Emotions were running high amongst a group of parents, athletes and community members who attended a meeting Wednesday night to discuss the abrupt cancellation of the Greenport Porters varsity football season.
The season was shut down with two games to go this week.
“We didn’t have enough numbers to play,” Greenport athletic director Jim Caliendo said Wednesday, adding that the season started out with 25 varsity players and recently, nine have been injured.
But, he said, “The players will rebound. We’ll rise from this. It’s not an ending. We’re going to move forward. We’ll be back.”
Caliendo began Wednesday night’s meeting, held in the Greenport auditorium, by apologizing that the community had to hear about the cancellation of the season through the media.
“We’re terribly sorry this happened,” said Porters Coach Jack Martilotta. “We’re profoundly disappointed that we’re in this situation. I feel terribly for the seniors, I really do. These young men have worked so hard and really made the program go from not terribly good, to a well-respected program. It’s their hard work that made this happen.”
Issues that led to shut-down of the season, Martilotta added, included some athletes “not coming to practice” as well as one who had a problem with grades, leaving the team with 13 varsity level students for the coming weekend. “That’s not enough,” he said.
According to Section XI, 16 varsity players are needed to play, Caliendo said. “The numbers just didn’t add up.”
“I literally feel sick over it,” Martilotta said. But, he added, “I don’t see this as a program in decline.”
Parent Angela Drinkwater asked why the decision couldn’t have been made to just not play Friday’s scheduled game against Elwood/John Glenn and then play Wyandanch on November 1 as scheduled.
Caliendo said the decision was made with a focus on “integrity to football”, not wanting to skip John Glenn and just “play the weaker team”.
Drinkwater asked why “etiquette” came into play and said parents should have been consulted.
The community mourned recently when a Shoreham-Wading River High School student died after he collided with an opponent during a football game at Elwood/John Glenn. Kerry Drinkwater said at this point, some players might feel “an abnormal fear of John Glenn”.
Angela Drinkwater said while she cried over the tragedy, games have been played since and she asked why the players couldn’t go on to Wyandanch.
“I’m not going to put other people’s children at risk,” Caliendo said.
Laura Riggins was outraged that her son “had to found out online that he doesn’t have a team. This is ridiculous. I’d like you to go to my house and console my son, who’s crying.”
“Football’s been a Greenport tradition,” Caliendo agreed. “There’s a lot of passion in this community about football.”
Parents asked why the district couldn’t just decide to forfeit one game.
Coaches said the bottom line is that with the number of kids off the field right now who won’t be cleared until after the season, it was impossible.
Chatty Allen, who said she drove the bus just last weekend, could not understand “how the numbers dropped from Saturday to Tuesday.”
Coaches explained that some junior varsity players “decided not to come up. They didn’t feel comfortable.”
Some asked if they would be penalized for not moving up.
“I’m not going to hold anybody accountable if they don’t feel ready,” Caliendo said.
Other parents continued to ask why Friday’s game couldn’t be missed, with the final game played at Wyandanch.
“We’ve already cancelled the season,” Caliendo said.
“It’s not a safe situation,” added Mattituck Athletic Director Greggory Wormuth.
At the meeting, it was decided that senior Porters would be honored at a ceremony on the Greenport football field Friday night at 7 p.m. Suggestions included a powder puff game, a flag football game, or just a fun event to recognize their hard work.
Parents at the meeting all agreed to help support the event.
Alethia Ford said parents shouldn’t put all the blame on coaches for what had happened. “We are responsible for our children. As parents we need to be sure we are pushing kids forward and emphasizing team spirit and camaraderie. We need to instill that in them.” And, she said, “As devastating as this is to our junior varsity or our varsity players, don’t let this be the end.”
John and Matt Drinkwater, varsity players also spoke out. “We want our last few games,” they said.
” I’ve been on team since ninth grade and worked very hard, a lot of grueling hours,” John Drinkwater said, asking how students could just opt to be “done with it. It’s a question of character.”
After the game, Angela Drinkwater said, “I was very proud that my sons were there and they were able to address the crowd and represent the feelings of the players.”
Parents asked for an assurance that there would be a team next year.
“What we’re guaranteeing is that we will put forth a junior high, junior varsity and varsity opportunity next year. We’re not cutting programs because we had one bad year,” Wormuth said.
On Wednesday, Caliendo said the two games remaining on the schedule for the Porters (2-4)— one Friday night against Elwood/John Glenn and the other an away game the following Saturday at Wyandanch — will go in the books as forfeits.
Billy McAllister, the Porters’ running back and go-to offensive weapon, was among those injured.
“Losing McAllister was definitely a big loss and played into our decision,” Caliendo said. “He was our big running back.”
Elwood/John Glenn is 5-1 and Wyandanch is 0-6 in Suffolk’s Division IV.
After the Wyandanch football game last week, two males were stabbed in a fight. Asked whether that played into the decision, Caliendo answered: “No. That didn’t even come into play. It was a decision made for our kids on the North Fork.”
