Sachem Alum Mike Gennaro Wins it for Deer Park

If Sachem fans can take anything positive out of Friday night’s Suffolk County Class AA championship loss, it’s that it came at the hands of a Sachem alum.

Deer Park head coach Mike Gennaro graduated from Sachem in 1986.

Known as a baseball player for the Arrows, he played in college at SUNY Cortland before accepting a teaching job in Deer Park 19 years ago and has coached girls hoops ever since.

Though he was cut from the basketball team during his middle school days in Sachem, he bought into the athletic system in Red, Black & Gold Country, playing football, baseball and wrestling throughout his high school days. Sachem athletic director Pete Blieberg was Gennaro's freshman football coach in the early 1980s.

Asked what his favorite memory is from Sachem, he recalled being scolded by former Sachem baseball coach Joe Murphy on the JV squad for hitting three homeruns against Brentwood.

“All he did was chew me out and tell me that those balls are a can of corn on varsity and would have been caught,” Gennaro said, laughing. “The coaches at Sachem were always tough on you and I have a real appreciation for them.”

His appreciation was also evident as the seconds ticked away during a historical moment for Deer Park sports; the girls basketball squad engulfing him in front of their bench. His team’s 46-34 win over Sachem East marks the first girls basketball county title in school history.

“It’s unbelievable,” he said. “I just think about all the years with this program. The heartbreak, the tears, the sweat.”

This season marked his 14th year as the head coach of the varsity program. He knew the year’s group was senior laden and expected a strong run through the league, but anything past that was up for grabs.

After beating Whitman in the quarterfinals and Copiague in the semifinals, the Falcons picked up steam. Their most difficult task was supposed to be Sachem East, but it looked like business as usual for them.

“We knew this year in Suffolk County there was a lot of parody,” Gennaro said. “There wasn’t any one standout team.”

There is now, thanks to Gennaro.