Sachem Says Goodbye To One Of Its Own

Hundreds of people lined the streets of Lake Ronkonkoma and filed into St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church Tuesday morning to pay their final respects to Joshua Mileto, the 16-year-old who was killed in a freak accident on the Sachem High School East football field last week.

Mourners along Portion Road, many holding up five fingers to signify Mileto's uniform number, released red, black and gold balloons (the colors of the Sachem School District) as a hearse carrying the Farmingville teen passed by.

“Maybe we’ll take some lessons from his life,” the Rev. Kevin Thompson said of Mileto inside the church, the Daily News reported. “He was kind to everyone before himself. He was so much a people person ... He loved the Boy Scouts, sports, baseball, football."

Mileto, a cornerback and wide receiver for the Flaming Arrows, was killed last Thursday morning when a large log fell on his head during a drill at an off-season training camp.

Mileto's death has shaken the notorious tight-knit Sachem community, but it's also proven once again that Sachem takes care of its own, especially in times of tragedy.

The Sachem East Touchdown Club established a GoFundMe page for donations to Mileto's family. That fundraiser had topped $80,000 as of Tuesday night. Sachem East cheerleaders held a car wash fundraiser for the family over the weekend. And drive down almost any road in the Sachem-area and you are bound to see a ribbon, balloon or memento in honor of Mileto.

"It's absolutely amazing what the community here has done," Lake Ronkonkoma resident Susan Boneoli told ABC 7. "Our children are involved in sports in the Sachem district, and it's just amazing what they do for the kids. And I'm sure his memory will live on for a very long time."

Read Mileto's obituary here.

Main photo/video by Bryan Lopez