Firebirds win Kellenberg- Floral Park memorial game to honor Chris Battaglia

The fans filled the bleachers on both sides of Floral Park’s gym, more than 650 of them from two communities at a game that honored the too-short life of a popular Kellenberg athlete and provided warmth for a family that suffered such a heartbreaking loss last winter.

Chris Battaglia was a 17-year-old senior, a varsity football and lacrosse player and former freshman and JV basketball player who lived in Floral Park. On Jan. 14, he died in his sleep from an epileptic seizure.

So the Kellenberg and Floral Park boys basketball programs created Saturday's first annual memorial game in his honor. The Firebirds won, 65-56, behind Stephen Kiernan’s 24 points and seven rebounds. But the makes and misses on the court were just a piece of it.

There were pregame words from the PA announcer, a moment of silence and money raised for the Christopher Battaglia Memorial Scholarship Fund to help students attend Kellenberg.

This event meant a lot to the family, especially at this time of year. But the supportive spirit was nothing new. And it has made a difference.

“We’re doing a lot better than I thought, but the only reason we’re doing so well is because of the Floral Park community and the Kellenberg community,” said Battaglia’s father, Chris, a face in the crowd along with Battaglia’s mom, Jackie, and his brother, Ryan. “Without the outpouring of love and support by them, this would be an impossible journey.

“… Obviously, right now with the holidays, it’s very difficult. But with this game and everything going on, it kind of passes the time and gives some joy to us as well.”

SEE PHOTOSKellenberg vs. Floral Park

The 500 tickets that went on sale for the game were gone in four minutes.

“The event is very special,” Floral Park coach Sean Boyle said. “… It’s a great day to celebrate Chris’ life, and for all the boys that grew up with him to come back and be a part of it was special, too.”

Many in the stands were wearing commemorative blue T-shirts with Battaglia’s No. 28 on the back. The proceeds from the tickets, shirts, a raffle and donations were expected to raise from $8,000 to $10,000 for the scholarship fund.

“It’s really important,” Kellenberg coach Chris Lyons said of the day. “Floral Park is a generational community. They look after one another. But Kellenberg … we do the same there. So it’s a perfect fit for the mold of each school and what they’re about. But [it’s] also for Chris and his family.

“Chris, as a teenager, the impact that he had on his community and his school community was unbelievable. … His personality was contagious. He put everyone else before himself. In a team aspect, you can almost call that like the glue guy. And then in the hallways as a student, people gravitated toward him.”

Indeed athletic skills didn’t define Battaglia. His huge heart did.

“He was one of those kids where he never wanted anybody to feel down or bad about themselves,” his dad said.

Kiernan stood out in the game, and especially in the second quarter when he hit two threes and scored 12 to help the Firebirds push a 16-11 lead after eight minutes to 38-19 at halftime.

“I was definitely feeling it,” said the senior shooting guard and LIU lacrosse commit, who knew Battaglia. “It was just bigger than a basketball game. So it meant a lot to me. It meant a lot to the team. It meant a lot to the school.”

The Knights, who got 22 points from Brendan Martin and 17 from Anthony Caris, fell behind by 22 in the third. Then they picked it up on defense and cut it to eight with 3:24 left.

“I think that for us if we continue to get better and improve, we can play with everyone in [Nassau] Class A,” Boyle said. “But if we don’t bring the defense, we can potentially lose to anybody in Class A.”

This loss dropped them to 3-4. Kellenberg rose to 6-1.

“We’re getting better every day,” Lyons said. "The goal is to really [excel] when we get into [NSCHSAA] play and then in February have a chance to win [a championship] at Hofstra."