Suffolk County Student Athlete Of The Week: Ward Melville’s Molly Combs

THREE VILLAGE, NY — At Ward Melville High School, Molly Combs plays basketball, flag football and soccer, moving from one season to the next with little downtime and a willingness to take on whatever role her teams need.

This summer, Patch is looking back at the student-athletes who helped define the 2025-26 sports seasons across Suffolk County.

This week’s Suffolk County Student Athlete of the Week is Combs, a rising junior who has already made an impact in three sports.

Combs plays wide receiver and safety in flag football, midfield and striker in soccer, and point guard and shooting guard in basketball.

“I think basketball brings a completely different side of me out,” Combs told Patch. “I’m just so passionate when I play, and I like playing with all my best friends.”

Soccer has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. The East Setauket teen said she has been playing 'ever since she could walk,' and the sport has introduced her to people she expects to remain close with for years.

Flag football is a newer sport for Combs. She was still learning the game as a freshman, but this spring, she became one of Ward Melville’s top players.

“I really like learning new things, and I’ve also made a lot of new friends, and I’ve learned so many new things,” Combs said.

Ward Melville flag football coach Rich Russo said Combs’ jump from freshman year to sophomore year was dramatic. As a freshman, she was athletic and talented but still learning the sport. By this spring, Russo said, she had grown into one of the Patriots’ most important players.

“She became one of our top players this year,” Russo told Patch.

Combs started both ways for Ward Melville, playing wide receiver on offense and safety on defense. She earned All-League honors, scored about five touchdowns and had four interceptions, Russo said.

The original hope for coaches was that Combs could contribute more offensively this season, but her role quickly grew.

“She ended up starting, was one of three kids playing both offense and defense the whole season, and she was a real force on both sides of the ball,” Russo said. “She played like she was much older.”

Her growth, Russo said, came from more than athleticism. It came from how quickly she processed the game.

“She’s tough,” Russo said. “She’s smart. She’s got great poise, and she’s very coachable.”

Combs said being a multi-sport athlete has shaped the way she approaches opportunities.

“It’s taught me to be resilient and to always work as hard as I possibly can because you never know when you’re going to get the same opportunity again, and being appreciative of every chance you get to show what you have,” Combs said.

One of her favorite moments from the school year came in basketball. Combs was the sixth player for Ward Melville’s league champion girls basketball team, which is expected to rely on her in a larger role during the 2026-27 season.

Combs said a moment that stood out to her most from last season was on Feb. 20, when No. 3 Ward Melville defeated No. 6 Sachem East, 30-29, in the quarterfinals of the Suffolk Class AAA girls basketball playoffs

“I think our basketball playoff game, where we won by one point, showed the team chemistry we all had," she said.

Her mother, Katie Schroeder, the girls' basketball coach at Smithtown West, said Combs is the kind of athlete who plays three sports “with a smile.” She said Combs is up at 6 a.m. for soccer workouts from 7 to 8 a.m. and continues to seek extra opportunities to improve.

This summer, Combs was nominated for the Long Island Top 40 Invitational Camp and is also attending Brianna Joy Garza’s Shooters Shoot Two-Day Intensive Clinic.

Combs said balancing three sports and school requires careful use of whatever time is available.

“I just had to use any free time I got to do my schoolwork,” Combs said. “Because when I wasn’t free, I always had sports and resting my body when I could.”

Combs said basketball was not always easy this season, but she was proud of how she responded when things did not go smoothly.

“There were definitely ups and downs during basketball season, but every time I picked myself back up and worked as hard as I could to be back where I wanted to be,” Combs said.

That response is part of what coaches and teammates count on her for, she said. Across sports, Combs said she tries to keep energy high and support teammates when mistakes happen.

“After mistakes, I like to cheer everyone on and keep high energy the whole game," she said.

Russo said those positive traits showed up quickly in flag football. Ward Melville had a young team with only two seniors, and Combs, though only a sophomore, helped guide younger players.

“It was almost like she was a senior on the team because she was taking the younger kids under her wing,” Russo said. “She knew all the plays, and she would teach them the plays, and she’s a great teammate.”

Russo said Combs has an athletic vision that does not always show up in a box score. Even though she is not a quarterback, he said, she understands the game from multiple positions and can adjust quickly when coaches give her new responsibilities.

“She almost has the mindset of a quarterback when she’s out there both on offense and defense,” Russo said. “You could just throw stuff at her, and she just picks it up. She had to step up and be 'a senior' on the team as a sophomore, which takes a lot,” Russo said. “It takes a lot for a 15-year-old kid to be able to do that.”

Russo said Combs’ future in flag football is bright. With two years remaining, he expects Ward Melville to use her in more ways.

“She’s going to be really featured a lot more these next two years,” Russo said. “I think she’s going to be a top player on Long Island.”

Combs also played JV soccer for two years and competes in club soccer with the Long Island Slammers. She said soccer has helped her build friendships and gives her a different connection to competition than her other sports.

Her athletic life also comes with deep family roots. While her mother coaches at Smithtown West, Combs’ grandfather, Nick Schroeder, is a retired Smithtown athletic director. Combs said having a parent who understands sports has helped her, especially in basketball.

“I think it’s very helpful because when I’m trying to fix things in basketball, she can always help me, and she always understands what I need,” Combs said. “Even when I was down on myself, she always pushed me to work hard and just be happy and just love every sport that I play."

Like her family, Combs is also carving out her own path.

She is enrolled in honors classes, scored a 100 on the Chemistry Regents, according to Schroeder, and serves as social media manager for Team Ward, a Ward Melville club focused on mental wellness and bringing students together.

Combs said she has thought about playing basketball in college, though she is not sure yet. For now, she is focused on continuing to grow in all three sports.

Her advice for younger athletes is to try everything to see what sticks.

“At first when I tried new sports, I was not sure and not all in," she said. "But the people there really help welcome you to every single thing that you do and meeting new people through sports is really important to me because most of my best friends I’ve met are playing sports.”

For Russo, Combs is the kind of athlete who makes coaches eager for the next season.

“I wish I had more of her,” Russo said. She’s a three-sport athlete. It’s really quite amazing.”

This summer, Patch is looking back at the student-athletes who defined the 2025-26 sports seasons across Suffolk County. The series highlights standout athletes, team leaders and competitors whose achievements extended beyond the scoreboard.

Do you know a Suffolk County student-athlete who should be featured in a future Student Athlete of the Week profile? Coaches, athletic directors, school district officials and families can send nominations, standout accomplishments and photos to kdaniel@patch.com for consideration.