Sports notebook for high school: swimming, badminton, football

Shoreham-Wading River graduate Emily Herr has been swimming at the varsity level since she was in seventh grade. Since then, she has broken records, been to the state championship five times and been named district champion. But she hopes to accomplish one more feat before she graduates and heads to Villanova: become a state champion.

“My goal this year is definitely to win and be a state champion,” Herr said. “I worked a lot with my coaches, optimized my strokes and became stronger in and out of the water.”

Herr has already qualified for the state championships in the 100-yard butterfly, 200 individual medley, 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle events.

“As soon as she steps on the block, she has one thing on her mind: winning,” said Mark Anderson, Herr Club swimming coach. “She has created an aura and a name for herself by being the fierce competitor that she is.”

Last year at the girls swimming state championships in Rochester, Herr placed second in the federation in the 100-yard butterfly (55.42) and third in the 200 IM (2:02.85). She hopes to be at the top of the podium this time.

Anderson said they will try not to let the pressure of their final year of competition become a hindrance to achieving their goals.

“She reached this level by swimming loosely and freely and just enjoying it. So we try to keep the pressure off of that,” Anderson said. “Ultimately, swimming is a sport where every hundredth of a second counts. That’s why we made sure to do the little things right in practice because those are the things that can make a big difference in the state championship.”

With the Suffolk Championships just around the corner, Herr is looking forward to competing in two different events from last year: 200m freestyle and 100m breaststroke.

“I’m doing completely different events than last year,” Herr said. “I just wanted to change it up for my senior year.”

On Wednesday afternoon at Ward Melville, Herr won the 200 IM with a time of 2:18.99 in an independent event. She also celebrated her graduation night.

“I feel like it went by so quickly,” Herr said. “I see the seventh graders competing now and I remember being in their shoes.”

Nearly a decade later after coaching Herr, Anderson is glad to have been a part of her swimming journey.

“I value the relationship more than the time they spend swimming for me,” Anderson said. “I always knew Emily would have a long career ahead of her and I’m excited to see her name added to the record books there.” – Jolie Cats

Long Beach boys’ badminton aces in big test

“Senior Night” is always a date circled on the calendar, but for Long Beach Boys Badminton and its nine seniors this year, it meant something more.

The Marines on Thursday hosted a 12-0 Roslyn team that beat them 6-1 on Sept. 20, handing Long Beach its only loss. Coach Michelle La Barbera wanted her team to reduce that five-point deficit, but the team had a bigger goal in mind.

“That wasn’t enough for them,” La Barbera said. “They wanted it and they took it.”

Long Beach ended Roslyn’s attempt at an undefeated season with a 4-3 victory. As every other game ended, all eyes were on the fourth doubles team from Long Beach, Cameron Leflein and Theo Turbek. After losing the first game 19-21, the two rebounded 21-12, 21-11 to win the game against Aidan Yu and Isaac Wang.

“This is the last time they will play with home advantage,” La Barbera said. “They left everything out.”

Long Beach’s Jake Haff also fought back at second singles, defeating Roslyn’s Nick Chao 16-21, 22-20, 21-17. La Barbera expressed pride in her team’s “mental toughness,” and with the playoffs just weeks away, the Marines enter mid-October with the right mindset.

“If you lose the first game, you have to come out of it, you can’t give up,” La Barbera said. “It’s a testament to the kids, their maturity and their commitment that they can do this.” —Michael Sicoli

The goal of Longwood girls soccer: championships

Longwood’s girls soccer team has a chance to do something the program hasn’t done in 29 years: win a championship.

Coach Eric Stark has led the Lions to an 8-4-1 record in his first year with the program, including 6-1 in Suffolk League I through Thursday. With a win over Central Islip on Saturday, Longwood would secure at least a share of its first league title since 1995, said Stark, also a Longwood graduate.

“You have a chance to leave a legacy for the underclassmen,” Stark said. “I think Longwood football in general has been missing that winning culture for so many years, and I think we can make some noise this year and create a (standard) for the future.”

Stark cites the combination of leadership and talent with younger players taking prominent roles in the team’s success. Longwood had a 5-9 record last season, but Stark quickly realized this year’s team had potential.

“The girls have stepped up from day one and believe every time they step on the field,” Stark said. “No matter the opponent, they believe in themselves.”

Senior Delaney Israel leads the team with nine goals and seven assists. Senior Haylee Tufano has six goals and three assists and freshman Mia Drossel has five goals and four assists. Stark also credits defensive players like Grace Mitchell, Brooke Pfieffer and Sara Mangels for the team’s turnaround.

After Longwood missed the playoffs in two straight seasons, Stark is excited to see what the team can accomplish in the postseason.

“Our goal from day one has been to win the championship,” Stark said, “but once the playoffs come our focus is to make as much noise as possible and I think that no team that plays against us “We will not take this lightly.” —Owen O’Brien