Neighboring towns, Commack and Northport will face it off on April 18th at Northport High School. Sitting at LI Lax Journal Preseason Poll #11 and #12 respectively, these two teams have been battling it out all year, trying to make their campaign as forces to be reckoned with in 2018. This games winner will be decided by whose Senior class is more determined to come out on top. Both squads return strong cores who are willing to go the extra mile for their teammates.
LI Lacrosse Journal
Straight A’s – Long Beach vs. Syosset PREVIEW
Preseason ranked number 6 and 7 respectively in the Nassau County coaches preseason poll, the Syosset Braves will travel from the North Shore down to the southern waters of Long Beach to face off against the Mariners on Saturday April 14th.
Crosstown Quandary: Commack vs. Northport
Neighboring towns, Commack and Northport will face it off on April 18th at Veterans Park. Sitting at LI Lax Journal Preseason Poll #11 and #12 respectively, these two teams have been battling it out all year, trying to make their campaign as forces to be reckoned with in 2018. This games winner will be decided by whose Senior class is more determined to come out on top. Both squads return strong cores who are willing to go the extra mile for their teammates.
Smithtown West vs. Hills East PREVIEW – Birds or Bulls?
Preseason ranked number 4, The Thunderbirds of Half Hollow Hills East will take on number 2, Smithtown West Bulls on Thursday, April 12th at Smithtown West High School. Struck by lighting, Hills East is electric when they take the field. Under new management, Coach Paul Benway and Justin O’Connell, have managed to get these boys flying higher than ever as they are off to a 4-0 start in the 2018 campaign. Hills East returns talent all over the field on both ends including midfielders Drew Martin (Air Force), Brett Martin (Hopkins), Mike Monitto (Lehigh), attackmen Ryan Doran (St. Joseph’s PA), Zach Cosentino (Catholic), LSM Sal Pascarella (St. Joseph’s PA), and defenseman Mike Gomez (Hopkins) and Conor Caiazza (Ithaca). Equally combatting Hills East’s strengths, Smithtown West is shaking up the competition all over the Island as the Bulls are 5-0 on the season. A philosophy built on focusing “One at a time,” Smithtown West is dialed in, ready for any challenge 2018 brings. Senior leadership is a huge aspect working in West’s favor. Talent in all positions, Smithtown West returns midfielders Matt Cattigan, Conor Calderone (FOGO- Maryland), Brandon Meir (Siena), Andrew Arce (Binghamton), attackmen Kyle Zawadzki (Yale), John Hoffman, Matt Miller (Quinnipiac), defenseman David Gonzalez (Christopher Newport) and goaltender Kyle Walker (Army). What is sharper, the horns of a Bull? Or the beak of a Bird? It all goes down today, Smithtown West vs. Half Hollow Hills East.
Massapequa vs. Wantagh PREVIEW ‘South Shore Showdown’
A BIG week in the LI Lacrosse world. FLG Lacrosse will be covering top A schools competing all across the island. Keep an eye out for these games and make sure you follow the along as high school lacrosse begins conference play.
The South Shore Showdown: Massapequa vs. Wantagh
Sitting as preseason poll 2 and 3 respectively, The Massapequa Lady Chiefs will battle it out against power conference foe The Wantagh Warriors. A south shore showdown, these two teams will take the field on Wednesday April 11th at Massapequa High School to claim their territory as the dominant program south of Merrick Road. Coming off a Class A Nassau County Championship in 2017, Massapequa returns a skilled and experienced upper class. Possessing a plethora of threats, the Chiefs are dominant in the offensive half. At the midfield, ‘Pequa is led by senior Jackie Gatti (Hofstra), followed by junior trio Kate Fiola (Hofstra), Sophie Macchia (JMU) and Cara Sciano (Hofstra) as well as sophomore Alexa Gentile (UNC). Making plays all over the field these girls have the ability to put the ball in the net, as well as transfer to senior attackers Laura Callahan (Army) and Jordan Taylor (Binghamton). Can the Warriors of Wantagh match the intensity that ‘Pequa brings? In her inaugural season, Coach Lauren Schwalje brings the energy to compete at the highest level. The Warriors are led by seniors Kayla Conway (Pace) and Anna Kauffman (Hofstra), alongside junior Danielle Carson (USC). It all goes down today in the South Shore Showdown.
