Long time SJB athletic trainer Joseph Cloonan was tragically killed, along with his adult son, John in a head-on auto collision in Amityville on Thursday, July 12, 2018. He will greatly be missed.

The SJB Varsity Football team won the 2013 Class-A Championship!

Defeating Xaverian 51-14!

They finished the season 8-6.

Long Islanders Voted St. John The Baptist Diocesan High School the Best Catholic School on Long Island!

Congratulations SJB!!

It took some strange sort of playoff alchemy for St. John the Baptist -- the same team that won one league game all season -- to get in reach of that gold-plated plaque. And Wednesday night at Hofstra, it was one showstopping star that brought it home.

Kyle Williams, the 6-9 sophomore center with a trademark fluorescent blue mouth guard, concocted a career-night: 34 points and 32 rebounds to lift No. 7 SJB over No. 5 St. Anthony's, 82-70, for the CHSAA boys basketball title.

"I honestly have no idea how we got here," said Williams, who scored 20 and 21 points vs. St. Anthony's in previous games. "I didn't expect this . . . We lost a lot of players, but right now we're jelling. We're really coming together."

SJB was 1-11 in CHSAA, but all seven teams make the playoffs. SJB (7-20 overall) got hot at the right time, beating No. 2 Holy Trinity and No. 3 St. Mary's. Next up is a regional semifinal at noon Sunday against Canisius at LIU Post.

SJB trailed 36-31 at halftime, but turned it around early in the third quarter. After going 1-for-5 from three-point range in the first half, Vinny Abbondola (14 points) hit the first of three third-quarter threes to draw the Cougars to within two points 30 seconds into the third. Then it was Williams' turn. He grabbed a lob pass under the net for an easy basket and scored again a minute later off a putback on his own shot.

SJB went on a 13-8 run to take a 51-44 lead before Williams was fouled by Dan Pierrot (15 points), who had amassed four fouls with 53 seconds to play in the third and was held scoreless for the remainder. Williams' free throw, a three-point play and a block helped SJB take a 57-50 lead going into the fourth.

St. Anthony's (13-14) drew within two with 4:04 left, but Williams' putback ignited a 9-0 run to seal it. SJB's Vincent Yancigay, who had 10 points, said of Williams, "He's only a sophomore. By senior year, he's going to be incredible. He had about five inches on everyone today."

Not that that was the only factor. "It's chemistry," Yancigay said. "And right now, the chemistry is soaring."

In the eyes of the St. John the Baptist girls bowling team, the view from up top can be unnerving. A year ago, they were the surprise squad that found its way into the CHSAA final. Wednesday, the team was defending a championship, protecting an unblemished record -- and doing so against the ultimate upstart, a team that didn't even exist a few months ago.

Clear advantage or added pressure? "You're expected to do something and there's real competition, so there is the fear that it can all change in a blink," Cougars coach Mary Coon said. "It's pressure." Well, that pressure produced a gem of a season as St. John the Baptist completed its flawless run, beating St. Dominic, 8-1, in the final at Farmingdale Lanes.

Caroline Herrera rolled a 541 series and Katelyn Coon a 485 to lead the Cougars (12-0), who toppled 2,501 pins to the Bayhawks' 2,252. "This season was a little more difficult because we lost a couple seniors and everyone had to improve to keep us at a high level," said Herrera, a sophomore. "People like Leanne [Cosentino] coming up big is what let us go undefeated."

The Cougars 'A' team outscored the Bayhawks', 1,401-1,255 and their 'B' group, led by Jennifer Budhwa (387) and Colleen DeGraff (368), won its matchup, 1,100-1,003. Sabrina Gordek shot a 446, Taylor Lubrano a 406, and Sarah Minicozzi a 403 for St. Dominic (8-5), which established a team just two weeks before league play began.

"We're proud," said Mike Gordek, who was named Coach of the Year. "Our goal, initially, was just to win one game, and we made it all the way to the championship."

