- First Posted: 2024-07-15
- Updated: 2024-07-22 14:07:43
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2024 Season Review
2024 was a tremendous year for lacrosse in Nassau County. To increase competition the Nassau coaches voted to create a select Power League, consisting of the nine top programs in the county. The remaining squads continued to play in their respective conferences based on school enrollments. South Side was the regular season Power League champion, finishing with a 7-1 record, only falling to Wantagh during league play. There were four classes for the Section VIII tournament. Farmingdale (A), South Side (B), Wantagh (C), and Cold Spring Harbor (D) were he top seeds and they all won championships.
Farmingdale won the A championship for the second consecutive year by downing Massapequa, 7-5. In Class B, South Side defeated Manhasset for the championship, 12-10. Wantagh won the C title defeating first time finalist Island Trees by the score of 13-4. Cold Spring Harbor won their third straight Class D championship by routing second-seeded Friends Academy, 15-8.
At the end of the year, the Nassau County coaches selected the post-season award winners including their All-Conference and All-County players. Then they selected nine US Lacrosse All-Americans and nine US Lacrosse All-Academic selections. Named All-Americans were Brendan O'Keefe (Farmingdale), David Disque (Syosset), Jake Martini (Wantagh), Owen West (South Side), Michael Aiello (South Side),
Michael Melkonian (South Side), Kian McCoy (Island Trees), Matthew Kephart (Garden City), and Jack Mulholland (Manhasset). O'Keefe was a repeat recipient and McCoy was the first All-American in Island Trees history.
Finalists for All-American were Jake Anzelone (Seaford), Jimmy Caputo (Farmingdale), Campbell Florence (Friends Academy), Will Greaves (Wantagh), Andrew Ottomanelli (Garden City), and Ryan Wieczorek (Massapequa). Academic All-Americans were Steve and Joe Braunshweiger (Port Washington), Denis Fargione, Matthew Kephart and Carson Kraus (Garden City), Caiden Lung (Lynbrook), Brady Mahler (Baldwin), Michael Mondiello and Jack Mulholland (Manhasset), and Michael Muscarella (South Side).
South Side Head Coach Steve DiPietro was named USA Lacrosse Coach of the Year from Nassau County and the Bob Scott Award winner was Michael Melkonian, also from South Side.
Nassau County has a long history or recognizing the best players and coaches for each year with their annual awards.
The Nassau County "John Krumenacker Player of the Year Award" is given annually to the most outstanding high school lacrosse player in Nassau County
as voted by the NCLCA. This year the award was split between David Disque (Syosset) who is headed to Johns Hopkins and Michael Melkonian (South Side) who will attend Cornell.
The "Bill Ritch Award" is given annually to the most outstanding high school attackman in Nassau County as voted by the NCLCA. Bill Ritch was the longtime coach at Sewanhaka High School and is widely considered the first great coach in Nassau County lacrosse history. This years recipient was Michael Aiello (South Side).
The "Howdy Myers Award" is given annually to the most outstanding defenseman in Nassau County as voted by the NCLCA. The award is named after the late National Hall of Fame coach Howard “Howdy” Myers, who is considered by many to have been most responsible for the spread of lacrosse throughout Long Island during the 1950’s. The award this season was split between Jack Mulholland (Manhasset) and Matthew Kephart (Garden City).
The "John Driscoll Award" is given annually to the most outstanding midfielder in Nassau County as voted by the NCLCA. The award was originally named after Jim Brown but was renamed in 2004 in memory of the late John Driscoll, who, like Brown, was an outstanding midfielder from Manhasset High School. Jake Martini of Wantagh was this years recipient.
The "Goalie of the Year" for 2023 was Jimmy Caputo from Farmingdale. The "Long Stick Midfielder of the Year" was Nolan Wieczorek (Massapequa).
The "Tom Flatley Award" is given to a Nassau County student-athlete that competed at a high level in the sports of football and lacrosse throughout his high school career. The 2024 award was split between Garden City defenseman Matthew Kepart and South Side faceoff midfielder Michael Melkonian.
The "Alan Lowe Coach of the Year Award" is given annually to an outstanding coaching staff in Nassau County as voted by the NCLCA. The award was originally named after Fran McCall, the longtime coach at Bethpage High School but was renamed in honor of Alan Lowe, the former coach at Manhasset High School. This year the award went to Steve DiPietro from South Side, who led the Cyclones to the New York State Class B championship.
The "Jim Amen Jr. Man of the Year" award is awarded annually by the NCLCA to a person that has made significant contributions to the sport of boys lacrosse in Nassau County. The recipient this season was Ray Nelson of Orlin and Cohen. The NCLCA thanked Ray for all he has done in supporting the development of the Blaxeight website and his support of the New York State championships being held at Hofstra University.
Nassau County had a strong showing at the New York State playoffs this spring. South Side (Class B) and Cold Spring Harbor (Class D) won state championships in their respective classifications. For the Seahawks, it was the their third straight title in Class D under head coach Dennis Bonn. The highlight of their tournament run was a stirring 6-5 victory over Pleasantville in the semifinals at SUNY Albany.
For South Side, it was a season to remember! The Cyclones were slight favorites in a stacked Nassau Class B that included Garden City and Manhasset. South Side won the inaugural regular season Power League title, suffering only one setback during league play to Wantagh. They had an incredible playoff run, winning close, come-from-behind games against Yorktown in the semifinals and Victor in the championship at Hofstra to earn the second NYS Class B title in school history.
Farmingdale appeared in the NYS Class A championships for the second straight year, falling to McQuaid Jesuit in overtime, 8-7, at Hofstra in the final. The highlight of the Dalers playoff run for first-year head coach Eric Dunne was a dominant win over Half Hallow Hills in the Long Island Championships.
Wantagh was led all season by their prolific offense that averaged a county-leading 13.3 goals per game. The Warriors handed South Side their only loss of the season, a 15-11 home triumph on April 10th and won their second Nassau title (and first since 2001) with a 13-4 win over Island Trees. Wantagh battled eventual Class C state champ Bayport-Blue Point in the LIC but fell by the score of 9-7, ending a excellent season for Wantagh.
With wins in Class B and D, Nassau kept their streak of at least one NYS championship intact, a stretch of 14 championship seasons that dates back to 2009. Schools that have helped keep the streak going include Cold Spring Harbor, Farmingdale, Garden City, Massapequa, Manhasset, and South Side.