Zach Hobbes For the WIN!
Zach Hobbes, Harvard Commit, scores the game winning goal in OT for Ward Melville to beat West Islip today!
For the game winning goal, check us out on Twitter and Instagram @FLGLAX
Public Vs. Private
With both teams recording win streaks to start off their seasons, Massapequa will face off on their home turf against parochial powerhouse Chaminade on Wednesday April 4th. A Public vs. Private match up, these two programs are arguably the best in their league. While they both have started off their seasons on the right foot, only one victor can be named. It all goes down next week on the south shore of LI.
Massapequa was unanimously voted the top lacrosse program in Nassau County. Working hard in the offseason, the Chiefs have built a winning tradition predicated on skill and finesse. Head Coach Tim Radomski accompanied by legendary NCC Coach George Powers, have truly built a powerhouse program, year after year proving that they are at the top of the totem pole in Nassau County Class A. Working hard in offseason training, ‘Pequa returns talent on both sides of the ball. Starting on the offense, All-County attackman Timmy Ley (Boston U.), controls the pace, owning the hash and stretch shooting through defense on the left side. He is accompanied by an insane amount of talent at the midfield including key notables Garrett Gibbons (Maryland), Kevin Lynsky (Wesleyan), Sam Lufti (Hofstra) and fogo Angelo Petrakis (Cornell), all possessing the ability to come up with big plays all over the field. On the defensive end, The Chiefs are loaded, defending the knowns and protecting the house. In the cage, All- County goaltender Mike Venezia (Lehigh) is surrounded by defensemen All- County Griff Hawthorne (Notre Dame), Brian Leneghan (Bowdoin) and Kenny Brower (Duke).
For 39 seasons, Head Coach Jack Moran, has built one of the most competitive lacrosse programs in the country. Built on three pillars “God, Family and Teammates,” Chaminade brings energy and effort like no other when they play. Settling for nothing less than excellence, the Flyers walk into every game with the same mojo, playing to the best of their ability. For the 2018 season, Chaminade is stacked on the offense end. At the midfield, seniors Sean Kuttin (Yale), Will Kusnierek (Princeton) and Chris Nicholas (UNC) all know their roles and get their jobs done. At attack, Aidan Byrnes (Army) and Pat Kavanagh (Notre Dame) are dynamic, controlling the ball, translating their skill into points on the scoreboard. Piloting the defense, the Flyers are led by Andrew Bonafede (Duke) in the cage and Frank Marinello (Duke) and Anthony Trangredi (Lehigh) at defense on the low bases. Chaminade prides themselves on playing and extremely strong schedule. They are motivated to rise to the challenge and fly over their opponents.
Based on my analysis, and key returners of both squads for the 2018 season, I believe that Chaminade will come out on top of this game. The Flyers, are Boeing 747 powerful on the offensive end, maybe a little too much to handle for the Chiefs. I believe that Massapequa will have the edge with Petrakis at the face-off X, which will definitely be a factor in order to keep them in the game however Chaminade will get to 10 and take home the victory.
Hewlett vs. Lynbrook PREVIEW
Midweek Match-Up, separated by a few streets the Hewlett Bulldogs will face off against the Lynbrook Owls on Wednesday March 28th. Named “The Seawane Cup” these two Nassau County powerhouses will look to get their second wins of the 2018 season. Longstanding rivals in all sports, Lynbrook vs. Hewlett is something that you will not want to miss. When these two varsity lacrosse programs take they field, prepare for an absolute battle for 60 minutes. Can the Owls maneuver past the bite of the Bulldogs yet another time? It all goes down today at 4:30PM.
