This season she has 50 goals and 56 assists.

Ironically, Hoeg equaled and then surpassed the 500-point mark on a day in which she was held goalless for the first time since she was a seventh-grader in her first varsity season.

Of course, visiting Bayport had a lot to do with that, clamping down on Hoeg with multiple defenders any time she was near scoring range. Bayport, which ended up in sole possession of first place in Suffolk County Division II with a 14-0 record, is as impressive as its record indicates. The Phantoms not only apply pressure to opposing defenses with their speed and stick skill, but they also exert another kind of pressure when opponents have the ball, making them feel as if they have to score or else the Phantoms will just take the ball down the field and score themselves.

Following the game, Hoeg received applause from her teammates for her achievement. Coach Matt Maloney marked up a ball and presented it to her to commemorate the occasion.

She entered the contest needing one point to reach 500. That point came on an assist to her sister, Mackenzie Hoeg, who cut Bayport’s lead to 7-4 with 4 minutes 9 seconds left in the first half.

Katie Hoeg’s second assist of the day also came on a strike by Mackenzie Hoeg 3:50 into the second half.

Katie Hoeg, who will play for North Carolina next season, was limited to two shots, one on goal. She also picked up four ground balls.

After Katie Hoeg won the game-opening draw, Mattituck (11-4, 10-4) controlled the ball for the opening 2:28, up until Riley Hoeg scored off a pass from Audrey Hoeg.

Bayport’s Courtney Weeks won the ensuing draw, and it was all Phantoms the rest of the way. Winning 11 of the 14 draws in the first half helped Bayport build a 9-4 lead.

Kerrigan Miller, a senior who is headed to USC, tallied three of her four goals in the first half for Bayport.

Mattituck drew a measure of hope when Mackenzie Hoeg’s second goal and goals by Jane DiGregorio (her second of the game) and Chelsea Marlborough pulled the Tuckers to within three goals at 10-7 with 10:36 left to play.

But Bayport was relentless. Miller, Kelsi Lonigro, Cassidy Weeks (three goals, one assist) and Kyla Zapolski (three goals) finished the game off with goals. Julia Imbo had two goals for the Phantoms, who outshot the home team, 25-12.

The Tuckers, who saw a six-game win streak snapped, expect to play a home playoff game next week when Katie Hoeg will have another opportunity to add to her point total.

bliepa@timesreview.com

Photo caption: Mattituck/Greenport/Southold senior Katie Hoeg has accumulated 501 career points (295 goals and 206 assists) over six varsity seasons. (Credit: Garret Meade)

Here are the classifieds for May 12, 2016. If you are interested in placing an ad, please call Karen, 631-354-8029 or email kcullen@timesreview.com.

Times Review classifieds: May 12, 2016

Here is the Suffolk Times Service Directory for May 12, 2016. If you are interested in placing an ad, please call Karen, 631-354-8029 or email kcullen@timesreview.com.

Suffolk Times Service Directory: May 12, 2016

As May begins, many of our seniors are deciding where next September will take them, since most acceptances must be completed the first few days of the month. It’s an exciting time — and bittersweet as well. To those who are preparing to graduate at the 102nd commencement: Enjoy the next few weeks as the time at Mattituck High School winds down.

Congratulations to Katherine Hoeg for reaching the academic height of valedictorian and her classmate Jack Dufton, who is this year’s salutatorian.

MHS graduates of 25 and 50 years ago are traditionally invited to commencement exercises, which take place for the Class of 2016 at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 25. Those who plan to attend are asked to RSVP; call Mrs. Bieber at 631-298-8471, ext. 3223. It’s a great opportunity to think back to when you walked the hallowed halls of Mattituck.

Speaking of alums, the Class of 1966 will hold a reunion on June 25. The committee needs help locating classmates Susan Zaleski, Stephen Zdunko and Gretchen Oldrin. If you have any information, please call 631-734-6334.

A reminder that students entering grades 7 and 12 in the fall must receive the meningococcal vaccine before the new school year begins. For information, call the health office at 631-298-8471, ext. 3271.

Congratulations to Emilie Reimer, who was recognized as MVP of the 2015-16 volleyball season at SUNY/Cobleskill. Emilie wants to thank her MHS coaches for the support and preparation she had before entering college to play the sport she loves.

The Mattituck-Cutchogue PTSA honored MHS teachers and staff last week with a delicious luncheon for Teacher Appreciation Week. Being acknowledged in this way shows our teachers we are grateful for all they do for our children. 

Mattituck’s Students of the Month were recognized recently at a breakfast generously provided by the PTSA. Hats off to Ally Robins, Carlos Campos, Ariel Perez, Michael Filipkowski, Drew Hahn, Miranda Saninno, Joseph DePinto, Jamie Gaffga, Kristina Olsen, Sophia Sluyters, Fernandao Perez, Gwyn Foley, Sam Shaffrey, Kim Scheer, Shelby Dufton and Ethan Tandy.

A couple of corrections/updates for the honor roll that was published here last week: Congratulations to Liam Gregg and Skyler Grathwohl, both of whom are on the grade 12 honor roll.

Bravo to 10-year-old Piper Altman, daughter of Jason and Christina Altman. She deserves our admiration for a recent good deed: donating her beautiful hair to Locks of Love. Piper said, “I wanted to donate my hair to help anyone who might need a wig and would feel better having one.” What a nice gesture!

Happy birthday wishes go out to the following May babies: Amy Martinez, Lori Burden, Courtney Italia, Allison Olsen, Taylor Altman, Brady Ulmet Jr., James McDonald, Kevin Litchhult, Stacey Moyer, Dr. Jay Slotkin, Richie Koch, Christian Montgomery and Dot Nine.

Whenever I hear from Bobbie Harrison, she has a cluster of good news and this week is no different. First, she and her husband, John, became grandparents for the first time April 21, when John and Heather Harrison welcomed Liam Robert, who weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 21 inches long. Meanwhile, great-grandfather John W. Harrison celebrated his milestone 95th birthday with a party in Laurel attended by folks from as far away as St. Louis and Maryland. And just when you think that’s all the news fit to print: Bobbie’s son Christopher became engaged to the love of his life, Evie Langteau. The couple plans to tie the knot Aug. 7 in Wisconsin. Happy news is the best news!

Contact Mattituck columnist Pat Arslanian at Pat5543782@aol.com or 298-8489.