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2024 SEASON PREVIEW PART TWO- CLASS A PREVIEW
Class A in Nassau appears to be pretty wide open this year, as defending champion Farmingdale suffered some heavy graduation losses from their NYS Class A finalist team in 2023. The Dalers, now led by long-time assistant Eric Dunne, feature the only Nassau returning All-American in attackman Brendan O'Keefe (Albany). He will team with Caden Lennon (Bryant) to give Farmingdale one of the top attack combos in Nassau. Jimmy Caputo (Pace) will replace Nassau Goalie of the Year and All-American Mike Ippoliti in goal, continuing a long tradition of strength in goal for the Dalers.
Syosset, the #2 seed, returns do-it-all midfielder David Disque (Johns Hopkins) and an excellent defender in junior William Cawley (Lehigh). Finding a replacement for graduated All-American finalist goaltender Zach Finkelstein will be a top priority for the Braves, but Syosset has a proven track record of reloading, not rebuilding, and has a veteran coaching staff led by John Calabria.
Masapequa returns senior defenseman Ryan Wieczorek, a UMass commit, and senior attackman Jack Garguilo (32 points in 2023). Sophomore Tyler Byrnes and junior Matt Pettis (Albany) are two younger players that could have breakout seasons in 2024.
Port Washington, seeded #4, was the Nassau Class A champion in 2022 and a finalist in 2023. Much of their star power from those teams has moved on, but twins Joe and Steve Braunshweiger are two way midfielders who will lead the way for the Vikings. Freshman goalie Max Eynon returns for his second season in goal with a ton of experience (96 saves in '23).
Fifth-seeded Oceanside has a new coach in Mike Santisteban who will lean on senior Adelphi commit Michael Madden (24 goals in '23) to score. Hicksville returns the majority of their offense from last year, led by James Kelly, a senior who totaled 76 points last season. Goalie Frederick Giovanelli (417 career saves) will look to backstop the Comets to a playoff birth.
New to Class A this season is Herricks, who was a Class B playoff qualifier a year ago. The Royals brothers, Jesse and Riley, both headed to Queens University, will lead the Highlanders on both sides. Baldwin comes in as the #8 seed, as the Bruins have high-scorer Brady Mahler back for his senior year after an 82 point junior campaign. Plainview has a new coach in Michael Schatt, while Hempstead returns two All-Conference players in goalie Adrian Beltre and midfielder Chris Lake. Joe Cataldo is the new boss at East Meadow and the Jets, like Freeport, Valley Stream, and Uniondale, are in a rebuilding mode this spring.
Syosset, the #2 seed, returns do-it-all midfielder David Disque (Johns Hopkins) and an excellent defender in junior William Cawley (Lehigh). Finding a replacement for graduated All-American finalist goaltender Zach Finkelstein will be a top priority for the Braves, but Syosset has a proven track record of reloading, not rebuilding, and has a veteran coaching staff led by John Calabria.
Masapequa returns senior defenseman Ryan Wieczorek, a UMass commit, and senior attackman Jack Garguilo (32 points in 2023). Sophomore Tyler Byrnes and junior Matt Pettis (Albany) are two younger players that could have breakout seasons in 2024.
Port Washington, seeded #4, was the Nassau Class A champion in 2022 and a finalist in 2023. Much of their star power from those teams has moved on, but twins Joe and Steve Braunshweiger are two way midfielders who will lead the way for the Vikings. Freshman goalie Max Eynon returns for his second season in goal with a ton of experience (96 saves in '23).
Fifth-seeded Oceanside has a new coach in Mike Santisteban who will lean on senior Adelphi commit Michael Madden (24 goals in '23) to score. Hicksville returns the majority of their offense from last year, led by James Kelly, a senior who totaled 76 points last season. Goalie Frederick Giovanelli (417 career saves) will look to backstop the Comets to a playoff birth.
New to Class A this season is Herricks, who was a Class B playoff qualifier a year ago. The Royals brothers, Jesse and Riley, both headed to Queens University, will lead the Highlanders on both sides. Baldwin comes in as the #8 seed, as the Bruins have high-scorer Brady Mahler back for his senior year after an 82 point junior campaign. Plainview has a new coach in Michael Schatt, while Hempstead returns two All-Conference players in goalie Adrian Beltre and midfielder Chris Lake. Joe Cataldo is the new boss at East Meadow and the Jets, like Freeport, Valley Stream, and Uniondale, are in a rebuilding mode this spring.