As for St. John the Baptist, if there was any question of the first title being a fluke, an undefeated season surely squelches that. "Not many people would've predicted us winning it all last year, and this year we wanted to show that we are that good," Katelyn Coon, a senior, said. "I think we proved that."

The SJB boys varsity soccer team came from behind to defeat St. Anthony's 3-1 before a crowd of 1800 fans and win the 2011 NSCHAA Championship!

Junior Rosero thought his season was over. The St. John the Baptist junior midfielder suffered a left hip injury in practice Thursday and that's the first thought that raced through his mind. Rosero spent the last few days going through rehab to get the hip better for the CHSAA boys soccer championship game Saturday night. When the game began, Rosero wasn't on the field. Rosero asked to sit for the first 15 minutes before giving it a shot. St. John the Baptist is sure glad he did. Rosero scored two goals in a span of 2:53 to give No. 3 St. John the Baptist the lead for good in a 3-1 win over top-seeded St. Anthony's in the CHSAA final at Adelphi. St. John the Baptist (11-3-3) won the championship outright for the first time since 2001. The Cougars were co-champions in 2002 with Chaminade and lost in penalty kicks. SJB will play in the state CHSAA semifinals Friday at St. John's University.

"I knew either way, I was going to play somehow," Rosero said. "I went through a lot of physical therapy the last few days. I got in and felt good." Teammate Patrick Rowan knew Rosero would play.

"There was no way he was going to give up three months of hard work and not play at all," Rowan said. "He was hurting a lot. It took a lot of courage for him to come out. He knows when it's time to step up."

St. John the Baptist coach Nick Gallagher said: "As of two days ago, he really wasn't walking. He stepped up. He's been doing it all year. He's our most consistent offensive threat and leader. I think that was the best game he played all year. He shared the ball and the first goal was incredible. He became a true leader today."

Rosero sent a pass to Tyler Cisek, who crossed it back to Rosero and he scored with 26:12 left to tie the score at 1. Less than three minutes later, Kevin Ferreira headed the ball into the box and Rosero got to it and scored to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead. Rowan added an insurance goal with 20:38 remaining, giving the Cougars three goals in a 5:36 span. On that third goal, Corey Till kicked a long ball out of his zone and St. Anthony's goalkeeper Anthony Lopatowski raced out of the goal to get it.

"I saw the ball and didn't want to stop running," said Rowan, who was playing in just his second game after missing six weeks with a broken nose. "I saw I might be able to get around him and flicked it over the goalie and put it in the net."

Francis McIntyre scored on a header off a free kick from Troy Hornberger with 26:32 left in the first half for St. Anthony's (14-7-1). "They responded in the second half," said Gallagher, who is in his first year at the helm. "We opened it up and the goals came. For the first year, you can't ask for more. Actually, I want two more." Said SJB goalkeeper Michael Gaffary: "This is the biggest win in 10 years. I have never beaten St. Anthony's. We're champions!"

St. John the Baptist junior Mark Reilly won the 2012 NSCHSAA individual championship, defeating Chaminade’s Luke Koskovolis in a sudden-death playoff. Both Reilly and Koskovolis shot a one-over 73 at Eisenhower Red, forcing the tiebreaker on a par-5 hole which Reilly birdied for the win.

Junior Gina Ciliberti of St. John the Baptist won her second straight CHSAA badminton singles championship Tuesday, posting a 6-0 record on the day on her home court.
Ciliberti went 12-0 at first singles for the second straight season and was named the CHSAA Player of the Year. She was the only player to go undefeated Tuesday.

"It took a lot of hard work, but I had a lot of fun this year," Ciliberti said. "This year was great for me individually, but we want to win the league championship next year. We have a lot of talent returning, so we'll be strong next season."

Ciliberti won her first match, 15-4, but had a bit of a scare in her next one against St. Anthony's Krista Zeigler. Ciliberti was leading 14-7 until Zeigler put together a run of five straight points to cut the lead to two, but Ciliberti was able to get the win, 15-12.

