One of the all-time great lacrosse players to hail from Section XI is now the all-time scoring leader for U.S. Men’s Lacrosse.
Rob Pannell, who played at Smithtown West, broke Mark Millon’s previous record during a 19-3 victory over Israel in the World Lacrosse Men’s Championship quarterfinals in San Diego.
The U.S. Men’s team beat Canada to win another world title as well.
Happy Fourth of July from Section XI! Enjoy the day and stay safe.
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.
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 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.
A very Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there in Section XI making a difference! Enjoy your day.
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 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.
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 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.
