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Eagles’ Boys Varsity Volleyball Team Wins the Suffolk County D2 Championship
A cold soaking rain was falling outside the sports complex on the Brentwood campus of Suffolk Community College on Tuesday, November 7. Inside, the weather was soon forgotten as the Eagles’ Boys Varsity Volleyball team was red hot facing off against Sayville High School in a battle for the Suffolk County Championship. The Eagles swept the best of five competition with three straight wins.
Head Coach, Mr. Chris Varthalamis, had this to say about his team:
“I am so very proud of our Boys Volleyball team this year. The boys found a way to overcome the many obstacles faced throughout this season. When we met in August to discuss goals, work ethics, schedule, practices, and overall commitment, they made it very clear to me that they were ‘all in’ as individual players and in agreement with what they would ultimately have to accept as roles for this team to succeed.
Adam Gorgone (Captain), Senior, was their choice as the leader and he truly lived up to that capacity. He earned a Suffolk County nomination for Player of The Year. The winner will be announced in December. Adam averaged over 23 kills per match and rounded it out with impressive serving aces, digs, and assists. He was recognized by Newsday as a Top 10 Player in the County.
Our teams lightning Bolt Player (Captain), Senior, was Nicholas Crociatta with a clear and visible sparking impact in igniting both our offense as well as our defense. Nick led our team in blocks as a Middle Blocker and he elevated us to another level. He averaged 8 blocks per match and was also 2nd in kills on the team.
Rounding out this year’s leadership roles was Anthony Ferrara (Captain), Junior, and team setter. Anthony helped to get our guys to a County final in 2016, but we fell short of the title. This year he vowed to bring it home and we did. He averaged a career high 34 assists per match getting his name in the County record books. He spread our offense around and kept our opponents guessing.
Our leadership role model examples did not end with these three captains and they would be the first to admit that. They were selfless, as were all of our players.
In any given match you would have seen exemplary play from any one of our 16 boys. This year we saw John Spateri, Senior, pancake a ball to keep it alive in a volley. You would see Jake Schlesinger, Senior, dig a line spike to bring an otherwise spiked ball back to life for us to score. Anthony Salvia, Senior, would receive a hard-served ball allowing us to make a soaring kill. John Boudreau, Senior, spiked a hard ball from the right side to end a match. Ryan Mackey, Senior, served up countless aces and dig tips at the net consistently. Josh McDonald, junior, would run the net from right to left to block down an offense. Matthew Tsororos, our only freshman, would set, pass, serve, and dig balls making him a nominee for County Rookie of the Year. Our most improved player and 2nd hardest hitting Outside Player was Michael Knopf, junior, who found a way to connect with just about any set that was placed in his vicinity. He coupled that with a pounding serve that kept our opponents on their heels.
Kevin Bie, Senior, was a formidable middle blocker who gave us a solid presence when Nick couldn’t be with us at a match. Jonas Shea, Senior, was a consistent hard server and a reliable designated defensive player that we all knew we could count on. Liam Holmes, Senior, found a way to keep our outside hitters at their peak knowing he was ready to step in without missing a beat as a hard hitter & server. Brandon Sandow, Senior, revealed an amazing floating serve, but also brought his intellect to the games by observing and critiquing our play with me after every match. Finally, Sean Rorke, sophomore, brought us balance and stability. Sean is one of few players who could play virtually any position on the court. His calm demeanor and aggressive play surprised and inspired his teammates.
This team had the hardest schedule of all Suffolk County Volleyball teams both Division-1 and Division-2, having played the Top 6 Division-1 teams to win the Division-2 championship title.
With this talent and overall commitment, it is no surprise that this team won the County Championship and represented Suffolk County in the Long Island Championship.
I am so very proud of them.”