Hewlett returns an overall young team, led by two standouts, Alex Vadaro (Princeton) and Gavin Adler (Cornell). These two guys are tough, willing to lay it all out on the field for their teams. “Do it all” type players Vadaro and Adler are seen all over the field at every position. Gavin isn’t afraid to make plays on the defensive end, and even showcases his stick skills on man up with the pole. Alex is the commander on the offensive end, and he even takes wings on the face off and locks it in as a man down shorty. Trying to fill the void of Hewlett 2017 standout Ethan Grossman, who amassed 60 goals a season ago, these two guys will be doing everything in their power tomorrow and in every game this season to ‘win.’ A key link that will definitely lighten the load on these two guys is senior goaltender Max May. All- County a season ago. Max is lights out in the pipes. If the Bulldogs want a shot at taking home The Seawane Cup, these guys must be on fire in tomorrow’s game.
Combatting Hewlett will be next door neighbor Lynbrook. Known for having a plethora of team spirit and Lynbrook town pride, the Owls are proud to represent their team, their school and their town. Since 2013, The Owls have had their head on the swivel, taking home The Sewane Cup over the Bulldogs. Only losing twice to the Bulldogs, once in 2012 and another way back in 2004, Lynbrook is for sure the dominant team in this matchup. After making the Nassau County Class C final a season ago, the Owls are geared up looking to claim their second win of 2018, and build up momentum in order to take them back to that moment. A true ‘brotherhood,’ the Lynbrook way focuses on building team chemistry off the field in order to have more success on the field. It all starts with great leaders as Lynbrook returns a tough senior class. Offensively, the Owls return some weapons. Starting with senior midfielder Tommy O’Brien, who stepped up big and made a great campaign in 2017, followed by senior attack trio Mike Bouhall, Garret Handel and Matt Renz. Locking down the low bases, senior defenseman Tom Urena and junior defenseman Joe Demonte will be the backbone of the Owls, focusing on getting stops, creating havoc and getting the ball to the offense to finish the job.
Predictions are difficult to make as both teams are relatively young, losing many standouts in 2017 due to graduation. It should definitely be noted that the Seniors of both squads will absolutely need to step up if they want to take home The Seawane Cup. While Lynbrook may have the advantage on the offensive end, I believe that Vadaro and Adler will be able to rally the Bulldogs and combat Lynbrooks strengths. This game will for sure be an absolute dog fight, and a score separated by no more than 3 goals. Hewlett vs Lynbrook, see you there.
FLG’s Long Island Lacrosse Journal – LIVE!
FLG Lacrosse is proud to announce that our Long Island Lacrosse Journal is now published. Enjoy reading about every High School lacrosse program on Long Island right here!
PREVIEW – Lax Out Cancer Event
Today’s Lax Out Cancer event will be at Shoreham-Wading River High School. 4 High School programs will be competing agiainst one another to raise money and awareness for Alexa, Grayson, Hannah, and Jackson, four children diagnosed with Cancer. Donations for the cause will be accepted at the gates before every game. All proceeds will be going towards the support of the 4 children diagnosed with cancer. This year, the event involves 2 varsity games, 1 JV game, and 4 different school districts. Besides a competitive day of lacrosse, the Lax Out Cancer event is an amazing opportunity for College lacrosse teams, travel teams, camps, and lacrosse merchandisers to advertise their respective programs and companies to a lacrosse market, while also donating to a great cause.
The first varsity game we have is Shoreham-Wading River (10-2) vs Garden City (10-3) at 2:00 p.m. Senior studs, Jamie Atkinson, J.B. Beisel, and Finn Gibbons will look to lead this Garden City squad to its second win in a row. On the other side of the bench, senior Chris Gray (Boston University Commit) has been lighting up all stat sheets this season, and is hoping to lead the Wildcats to their ninth win in a row.
The Second Varsity game on the day will be Miller Place (10-2) vs Bellport (5-7).
Junior Attackman for the Miller Place Panthers Patrick Doyen and Anthony Seymour hope to earn the Panther’s eleventh win on the season. Although it hasn’t been the season the Bellport Clippers were hoping for, they will strive towards an upset today, and capture their second in a row after beating Hampton Bays by 10+ goals last week.
We are looking forward to a great day of lacrosse and hopeful, y a ton of money is raised to support cancer.
