Connetquot lacrosse quintet sign with college teams

One by one, they sat at a table set up for them in the Connetquot High School library, nattily dressed in shirts and ties. No jackets, though. This wasn't the senior prom, but it was a special date.

With their parents proudly looking over their shoulders, five senior Thunderbird lacrosse players signed national letters of intent Wednesday. And judging by the wide smiles all around, it was hard to tell who was enjoying this special occasion more, the players or the parents.

Or maybe it was Connetquot lacrosse coach Bob Moltisanti Jr. "It's a proud day for the players and their parents," Moltisanti said, "but it's also a proud day for the lacrosse program and our school."

Mike Pellegrino, a Newsday first-team All-Long Island defenseman, will attend Johns Hopkins, one of the nation's elite lacrosse programs. Goalie Zach Oliveri, a second-team All-Long Island choice, will attend the University of Massachusetts.

Backup goalie Damie Danseglio signed with the University of Detroit. Defenseman Nick Struble will play at Marist, and midfielder John Zullo will attend Division II College of St. Rose.

"It's like a whole family graduating together," Zullo said, and then, as if on cue, the other players joked, "Not yet!"

Clearly, this is a tightly knit quintet, which made yesterday's simple after-school ceremony all the more meaningful. "We've been playing together since the second or third grade," Oliveri said. "The five of us have grown up together. It's great to see how each other has progressed."

Pellegrino, the acknowledged star of the group, needed his friends' support. He said he was still "bummed out" from Connetquot's football loss to Northport last Saturday in the Suffolk Division I playoffs. "It's a nice feeling. A great feeling, really, to share this with my friends," said Pellegrino, a halfback/linebacker who is one of Suffolk's top players. "This is a little spike in my depression."

Struble called the afternoon "very exciting because we're all friends," and echoed the feeling of all five players when he said, "This takes a lot of pressure off us in our senior year."

With their college choices official, they can relax and truly enjoy their final season together. They look forward to the spring, when they intend to leave a legacy.

"Senior year is not over yet," Oliveri said. "We know we still have to do well in the classroom and prepare for lacrosse season. We'd like to leave with a championship."

Yesterday's ceremony demonstrated they'd already accomplished quite a lot. "These guys, you'll always remember them," Danseglio said. "It's unforgettable, all the things we did, and all the time we've spent together. I look at today as a dream come true, a prayer heard."

Hoops signings. There were similar events held for three major Division I basketball signees. At Half Hollow Hills West, All-Long Island point guard Tavon Sledge signed with Iowa State. At Long Island Lutheran, All-Long Island guard Achraf Yacoubou signed with Villanova and forward Jordan Allen, a transfer from Bay Shore, signed with Hofstra.