March 17th, 2023 – Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter and the Islip Town Board honored the East Islip Boys’ Varsity Wrestling Team and the Brentwood Varsity Cheerleaders at the March Town Board Meeting.

The East Islip Boys’ Varsity Wrestling team had one of the best seasons in East Islip wrestling history. Under head coach Mike Longobardi’s direction, and with the assistance of the entire coaching staff, the dedicated wrestlers of East Islip dominated the competition.

East Islip claimed victory at the Suffolk County Division I Dual Meet championship, followed by both the League V and Suffolk County championship titles. This is the team’s second consecutive League V title, crowning 8 individual champions, and a record 20 place-winners who earned “All-League.”

Thanks to the efforts of the entire team, they earned 365 total points …setting a school record for most points earned in league tournament history. Their exceptional season was punctuated by a strong 1st place victory in the Division I New York State Championship by junior, Sebastian Regis in the 285lb weight class.

“Congratulations on a fantastic season, gentlemen!” said Supervisor Angie Carpenter.

In a truly heartwarming story, The Brentwood High School Varsity Cheerleading Team under head coach Tanisha Pessoa, lead a very successful season qualifying for the Universal Cheerleaders Association National competition in Orlando, Florida for the third year since competition began in 2016.

However, with the expense of travel being so high, it was uncertain if the girls would be able to attend the competition, despite qualifying.

Not taking “no” for an answer, the team persevered, enlisting the help of the devoted community in a GoFundMe campaign to raise the $5,000 necessary to attend the National competition.

It wasn’t long before Gregory Napolitano, the owner of Campbell's Bakery on Suffolk Ave., Brentwood, caught wind of the fundraiser, and invited Coach Pessoa to the bakery, where he presented a check for $3,000!

His generosity helped the girls exceed their goal, and ensured they could travel to the National competition, where they put on an amazing routine.

The team’s GoFundMe raised over $13,000 thanks to the “Brentwood Strong” spirit of the community, and the excess funds have been put toward the youth summer cheer camp program for the next class of cheerleaders. “Congratulations to the Brentwood High School Varsity Cheerleading Team, and thank you to Mr. Napolitano, Campbell’s Bakery, and the entire Brentwood community, for their generosity and local support,” said Supervisor Angie Carpenter.