The Villa Lombardi catering hall’s grand ballroom was the site of this year’s Suffolk County Soccer Coaches Association’s 2005 All Star Awards Banquet. This yearly soccer shindig is the culmination of the High School varsity soccer season, and results in the honoring of Suffolk County’s best soccer players.

The Suffolk County Champion Babylon Boys Varsity Soccer team was well represented at this year’s event on December 5, with seven players and two coaches selected to receive a truckload of well-deserved awards. The first Panther award winners to step to the podium were junior midfielders David Montalbano and Taylor Reynolds, who were each recognized for their fine play this fall by being named to the conference’s All League team. Next up to the stage for Babylon were strikers Steve Van Rossem and Rich Dell Isola, keeper Chris Murray and sweeper Andy Lorch, all of who were awarded All Conference plaques. Murray, Van Rossem and Lorch were also presented with special awards during the evening events, for making this year’s Suffolk County Exceptional Seniors squad. Finally, Cornell bound Brian Marmo was named to the All County Academic Soccer Team, as a result of both of his fine play in the middle of the Babylon defense, and his outstanding academic achievements during the past four years.

Dave Montalbano was the next Panther to be brought back to the podium, as he was presented with the MOP Award, as the outstanding player in this year’s Suffolk County Class B Championship game. This was a particularly good night for the Montalbano family, as David’s dad Peter, was also recognized with a special award from the Suffolk County Coaches Association for his 25 years as an assistant varsity soccer coach at Sachem High School. Coach Montalbano is half of a legendary coaching tandem with Frank Schmidt that had lead Sachem High School to 10 league championships, five county titles, five Long Island Championships and two New York State titles in soccer, over the past three decades. During the Montalbano and Schmidt years at Sachem High school, the Sachem varsity soccer program has compiled a winning percentage of over 70 percent.

The next Panther to be recognized with a return trip to the podium was Steve Van Rossem, who by night’s end had many awards and trophies. Van Rossem would next add Suffolk County’s version of the "Golden Boot" award, for goal scoring excellences (22 goals this year, while leading all Class B players in goals scored), to his All Conference and Exceptional senior’s awards. Finally, Van Rossem also added impressive individual plaques to his "haul," for being named to both the All Suffolk County soccer team and to the All New York State soccer team.

Senior co-Captains Steve Van Rossem and Chris Murray were out of their seats again soon after, to accept the League 7 Championship plaque on behalf of the entire Panther team, while coaches Mike Livorno and Jim Coromilas moments later accepted the Suffolk County Class B Championships Trophy. Coach Livorno was on his feet again a few minutes later, as he was recognized as both the League 7 Coach of the Year and the Suffolk County Small Schools Coach of the Year. These two well-deserved awards for coach Livorno, who is retiring after 26 years of coaching soccer at Babylon High School and leading the Panthers to 137 wins and three County Championships.

Last, but surely not least, the Babylon’s boys varsity soccer team was presented with one of the most important awards of the night, the Suffolk County Small Schools Sportsmanship Award. In high school sports there are few awards that can match being recognized by the coaches in the county as the team most deserving of the Sportsmanship award. This is an award that every soccer player in Babylon should be proud of, as not only did the high school varsity team win, but the seventh and eighth grade soccer team also won the Sportsmanship Award among all Junior High teams in Suffolk County.