"She played very well and she came back," Ciliberti said of Zeigler. "I felt like that match was what I needed to get through the rest of the day."

No other opponent was able to get more than 10 points against Ciliberti.

"Gina had a great season," St. John the Baptist coach Len Krebs said. "I'm looking forward to having her as my top singles player again next year."

St. John the Baptist defeats all to win MSG Varsity's school spirit mania award!

With those new pajama uniforms, St. John the Baptist girls bowling matches this year almost had the look of a slumber party. Add to it, they've got twin sisters on the team.

They may have been a sleeper entering this season, but the Cougars proved throughout they weren't to be taken lying down.

"We had a wonderful year and probably surprised some people," Madison Gervasi said, "but we had to finish it off and show we're the top team."

Well, Wednesday St. John the Baptist put to rest any doubt, defeating Kellenberg, 7-2, in the CHSAA final at Syosset Lanes.

Caroline Herrera bowled a match-high 561 series to lead the top-seeded Cougars (10-0). Katie DeGraff rolled a 477, and Katelyn Coon a 460.

"I didn't expect this at all," Herrera, sounding every bit the freshman she is, said of being named tournament MVP.

The uniforms - white T-shirts and loose fitting red plaid pants - were the result of a long experimentation process. The team did away with jerseys, which they felt were too restrictive, and went through various sweat shirt-pants combos until coach Mary Coon pitched the idea for pajamas.

"They look good and they're comfortable," said Katie DeGraff, whose twin, Colleen, is also on the team. "It's kind of created a relaxed setting for us."

It did draw a few "PJs?" inquiries and a little ribbing early in the season, Katelyn Coon said, "and we'd just say, 'These are our uniforms.' It's helped us get where we are."

The teams were divided in "A" and "B" groups bowling three games each and St. John the Baptist won four, earning a point for each. Extra points came from winning the by-game pin count. SJB toppled 2,735 total pins to the Firebirds' 2,444.

Monica Weitekamp led Kellenberg with a 539 series, and Ashley Simpson had a 486. The third-seeded Firebirds upset defending champion Holy Trinity in the semifinals Tuesday.

The Cougars had last won the title in 2008, "but it feels much longer than that," coach Coon said. "When you try and try but come up short, it eats at you."

They can rest easy now.

Congratulations to the Boys 4 X 800 rely team!

The team of Hunter Burrell, Matt Zampariello, Seitu Solomon and Brandon Camenzuli edged St. Anthony’s for first place at the Millrose Games this past weekend. It was the first time since 1981 that they qualified for the event.

They knew, even before it was over, that they were champions. And after Chris Hall's strike in the 10th frame, the St. John the Baptist bowling team was about to erupt - before glancing over at their still-stoic coach and being reminded to keep their "heads in the game."

Ah, a scream deferred.

But when Kyle Durfee threw the last ball of the CHSAA final, and every pin scattered, this fact was too incredible for any elation to be stifled: The Cougars, in a rematch of last season's championship, dethroned No. 1 Holy Trinity with a 6-3 victory Monday.

"Wow," Brian Braat said, trying to talk over the loud cheers at Farmingdale Lanes. "This is unreal." That's how he felt, but that trophy - SJB's first in three years and fifth overall - and his tournament MVP plaque are very real.

Braat had a 644 series and his 243 in Game 3 helped the Cougars (13-2) pull away.

The teams were split into "A" and "B" squads, with a win for each group earning a point. Holy Trinity's "A" team won the first two games, but No. 2 St. John the Baptist took all the "B" matchups to hold a 3-2 lead in Game 3. Then the Cougars "A" came through with a 605-543 win, which essentially secured it.

"I didn't want them getting overconfident," SJB coach Bob Hamilton said. "I don't show much excitement outwardly, but the kids know when I'm happy. Like now."

