NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - With the school year drawing to a close, the lights above Tiger Stadium have dimmed and the playing fields have gone quiet. North Salem fans will soon bid farewell to the graduating seniors and then anxiously await the start of the fall season.
There was no shortage of excitement from our student-athletes, and the memories of the 2024-25 year will last a lifetime. North Salem's boys soccer team captured the state championship, five different squads made it to sectional title games, members of the cross country and bowling teams competed at states, and every Tiger team made some noise in the playoffs.
This year saw the arrival of new coaches for the girls basketball and boys lacrosse teams, the departure of boys basketball coach Chris Regan, and the loss of North Salem's baseball team when the district opted to merge the program with neighboring Somers.
Before the school year comes to an end, we take one last look at an eventful and memorable year for North Salem sports.
Fantastic Fall
The sports story of the year undoubtedly belonged to North Salem's boys soccer team. After capturing the section title with a 6-0 over Haldane, the Tigers mowed down their postseason opponents, overcoming Rhinebeck, Greenport, and Loudonville Christian School to punch their ticket to the state championship game against Allegany-Limestone on Nov. 16.
On the strength of goals from Sean Randall and Jack Newman, the 2-1 victory over the Gators brought the state title back to North Salem for the first time since 2016, the third overall for longtime coach Ron Hendrie.
While the soccer team was making their post season sprint, North Salem's cross country team was making their own run to states. Marissa Ferrara, Freyja Smith, Drew Karam, and Jack Fryer all capped off their seasons with strong showings at the NYSPHSAA state championship meet in Queensbury.
For North Salem's girls soccer and volleyball teams, late-season surges of momentum carried the squads to playoff runs that ended in the section title game, with both matchups coming against Tuckahoe.
Volleyball squared off against their rival Tigers at the Westchester County Center, ending the season with a 3-1 loss while girls soccer was edged out of the postseason after falling 2-1.
Meanwhile, Tigers field hockey made an early playoff exit after falling to Bronxville, but still amassed a successful record and ended the season 9-7.
Winter Wonderland
As the temperature dropped, North Salem's runners were back in business. The Tigers' 4x400 relay team consisting of Zoe Elias, Emma Gautier, Jaela Henry, and Sydney Merriman captured the league championship on Jan. 6.
Meanwhile, a pair of sophomore standouts from North Salem's bowling squad were busy making a name for themselves on the lanes. Erika Saez and Jericho Hartley both secured spots on the Division 2 Small School Composite Teams, taking their talents to the state championship match in Syracuse on March 15.
On the court, both Tiger basketball teams enjoyed successful runs that saw them play under the bright lights at the Westchester County Center.
Under new coach Elvin Gutierrez, the girls team ended their season with a semifinal loss to Haldane. After pounding Keio Academy in the semifinal round, the boys squad fell to Tuckahoe in the section final, 61-47. The contest would also be the final game under Coach Chris Regan, who would announce later in the year that he would be stepping down after six seasons.
Baseball Changes Up
A cloud of uncertainty hung over the baseball diamond before spring began. In February, the district announced the cancellation of the varsity baseball season, citing “the level of experience of returning players and significant injuries for key players in the lineup.”
Officials would then consider – and seemingly opt not to pursue – a merger with the neighboring Somers district. The move caused confusion and upheaval among players, parents, and alumni, who voiced their disapproval at Board of Education meetings.
With only days to go until the season was scheduled to begin, North Salem Superintendent Adam VanDerStuyf signed a letter of intent to merge with Somers after registration numbers fell below the amount needed to field a JV team. While the move meant that players wouldn't be able to don a Tiger uniform this season, the merger afforded North Salem athletes an opportunity to take the field in Somers.
Spring Into Action
The spring season began with the announcement that Vin Savastano would be taking over as the head coach for North Salem's varsity boys lacrosse team. Savastano brought 35 years of coaching experience to the program, including a long tenure at Kennedy Catholic that produced eight straight CHSAA championships. The Tigers would open their campaign by going 9-0, and ended the season after being upset by Croton-Harmon in an overtime playoff thriller. Under Savastano, the team finished the season with a record of 13-4, the best in school history.
The girls lacrosse team racked up 11 victories over the course of the season before exiting the playoffs after a loss to Irvington, notching the program's best record since 2018. Eight Tigers would earn All-League honors for their performances.
On the links, North Salem's golf team enjoyed a renaissance and captured the school's first league title since 2018 with a sweep of Brewster and Carmel on May 13. Sophomore standout James Nemeth would advance to the sectional tournament, finishing just two strokes shy of qualifying for states.
On the diamond, Tigers softball rode a lineup of big bats into the postseason, routing Haldane 13-1 to advance to the sectional final. North Salem's magic run ended in the title game as the squad fell to a top ranked Tuckahoe squad, 5-1.
Keeping with their consistently strong showings, Tigers track enjoyed a successful spring, with the exclamation point coming from sophomore Jennifer Killeen who took the Class C championship in discus on May 30. The squad capped off the year at the state qualifier meet, with Freyja Smith finishing 2nd in the Pentathlon, Killeen taking 2nd in discus, and Skyler Smith and Jonathan Alves taking 4th and 45 in the 400M IH, respectively. Smith would provide one last highlight for the year at the Patriot Plunker meet on June 10, shattering her own school record with a 103’ 8” javelin toss.
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