The Bayport-Blue Point School District and board of education honored the boys varsity football team for their Long Island Class IV Championship win during the Dec. 12 board of education meeting.
Ahead of the meeting, the Phantoms rallied together for a brief parade in front of Bayport-Blue Point High School. Led by the Blue Point Fire Department’s firetrucks, family and community members lined the sidewalks as the boys drove by in decorated cars and trucks, waving to friends and loved ones.
To kick off the meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Timothy Hearney congratulated the team, noting their back-to-back 2022 and 2023 wins. “Once is pretty impressive, but two is amazing,” said Dr. Hearney. “That is something that no one can ever take away from you. It’s something that we will cherish here, from a community standpoint, for a long period of time as should you.”
Bayport-Blue Point Director of Physical Education, Health and Interscholastic Sports Tim Mullins then invited the Bayport-Blue Point High School cheer team to the stage, recognizing them for their hard work throughout the season. “It was their passion and energy that helped galvanize our proud community and helped play an integral role in the success of this year’s football team,” said Mullins.
Mike Zafonte, Phantom varsity football coach and Suffolk County Coach of the Year, was then called to the microphone to speak on the players’ behalf. “It’s amazing how failure and adversity can fuel future success. It’s honestly why I love to coach football,” he said. “I’m talking about scores and wins, but it’s really not about the wins. It’s about the process of putting in that consistent work, dealing with the ups and the downs that happen, whether they happen in practice or in a game or maybe even outside of practice, and staying the course, wanting to improve every day. The group of men that you see here embraced that, wholeheartedly.”
He went on to say, “When I see athletes accepting their roles, performing their job and competing with honor, I’m happy. Every single student-athlete over there had something to do with this win. This can’t be done individually. It’s a massive collective effort.”
