Infections as of May 3
2,736
Infections as of April 26 2,717
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HERALD
Easing ER nerves for autistic people
Synagogue hosts lag B’omer BBQ
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Vol. 32 No. 19
MAY 6 - 12, 2021
South Side wins county title in overtime By ANDREW CoEN sports@liherald.com
After more than 87 minutes of scoreless soccer in the Nassau Class A girls’ final, Mia Delmond took over to deliver South Side its first county crown in six seasons. The junior striker fired a shot into the left corner of the MacArthur net with 2:27 remaining in the first overtime in a 2-0 triumph against topseeded McArthur on April 28. Delmond then added a key insurance tally with 4:07 remaining in the second extra session.
“We all played together and never stopped pushing,” she said. “It was a whole team effort.” D e l m o n d ’s h e r o i c s a t MacArthur’s home field in Levittown gave South Side (7-23), a once dominant state power, its first county title since 2014. It capped an unusual delayed fall season rife with challenges amid the Covid-19 pandemic. There is no traditional Long Island or state championship this year due to logistical challenges posed by the health crisis. The championship match m a rk e d a l o n g - aw a i t e d
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Champion Cyclones!
Ron Manfredi/Herald
South SIDE CAPtuRED its first county championship since 2014 on April 28 with a 2-0 win over host MacArthur in the Nassau Class A final. rematch of the 2019 Class A semifinals, when MacArthur defeated South Side 3-2 en route to an eventual county title. MacArthur (13-1-2) had beaten South Side 1-0 on March
26, and held the Cyclones to a scoreless tie on April 9 as part of a dominant regular season campaign in which the Generals gave up only one goal heading into the playoffs.
“This is something we’ve been working for and towards for a while, and they wholeheartedly deserved it,” South Continued on page 2
Army veteran discharged after 85-day battle with Covid-19 By toM CARRozzA tcarrozza@liherald.com
Rockville Centre resident Michael Williams is described by his wife, Tracey, as an alpha male who has never been afraid of a battle. Over the course of 85 days at Catholic Health’s Mercy Hospital, Williams fought Covid-19 physically and mentally — and beat it. The impression he made on hospital staff members was clear: Dozens of doctors and nurses saw him off when he was discharged on April 26. They, along with family members and friends, lined Mercy’s lobby and cheered as Williams
was wheeled out. The 59-yearold Army veteran was in high spirits, joking with staff all the way down the hallway and posing for pictures. Williams spent 17 years in the Army, in a medical unit. “First and foremost, I want to give thanks to God, of course,” he said. “I was scared, and it was tough, but the love you’ve shown me made me fight harder.” The Williams family gathered near the entrance of the hospital and prayed together, grateful for Michael’s recovery. Tracey and Michael, their children Ashley and Christopher and grandchildren A.J.
I
almost gave up, but my wife and kids served as encouragement to get better.
MIChAEl WIllIAMS Rockville Centre
and Ari all tested positive for Covid-19 in late January. Their sons Justin, who was away at medical school, and their eldest, Jonathan, who lives away from home escaped the virus. Tracey described most of their cases as mild, but
Michael’s case was alarming. He struggled to walk, talk and breathe, and Tracey rushed him to Mercy when it was clear that he wasn’t getting better. He was admitted on Feb. 1. His family FaceTimed with him every night at 8 to help keep his spirits up. “He was very withdrawn and very depressed,” Tracey said.
“And even though he wasn’t able to talk and respond in the beginning, he was able to see that we were still there for him.” “Michael has been a true inspiration to not only the staff, but other patients on our unit,” Physical Therapist Michel Dreyzin said. “We’re going to miss him, but he’s going to do Continued on page 3