Top 10 boys lacrosse teams on Long Island to start 2022 season
Manhasset and Garden City play in Wood Stick Classic boys lacrosse game on Saturday, May 15, 2021 in Garden City. Credit: Dawn McCormick
St. Anthony’s features big-time college recruits all over the field. Juniors Jack Speidell (attack) and Jackson Greene (midfielder) are both Harvard commits and lead a potent offense that scored over 150 goals last season. Patrick Carragher (midfielder) and Jaeden Jenkins (defender) are both juniors committed to Penn State. Jack Ponzio, Jordan Naso, Thomas Ricciardi, Luke Martin, Mike Finnerty and Glen Platania are also Division I commits.
Joey Spallina is the No. 1 ranked lacrosse player in the country and can score from anywhere on the field for a lethal Mt. Sinai attack. Dylan Sageder, who will join Spallina next year at Syracuse, is an aggressive defender who can shut down opposing attacks. James Carretta, Gavin Takacs and Joey’s brother Jake Spallina are three exceptional midfielders who can get up-and-down the field.
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1. St. Anthony’s
St. Anthony’s features big-time college recruits all over the field. Juniors Jack Speidell (attack) and Jackson Greene (midfielder) are both Harvard commits and lead a potent offense that scored over 150 goals last season. Patrick Carragher (midfielder) and Jaeden Jenkins (defender) are both juniors committed to Penn State. Jack Ponzio, Jordan Naso, Thomas Ricciardi, Luke Martin, Mike Finnerty and Glen Platania are also Division I commits.
2. Mt. Sinai
Joey Spallina is the No. 1 ranked lacrosse player in the country and can score from anywhere on the field for a lethal Mt. Sinai attack. Dylan Sageder, who will join Spallina next year at Syracuse, is an aggressive defender who can shut down opposing attacks. James Carretta, Gavin Takacs and Joey’s brother Jake Spallina are three exceptional midfielders who can get up-and-down the field.
3. Chaminade
Chaminade is led by senior attack Charles Balsamo, who totaled 25 goals and 16 assists last season. The Duke commit scored three goals in a narrow 12-11 loss to St. Anthony’s in last year's CHSAA championship. Ryan Landolphi (attack/midfielder) and Matt Byrnes (attack/midfielder) will provide additional prowess for the Flyers offense. Defenders Griffin Cole and Matthew Bové and goalkeepers Colm Flynn and PJ Verdi will limit opponents’ scoring opportunities.
4. Manhasset
Joey Terenzi is the returning Nassau midfielder of the year and a Virginia commit. Cal Girard, a Duke commit, is one of the top faceoff specialists in the county, and Hunter Panzik and Matthew Perfetto each have the innate ability to attack and get to the cage. Manhasset returns numerous starters from last year’s team that won the Nassau Class C title.
5. Garden City
Jack Cascadden is one of the top faceoff specialists in the nation. The Cornell commit also scored 12 goals last season. Cascadden was a key cog for the Long Island Class B champions that used an opportunistic offense and grinding defense to win the title. Luke Schmitt and Stevie Finnell are both exceptional midfielders that will create a plethora of scoring opportunities.
6. Northport
The defending Long Island Class A champions are loaded once again after going 15-3 last year. Faceoff specialist and midfielder Tyler Kuprianchik will allow Northport to control possession and create scoring opportunities for an explosive offense featuring attack Mike Meyer, who totaled 40 goals and 21 assists in his junior season. Long stick midfielder Andrew Miller is an Army commit and will patrol a stout defense.
7. Ward Melville
When opponents take the field against Ward Melville, most of their attention will be focused on senior Kevin Dolan. Dolan is a nifty midfielder who totaled 32 goals and 10 assists last season. Harvard commit Nick Bruckner and Providence commit Tyler Flynn accompany Dolan in the midfield and can turn defense into offense in the blink of an eye.
8. Bayport-Blue Point
Jameson Smith and Gavin Locascio are two exceptional midfielders for a Bayport-Blue Point team with county championship aspirations. Smith will play at John Hopkins next year and had 30 goals and 37 assists for the Phantoms last season. Locascio scored 27 goals and added six assists as a junior. Matt Nilan and Eric Grahn are two extraordinary goalkeepers who will be very difficult to score against.
9. Comsewogue
The Comsewogue offense is centered around dynamic lefty attack Michael Katz, who had 46 goals and 18 assists last season. The Army commit has totaled 112 points on varsity and will create problems for opposing defenses. Matthew Sparhuber is a tremendous defender who led an elite defense in takeaways last season. Justin Bonacci and James Krieg are dangerous two-way midfielders and Kevin Radmann and Kenny Summitt are exceptional on faceoffs.
10. Cold Spring Harbor
Patrick Pisano will make it very challenging on opposing offenses to attack the cage. The Yale commit is a talented shutdown defender who was voted Nassau defenseman of the year last season. He will be accompanied by Dartmouth commit Jesse Phalen on the Seahawks' back line. Max Hawkinson excels on faceoffs and will be joined in the midfield by Michigan commit CJ Reilly.