Season Preview: George Carney Takes Over Hampton Bays Boys Soccer Team

The baton has finally been passed to George Carney, and he couldn’t be more thrilled.

After 15 years as junior varsity head coach, the owner of Peconic Soccer Club will be taking over the varsity boys soccer team in Hampton Bays.

“I’m excited. I’m looking forward to it,” Carney said. “I think it was long overdue.”

But first, the coach had to ask for approval from his son, Nathan, an incoming freshman.

“I was looking forward to coaching him on the junior varsity team, so I had to check with him first,” Carney said, laughing. “He said it was cool.”

Carney has coached Nathan and many of his friends through his club since they were 5 years old. But he’s also worked with a lot of the varsity team members, as well.

“I’ve had most of them for a few years,” Carney said. “There will be some growing pains — every year you have new players that you have to adjust on the fly to — but we’re only at a week’s-worth of practice, and I’ve been doing this for a long time, so I think I’m pretty good at evaluating the kids. We’ll be prepared.”

Six seniors help fill the roster of 21 student-athletes this season, 19 of whom Carney has coached. There are five players back from last season’s 5-8 team.

Returning is junior co-captain Marcello Arreya, while new to the varsity field, but a three-year junior varsity starter, is senior co-captain and goalkeeper Nick Garcia.

“The kids seem to respect these two — they’re very vocal and they know the other kids and they know game,” Carney said. “I’m confident with them, and with my captains, I tell the kids they’re like an extension of me. So, they’re to respect them like they would me. But I also tell my captains I don’t want them to be negative. You have to be a teacher. You have to be a leader.”

Also back is junior Charlie Garcia, while Carney said a player to watch will be freshman Edie Cabrera, who was brought up to the JV team as an eighth-grader.

“Edie deserves to be here,” Carney said. “He’s a very good player.”

There are a handful of other juniors and seniors on the team this season, and while most have played soccer, many have only done so at the club level.

“The core that I have are all skilled players. They’re invested in what we’re trying to do and the culture we’re trying to build here,” Carney said. “I think in another week or two, when we can really practice and implement some things, we’re going to be really good. I’m really confident in this group.”

He said that philosophy he’s looking to instill in his student-athletes and the program is a big piece for him.

“I run a different program than the previous coach,” Carney said. “There are rules and there are consequences, and grades are huge to me — school comes first. I want the kids involved in the community. I’m all about discipline and accountability, and the kids respect what I do.”

Kevin O’Toole, happy to be back in the Hampton Bays cross country scene, is ready to see what his team can do.

Six of the eight on his roster are returning varsity runners, and almost all were Top 5 racers for the Baymen last season.

Leading the pack will be sophomore Sofia Galvan and freshman Adriana Tapfer.

“Being each of their second seasons, they come in with a lot more mileage under their belts,” O’Toole said. “Based on what I’ve seen from their summer work, they are both ready to have breakout seasons, and I am really excited to see what they can do on our home course and at Sunken Meadow.”

Senior captain Danna Flores is coming off her best spring track season with a personal record in the 800-meter run, and O’Toole said she’s motivated by that to be a top scorer this season.

The coach said he’s also expecting big things from junior Emma Halsey. Senior Ashley Reyes and freshman Sumeja Bytyqi round out the remaining two returning from last season — both in their second year with the team — while newcomers are sophomore Izzy Ospitale and freshman Eman Khalid.

The girls will be competing in a new league this season — League VII — and will be up against teams they’ve never seen in dual meets.

“Everyone is healthy and responding well to the summer training we put in starting in early July,” O’Toole said. “Our goal for this season is to build on what we did during last cross country season and throughout track, improving our times across the board through the hard work and consistency that they’ve shown the past couple of months. I want to make sure that everyone finishes this season faster and stronger than when we start, and be proud of what they’ve accomplished.”

Boys cross country coach Andrew Arbocus said his team has been inconsistent with practices, and that he is currently working with a small team of six young runners.

Five of eight Hampton Bays’ boys golfers also return to the team this season.

Head coach Pete Meehan said his “core four” bring leadership and experience.

Junior Erik Sandstrom, who led last year’s 6-5 team and competed in the Suffolk County tournament, is entering his fourth season at the varsity level, and remains at the No. 1 spot. Also back are junior county qualifier and three-year varsity player Michael Poremba, who sits at No. 2, lone senior Jamie Moore, who’s third — whom the coach said had a great showing in last spring’s girls county tournament — and junior Rieve Nydegger, who hits fourth.

“Those four have invested a great deal of time both playing and as working as caddies at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club,” Meehan said.

Junior Dylan Foley is the last returnee on the team, and will compete with the newcomers for a spot in the lineup, which the coach said remains unsettled through the first two weeks of practice.

“We expect to be competitive, but we will need to be at the top of our game to compete with last year’s co-league champions, Riverhead and Mattituck, that will again be the teams to beat,” Meehan said. “There’s no doubt that golf is an individual sport, but when measuring team success, the scoring from the bottom of your lineup matters as much as the top. We are fortunate to have an outstanding group of kids.”