Yorktown grad comes home

“Welcome Back, Chris Rohle.”

That’s what the scoreboard read at Yorktown High School on Jan. 8 before the Huskers’ game against Hastings, whose coach, Rohle, is a 2009 Yorktown graduate.

Rohle—whose Yellow Jackets entered the game with a 4-2 record—captained both the basketball and baseball teams for the Huskers, playing forward in basketball and shortstop in baseball.

The game that will always stick in his mind and is what anyone wants to talk about when they see Rohle, is the Huskers’ famous sectional semifinal game his senior year at the Westchester County Center against mighty Mount Vernon. Yorktown was a big underdog going into that game, but led late in it before falling 54-47.

“I think of that game almost daily, the fact that we were up seven with like two minutes to go or something like that, and how quick the game just got out of our hands,” Rohle said. “I think about it, just to get back there and coach at the County Center, and still go there to watch other games, it will just stay with me forever.”

For Rohle, it meant everything to be back at Yorktown.

“It was really weird walking through the hallways,” Rohle said during the latter stages of the JV game beforehand. “I’ve come here to watch games but not actually coach. It’s a really special thing. I can’t believe how nice the gym looks. Once I left they re-did it twice. I’m really excited to be here and just ready for the game.”

Another person with Yorktown and Hastings ties is Yorktown principal Joe DeGennaro, who graduated from Hastings in 1983, playing basketball for the Yellow Jackets.

In his senior year, DeGennaro played against Edgemont and Bruce Lefkowitz, when Lefkowitz and Peekskill’s Todd Scott broke the Section 1 all-time scoring record on the same night. Scott went further in the sectionals to secure the record of 2,057 points, which Dobbs Ferry star Anthony Ficarrotta is threatening to break this winter.

DeGennaro eventually became the Hastings coach, coaching his alma mater to a sectional title in the 1998-99 season.

“Following Chris’ professional journey has been great,” said DeGennaro, who was inducted into the Hastings Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024. “He was an outstanding student/athlete as well as incredible role model when he was senior here in 2008-2009. I always knew he would be a terrific educator and was excited when he decided to go into this profession. Watching him coach Hastings and be back in our Husker gym made last night truly special. Plus, I had the opportunity to reconnect with his wonderful family" — a family that lives in Yorktown.

“My kids go to school here in the elementary school, I live  very close by,” Rohle said.

Yorktown coach Mark Pavella was glad to have Rohle back.

“It’s always nice to see an alumni come back to the school,” Pavella said. “Even Mr. DeGennaro, our principal, has ties to Hastings, won a gold ball there, so it’s nice having Hastings come to town.”

Rohle is in his second year as head coach at Hastings. He was the JV boys coach there for six seasons, and varsity girls assistant coach for four years. He was also a volunteer coach for the Yorktown varsity boys in 2012-13.

Rohle got the coaching bug when as a senior at Yorktown, he coached the younger kids in the Yorktown Athletic Club.

“I always liked coaching,” Rohle said. “I coached my younger brother (Joe) who was 11 years younger than me so I appreciated coaching him and getting all excited to coach him and his friends. That’s where my journey began and I went into phys ed and just naturally coached.”

Rohle called his high school basketball coach Steve Veteri a big influence.

“Steve was always great,” Rohle said. “I still see him around town. It’s always good seeing him. I played for him a lot of years, I’ve always known him. He knew my family growing up. He was a good leader for all of us, someone we always looked up to.”