Community shows pride in Cold Spring Harbor's state championship teams
As the Cold Spring Harbor girls basketball and girls lacrosse teams marched down Main Street on Friday afternoon, the Seahawk pride was crystal clear.
Shop owners, children, parents and other community members came together to honor the teams that brought home state championships.
“It’s special because it’s such a tight-knit community,” Cold Spring Harbor athletic director Michael Bongino said. “Winning a New York state championship is not simple, and these kids were able to do it more than once, so we wanted to show our pride and make it special for them.”
The girls lacrosse team celebrated its second consecutive state Class D title after defeating Canton, 19-6, earlier this month in Cortland.
“It’s incredible,” lacrosse coach Danielle Castellane said. “I don’t think a lot of high schools get this opportunity to have a parade celebrating them, and we’re extremely lucky and grateful.”
What’s most impressive is that many of those on the lacrosse roster were also a part of the historic girls basketball state title run. They earned their first Long Island crown since 2007 and rallied from a 17-point deficit in the state final, earning the program's first state Class B title.
“I’m still speechless,” coach Rory Malone said. “I watch it all the time because it’s just so unbelievable that it happened, and to continue it into the lacrosse season is amazing.”
Senior Maya Soskin is one of those proudly wearing two state-title medals on her neck.
“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Soskin said. “It’s a testament to who we are as a group. We’ve worked so hard and having this parade and all of the support from our community, it means the world to us.”
Though he couldn’t be there in person, a life-sized cardboard cut-out of wrestling champion Greyson Meak was carried through the streets. He earned his second consecutive state title in Division II at 215 pounds at MVP Arena in Albany in March. The UPenn commit has already made his way to Pennsylvania to begin training.
After earning three state titles across all seasons, the athletes hope their success inspires future Seahawks.
“We always try to lead by example,” Soskin said. “So we hope this encourages the younger grades to continue the legacy.”
