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Sports

Smithtown Varsity Sports: Fall 2010 Preview

Varsity Cross Country, Field Hockey, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Tennis, Soccer and Volleyball teams head into the fall season.

Varsity teams at both Smithtown East and Smithtown West High School begin their fall 2010 seasons this week. Brackets, field directions, schedules and standings for all Smithtown teams can be found at sectionxi.org.

Take a look at each team's 2009 performance, key players and coach expectations here.

Football

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2010 is a rebuilding year for both cross-town Bull teams. Smithtown West made the playoffs, but finished with a mediocre 4-4 record last season, while Smithtown East's weak performance left them 2-6.  Head coaches Pete Cerullo (West) and Jim Saladino (East) broke down the upcoming season lineups, top players, key games and discussed their overall expectations for each program in our 2010 Smithtown Football Preview.

Golf

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Smithtown East: Last year, the Smithtown East golf team tied for first with Half Hollow Hills West and Commack with nine wins and three losses in League III. "Five of our seniors graduated, so we are a pretty young team," said Coach Bob Woods. "We are looking for our returning All-Conference players, Josh Leddy and Jesse Kovacs, to lead us."

Smithtown West: Last year, the Smithtown West golf team finished fourth in League III with an impressive 8-4 record, only one win shy of tying the top three teams with nine wins. They are coached by Al Chandler.

Girls Tennis

Smithtown East: The Smithtown East tennis team put up a good fight in a tough conference last year. They were out-muscled by powerhouse Half Hollow Hills and couldn't earn a win during league play. They did win two games in non-league matches and look to focus on these two wins for further improvement. They are coached by Lou Gambeski.

Smithtown West: The Smithtown West tennis team finished last in League II last season. They compiled two wins, but it wasn't enough to move up in a tough bracket, which consisted of the undefeated Harborfields. They are coached by Dan Ketcham.

Boys Soccer

Smithtown East: The Smithtown East soccer team finished third in League III play in 2009. They amassed an 8-4 league record with an impressive 10-5-1 overall record. They hope to improve this year to try and take out perennial powerhouse Newfield. They are coached by Mike Menendez.

Smithtown West: The Smithtown West soccer team finished with an impressive 7-4-1 record in league play. They hope to improve upon last year's third place finish in League IV this fall. "Every game is a dogfight," said coach Tom Lips. "This is really tough league we are competing in. We are a well-organized team though and are ready for the challenges."

Girls Soccer

Smithtown East: The Smithtown East soccer team did not go unnoticed last season with a solid 5-5-2 record. They finished fourth in League III, one place behind rival Smithtown West. They will do well, according to Coach William Hamilton, a 24-year coaching veteran. "We have a really good team this year. Most of the girls have been on this team three to four years. We look good thus far and we have tremendous depth on the bench. I am very impressed with their work ethic."

Smithtown West: The Smithtown West soccer team came in third last season in a tough league. They compiled seven wins, three losses and two draws in league play. They look to win the league this year with two returning All-County players, Forward Erin Forehlick and Center Back Kaitlin Lamana. "If these two players stay healthy and lead the team, we should be fine," said Coach Robert Schretzmayer. "We have 14 returning players and are a very cohesive team."

Boys Cross Country

The combination of Smithtown East and West runners proved to be a lethal combination last fall. The team went undefeated for the season with five wins and finished in second place in the counties. They are currently ranked twenty-fifth in the state. "We are looking to win the counties this year," said Coach Kathy Borbet. "We have been first in the league for the last seven years and are looking to add that elusive counties trophy."

Girls Cross Country

The cross-country team swept League I last fall with five wins and no losses. Together with the boy's cross-country team, no high school defeated these long distance runners last season. "We are currently ranked ninth in pre-season state rankings," said Coach Peter Byrne. "We are returning our top five scorers and hope to win the counties this year."

Gymnastics

The Smithtown gymnastics team is set to shine this season with three returning All-County gymnasts Carolina Trocchia, Casey Solana and Alyssa O'Conor. They also have key gymnast All-State ranking Sarah Peters returning.

Girls Volleyball

Smithtown East: Last year, the Smithtown East volleyball team lost to Ward Melville in the county championships. This year three key players, Katie Szabo, Maggie Engellenner and their youngest star Delia Phillips are returning."We have some young kids coming up," said Coach George Alamia. "Ever since the volleyball teams split into separate schools, we have been improving. This year we hope to win the championship."

Smithtown West: Coached by Deron Brown, the Smithtown West volleyball team looks to compete with crosstown rival Smithtown East. After separating recently, a friendly rivalry has begun between the two teams. "We train together all the time," Smithtown East Coach Alamia said. "We are good friends and when we play each other it is always competitive and fun." Smithtown West looks to make the county tournament this year.

Boys Volleyball

Smithtown East: The Smithtown East varsity volleyball team is coached by Kelly Aiello. They will have to face Smithtown West and two competitive high schools from Islip.

Smithtown West: Coach Michael Legge and his varsity volleyball team from Smithtown West are in a tough conference this year. They will face teams such as West and Central Islip as well as Bay Shore. They look to compete with cross-town rivals Smithtown East in League II for the top spot this year.

Field Hockey

Smithtown East: Last year the Smithtown East field hockey team tied for the best record in the Division 1 play. They look to capture the league title again this upcoming fall, with some returning players but also with a tough schedule. They are coached by Ann Naughton.

Smithtown West: The Smithtown West field hockey team finished with seven wins and seven losses last year earning them a .500 record. This qualified them for the county tournament. They are coached by Jessica Diffendale.

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