The additional points came from the by-game pin count, which St. John the Baptist won, 2-1. Total pinfall, which would've factored as a tiebreaker, was also in favor of the Cougars, 3,704-3,548.

It was SJB that denied the Titans perfection last year, splitting the season series with the nine-time champions. It happened again this year, except the Cougars took the rubber match in the final.

"Beating them in the regular season gave us more confidence," Braat, a senior said. "It showed us that they weren't unbeatable."

Hall shot a match-high 695 series, Durfee a 580, and Justin Figueroa delivered a 212 in Game 3. Luis Christie led Holy Trinity (11-2) with a 627, and Sal Rivieccio had a 625.

"Once we [the 'A' team] got going," Cyle Yambo said, "we felt we had it in the bag."

The mini-celebration tonight? Chinese buffet. But the real party comes once the season wraps up, when Hamilton will treat the players. "Applebee's," Figueroa said. "And we're ordering everything."

No. 1 St. John the Baptist (5-5) defeated No. 2 St. Peter's (4-6), 29-6 in the NYCHSFL Class A championship.

Derelle Hunter scampered for 214 yards and four touchdowns on 25 carries to lead SJB. He finished the season with 2,294 rushing yards, the fifth highest total in Suffolk County history.

"Our offense revolves around Derelle, but our players know that if one guy of 11 doesn't do his assignment, he won't be able to get the job done,'' St. John coach Keith Schweers said.

After holding St. Peter's on its first possession, St. John took over at the 45. On the Cougars' sixth play from scrimmage, Hunter broke free for a 9-yard TD run.

Hunter carried the offensive load and Chris McCarthy led the defense with nine tackles.

After St. Peter's chose to receive the opening kickoff, McCarthy said he and the St. John defense had all the motivation it needed.

"Our defense took that as a challenge and came out fired up,'' Schweers said.

After taking a 20-0 halftime lead, St. John (5-5) opened the second half with a 13-play, nine-minute drive. Hunter's fourth TD, a 21-yard run, capped the drive and increased the lead to 26.

After an inconsistent campaign, St. John ends it on a winning note.

"It's a great feeling,'' Schweers said. "I don't care what championship level you are awarded. A championship is something that can't be taken away from you. I know we had our ups and downs, but we played some great competition along the way.''

October 20, 2010
at St. John the Baptist 61
St. Dominic 31

Highlights: St. John the Baptist 61, St. Dominic 31: St. John the Baptist (3-2) defeated St. Dominic in the Catholic League.

October 14, 2010
St. John the Baptist 90
at Holy Trinity 75

Highlights: St. John the Baptist 90, Holy Trinity 75: Alyssa Acompora won the 100 fly (1:05.66) and the 50 freestyle (26.62) to lead St. John the Baptist (2-1). Nicole Shutowich took first in the 200 IM (2:27.38) and 100 freestyle (59.95).

October 5, 2010
St. John the Baptist 90
at Our Lady of Mercy 78

Highlights: St. John the Baptist 90, Our Lady of Mercy 78: Alyssa Acompora took first in the 50-yard freestyle in 26.15 seconds and the 100 butterfly in 1:05.15 for St. John the Baptist (1-1) in the CHSAA. Nicole Shutowich won the 200 individual medley (2:28.71) and 100 freestyle (1:00.18).

October 26, 2010
at St. John the Baptist 162.4
Holy Trinity 152.5

Highlights: St. John the Baptist 162.4, Holy Trinity 152.5: Kristin Licata won the balance beam (9.0) to lead St. John the Baptist (3-3) past Holy Trinity in CHSAA. Briane Lanier won the floor (9.4) for Holy Trinity.


October 19, 2010
at St. Francis Prep 165.15
St. John the Baptist 156.8

Highlights: Nicole Sideris took vault (8.9), bars (8.7) and floor (9.4) to lead St. Francis Prep in CHSAA. St. Francis Prep accrued the highest team score in recent history and possibly the history of the program, according to assistant coach Alex Giuliani. With the win, Prep ties Baptist for second place in the league.

