When Joe Amato, Pierson’s boys cross-country coach, crossed the line following the arduous Serpent’s Back (run-mountain-bike-run) duathlon Sunday, he said he’d won “because nobody’s here.”

A win Monday would have enabled East Hampton High’s field hockey team to stay on the cusp of a playoff berth, according to its coach, Nicole Ficeto, though Port Jefferson, which had been outplayed for 56 minutes, dashed that hope in the 57th with a goal that resulted from a corner play, the Royals’ first corner play of the game.

East Hampton High’s boys and girls soccer teams and its boys and girls volleyball teams had wins this past week, while the girls swimming team lost 93-82 Sayville-Bayport, the defending league champion, 13 of whose points were awarded for diving.

Just as the Norway rat may be the most adept of all the mammals, gulls — in particular, the herring gull — may be the most adept of all the birds.

It was déjà vu all over again and again. The weather, especially the wind, has been relentless of late. It started early on Oct. 8 and finally blew itself out by Sunday. Chicago may be dubbed the Windy City, but the eastern end of Long Island can certainly hold its own when accounting for prolonged periods of gusty weather.

Forest rangers with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation are searching for the person responsible for the destruction and theft of a sign at the Otis Pike Preserve West in Manorville.

“Chicken Soup for the Soul” meets “The Twilight Zone” is the vibe in John McCaffrey’s new short volume of 11 brief stories.