Calhoun's Kass wins Capozzi Award

All throughout Calhoun's Nassau Class AA championship season, shortstop Ryan Kass defined the term scholar athlete.

A scholar because the Cornell-bound senior juggled a slew of AP classes and extracurricular activities while maintaining a uniformly high GPA. And an athlete because - well, that one explained itself every time Kass put on the blue and white.

"He's played varsity ball since he was a sophomore," coach Joe Corea said. "He's very laid back. He's our captain."

It's for this reason that Kass was awarded Nassau's Michael Capozzi Award - given based on a player's athletic performance, academic achievements, school involvement and letters of recommendations. He received the award last night at the Marriott in Uniondale at the annual Nassau coaches dinner.

Kass will play baseball next year for Cornell. In addition to being a shortstop, Kass has a strong and accurate arm. He was recruited to be a catcher for the Big Red.

This year, Kass hit .421, with two home runs and 25 RBIs. He repeatedly came up big for Calhoun, highlighted by his walk-off double against Garden City in a Class AA semifinal.

It was the game that would stamp Calhoun's ticket to the final against MacArthur, which the team eventually clinched in two games.

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"He leads by example," Corea said. "He's out there early. He works hard. He's constantly doing anything a coach could want."