For the last two decades, the towns of Eastchester and Tuckahoe have set aside one night a year to pay tribute to the life of August “Augie” Nardone. After 20 years, the tradition is still going as strong as ever, as students, families and community members once again packed the Eastchester High School gymnasium on Friday to take in a pair of games between the Eagles and Tigers and celebrate the life of Nardone, a former police officer, coach, and supporter of youth sports in both Eastchester and Tuckahoe. 
The event was established after Nardone’s passing in 2004—in conjunction with the Eastchester Eagles Sports Club—to honor the life of Nardone, who touched the lives of many through his involvement in sports. Friday night’s event featured a pair of varsity games
Nardone’s son, also named August, was again on hand with his mother, Mary, to participate in a mid-game ceremony.
Nardone said he was heartened to see that community members—including many who never met his father—have continued to turn up for the annual event.
“When this first started, I was still a senior in high school and it was overwhelming because my dad had just passed,” he said. “But to see this still going after 20 years, it’s special.”
The Eastchester boys shined in the second game of the double-header, beating Tuckahoe 78-43 behind a 20-point game from Marcus Rolon and double-digit nights from Jack Bochenski and Jake Warnock. In the night’s opening game, Eastchester’s girls edged Tuckahoe 43-41, avenging their early-season loss to the Tigers.
Kayla Comizio led all scorers with 20 points and said that Eastchester is playing much better now than they were when the two teams met for the first time in December.
“I think we’re beginning to figure it out, we’re getting more comfortable,” said Comizio. “We’re coming together and we played much better as a team today.”
Comizio also noted that getting a chance to play in the Augie Nardone Scholarship Game is always a thrill, as the raucous atmosphere is difficult to replicate.
“It’s always a great event,” she said. “And we’ve known a lot of the Tuckahoe girls all our lives, so that makes it even more special.”
Nardone echoed Comizio’s sentiments and said that watching the two communities come together to celebrate high school sports is a fitting tribute to his late father.
“I think if he saw this, he would say ‘You did all this for me?’ Because that’s just how he was, he was so humble,” said Nardone. “But he was always looking out for the kids, he wanted them to work hard on and off the field, in the classroom and that was always his core principle.”
