Porters Will Still Have Senior Celebration

Sometimes, there are happy endings — and for Porters who are seniors on the school's varsity football team, that moment will come Friday night, when they will be honored, after all.

Greenpor's athletic director, Jim Caliendo, has arranged for senior football players and cheerleaders to be honored in a pre-game ceremony on Friday evening at the game at Mt. Sinai. Parents should arrive by 5:30 p.m. for the ceremony. 
"I think it's fantastic for the senior players and so exceedingly nice of Mt. Sinai to offer that option to us," Joan Dinizio said.

Last week, student athletes and parents were disheartened after their final home game of the season at Greenport High School on Saturday was called off.

A notice on the Greenport Union Free School District's Facebook page read: "There will be no football game tomorrow afternoon. Just got a call from the school that Hampton Bays has forfeited the game."

The game was the final home game of the season for varsity football players at Greenport High School, and was meant to be a special day for seniors, with players honored in a pre-game ceremony.

Hampton Bays School Superintendent Lars Clemensen explained why the game was canceled: "The Hampton Bays School District made the decision to cancel Saturday's varsity football game against Greenport based on patterns of reported conduct that is both dangerous and unbecoming of Hampton Bays student athletes. This is an internal disciplinary matter, and therefore confidential because it involves students. Those involved will be disciplined appropriately in accordance with the code of conduct."

The game was the second time a South Fork team forfeited to a North Fork team this week: Southampton also forfeited to Bishop McGann-Mercy, in Riverhead, but Clemensen said the forfeitures were unrelated. "This decision is not related in any way to any other school district, Southampton and Mercy included."

In Greenport, residents were sorry to see the game canceled. "I feel bad for the seniors; it was to be their day," said Dinizio. "Our new athletic director, Jim Caliendo, arranged a pre-game ceremony to honor the senior football players and the senior cheerleaders. They now miss out on that — and you can't get that back, ever."

She added, "The senior class also misses out on a large chunk of money from sales made at the concession stand, on items that have already been purchased. I also feel bad for the parents of the seniors. The seniors presenting the flowers they receive to their moms means a lot to the moms. My best friend still has the rose that her son presented her when he was a senior — and he graduated in 1993, 20 years ago!"

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