October 12, 2010
St. John the Baptist 160.80
at Holy Trinity 151.85

Highlights: Kristen Licata came in first with a 34.15 all around to lead St. John the Baptist (2-1) in CHSAA. Licata also took first on beam with a 9.4.

October 7, 2010
at St. John the Baptist 158.75
St. Francis Prep 158.35

Highlights: St. John the Baptist 158.75, St. Francis Prep 158.35: Kristen Licata won the balance beam with a 9.6, and totalled 34.35 points to lead St. John the Baptist (1-1). SJB outscored St. Francis Prep 41.9-39.35 in the beam, helping put the Cougars over the top.

October 5, 2010
at Kellenberg 165.5
St. John the Baptist 151.75

Highlights: Gabriella LoMacchio won the all-around (35.3) for Kellenberg, including first on the beam (9.25) and Kelly Cosgrove and Kasey Pote each placed second on the floor (9.0) and Kaylan Grau took second on the beam (9.05).

The bases were loaded with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning of a one-run game and St. John the Baptist's dynasty was on the line.

After Michelle Carbone's RBI single drew St. Anthony's to within a run, a fielding error jammed the bases and put pitcher Erin Caputo in a delicate position. A ground ball or fly ball and the game is likely tied. A hit and the Friars win in a walk off. "I went out to the circle and said, 'Listen, you guys need to work together and go one out at a time and we'll get out of this inning,' " coach Brianne Herr said.

Caputo went to work and induced a pop-up on a drop curve, then got a lineout to short to end the threat and send screaming St. John the Baptist players running toward the circle in a 5-4 CHSAA championship game final win at the Hofstra University softball field.

The Cougars will take on St. Joseph by the Sea in the semifinals of the CHSAA state championships at 2 p.m. June 1 at Holy Trinity.

It is St. John the Baptist's third straight CHSAA title and fifth in six years. The Cougars are also the first team to win a title since the circle was moved back to 43 feet for the 2010 season. "We worked more on our hitting to adjust to the change," Herr said "And it was evident today. We just started getting around on the ball."

Christine Bosco was 3-for-4 with a run scored and Allison Schmidt was 1-for-3 with two RBIs for SJB. Michelle Carbone was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Katlyn Carlino went 1-for-3 with a double, walk, run scored and RBI for St. Anthony's.

Ryan Quick (1-for-3) was awarded championship game MVP after her double to leftfield in the second gave St. John the Baptist a 2-0 lead. Quick scored on Christina Vitale's single.

Schmidt's two-out two-run single in the top of the third gave SJB a 5-1 lead.

CHSAA awards:
Our Lady of Mercy's Samantha Sauer (5-10, 2.00 ERA, 123 strikeouts) and Michelle Carbone (15-12, 0.80 ERA, 110 strikeouts) were named CHSAA co-pitchers of the year. St. John the Baptist catcher Kaitlyn Crowley was named CHSAA player of the year after batting .485 with 12 doubles.

The SJB JV Girls Softball team defeated the previously undefeated Kellenberg 8-4 to win the 2010 NSCHSAA Championship! The girls finished the season 13-4. Great job girls! The future look bright!

This wasn’t how No. 1 Kellenberg — or most anyone for that matter — saw this one going. Who could’ve guessed that Kamala Thompson, the St. John the Baptist forward who hadn’t quite lived up to her billing as a show-stopping scorer, would not only find her groove, but leave the Firebirds scorched?

And when Kellenberg trailed by a point at the end of the half yesterday in the CHSAA girls basketball final at Hofstra University, even fewer would’ve figured the final score: 58-47 St. John the Baptist, thanks to two full quarters of Cougar domination.

St. John the Baptist coach Ted Oberg merely smiled when asked about Thompson, who scored a season-high 24 points, including four three-point shots to lead the No. 3 Cougars over the team that snapped their five-year CHSAA championship reign last year. St. John the Baptist (16-10) will play Christ the King March 13 at 7 p.m. at Bishop Ford.

