Port Jefferson players find new home with Rocky Point after football season suspended
Port Jefferson has seen quite the proverbial storm surge over the past few weeks.Drama ensued when parents and proud community members learned that Earl L.Vandermeulen High School would not be able to field a varsity football team this fall because of low recruitment — an issue that several small schools across Long Island have struggled with lately.“It was crushing,” junior lineman Sam Fabian, who played Royals varsity as an underclassman, told The Post.
“I have aspirations of playing up in college.Some of the other guys do, too.”The shocking news that Port Jeff fell below the 16-player minimum initially left Fabian and other 11th graders like him, who already had varsity experience, with a demoralizing option: playing JV with the nearby Rocky Point Eagles.“It was a little bit of a shock,” Fabian said.
“You work your whole life to play varsity football … the [JV] coaches were amazing, but the feeling was definitely down.”Port Jeff wanted to do right by its kids and find a better solution after the dreaded announcement in late August.The district had been petitioning Section XI to allow a varsity combination with Rocky Point for the 2026 season, which was initially denied and would have threatened the Eagles’ playoff eligibility.Nevertheless, PJ kept at it and took an appeal all the way up to the office of New York State Commissioner of Education Betty A.Rosa, who granted the merger last Friday with no postseason implications.“I’m pretty sure my entire house heard me scream when I heard that news,” smiling senior guard Maklyn “Big Mak” Mejia said at Monday’s practice.The Eagles added five new faces from Port Jeff to their depth and have another six newcomers playing at the JV level.Coach Anthony DiLorenzo’s varsity group of 22 benefited from some kismet as injuries began taking a toll on the team’s already slim numbers before they brought in the new athletes.“This happened to go down at the perfect time,” he said.
“This...