“She’s been battling an ankle injury all year,” Oberg said of Thompson, whose previous high was 17 in a non-league loss to Sachem East on Dec. 17. She scored 11 points total in her last three games, but Oberg said he was “not surprised” by Thompson’s efforts.

“She’s very, very capable of those types of numbers,” he said. “She will score.”

Thompson proved her coach right early in the game, with a high-arching trey off an assist from Alexis Smith to give St. John a 9-8 lead with 3:06 left in the first quarter. Emma O’Connor’s layup put Kellenberg (16-7) up again, but Thompson and Laura Quicker helped St. John regroup and end the quarter with a 13-10 lead.

Kellenberg drew to within 25-24 to end the half, propelled by O’Connor (21 points), who scored six in the final 1:30 — the last two points coming on a short fadeaway with 29 seconds remaining. O’Connor scored another two to open the second half, but Thompson struck again with a layup to make it 27-26 for St. John and kick off a 6-0 run. It was a lead the Cougars would never relinquish as they outscored the Firebirds 18-8 in the quarter.

“All season I knew I could be an offensive threat,” Thompson said. “But it’s a strong team marked by many players who step up. One of my players was off and I needed to step up.”

St. John’s Brianna Thomas, one of the team’s top scorers, was held to four points. Smith finished with 12 points, including four in the third.

“We talked about not letting up ,” Smith said. “We could sense they were tired and we knew all that hard work would pay off.”

Kellenberg was undone by turnovers at the start of the second half, allowing steals by Brianna Thomas and Thompson, who both converted for baskets.

On a night where they shared the backcourt for the final time after their season came to a sudden and disappointing end, seniors Khaleev Ginyard and Joe Gibbons each set one last personal milestone.
Both scored the 1,000th point of their careers during St. John the Baptist 72-69 loss to Holy Trinity in the CHSAA semifinals.
Ginyard – who put on a dazzling display from downtown, hitting nine three-pointers and finished with a career-high 40 points – eclipsed the 1,000-point mark on his first shot of the game, nailing a three-pointer in the game’s first minute.
Gibbons scored 19 points, including a free throw with 1:02 remaining in the first quarter for his 1,000th point.
Ginyard and Gibbons become the fourth and fifth players in St. John the Baptist's 46-year history to reach the 1,000-point mark and it’s the first time the Cougars had two 1,000-point scorers on the same team, according to athletic director Ralph Dalton.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, a group of students decked out in Baptist red crowded together in the stands at St. John the Baptist High School and held up a sign with one word written across it: "Undefeated."

With a 77-63 win over Holy Trinity on Friday, St. John the Baptist completed it's first ever undefeated league season in the school's history.

Joe Gibbons had 27 points, eight rebounds and five asists and Khaleev Ginyard added 23 points, five assists, and five steals as St. John the Baptist improved to 12-0 in CHSAA.

By earning the top seed in the CHSAA, the Cougars will get a bye in the first round of the playoffs and take on the winner of the No.4/No. 5 seed matchup in the semi-finals at C.W. Post on Fenruary 28.

Anne Carey took third, Krystal Forster finished fourth and Catherine Westby and AnnMarie Zigrosser were sixth and seventh as St. John the Baptist won its second straight CHSAA Intersectional Girls cross country championship at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx on Saturday.

The day proved historic as both the St. John the Baptist girls and boys teams qualified for the state Federation championship for the first time in school history. That meet is Saturday in Wappingers Falls.

The Cougars boys team, led by Matt Zampariello, took fourth and qualified for the second time in school history.

"It's been a goal to send both teams up together," Cougars coach David Wood said. "Seeing the reactions when we told everyone the boys qualified was amazing."

NSCHSAAA Champions:
2010 - St. Anthony's
2009 - St. John the Baptist *(State Champs)
2008 - St. John the Baptist *(State Champs)