High school notebook: Matthew D'Aversa becomes North Shore boys lacrosse's all-time points leader
Matt D'Aversa - # 3 on the North Shore High School boys lacrosse team, at a game against Island Trees. May 8, 2024 Credit: Rick Kopstein
The only better way to cap off a 97-point regular season is by hitting an even greater milestone. North Shore senior Matthew D’Aversa surpassed 2021 graduate Forrest Demetri — who now plays lacrosse for Brown — and became the Vikings’ all-time leading point scorer with 213 points.
D’Aversa hit the milestone in North Shore’s 12-9 loss at Island Trees on May 8, scoring three goals with an assist.
“I didn’t think much of (the record) until this year,” D’Aversa said. “The closer and closer I got to it, the more I realized I could actually do it if I just kept playing.”
The St. John’s commit said he spends a lot of time focusing on dodging with his head up, allowing him to maneuver around defenses without losing track of his teammates around him. D’Aversa might have 56 goals — tied for the most in Nassau — but he also has 38 assists, third-most in the county.
“I’m trying to be more of a passer,” D’Aversa said. “If I get doubled, I just pass to wherever the slide is coming from and try to utilize everyone.”
D’Aversa said his record-setting point meant even more when playing aside fellow senior Sawyer DeSeve, his friend since second grade. That chemistry seems to have translated, given DeSeve’s 68-point season.
Both plan to extend North Shore’s season deep into the Nassau C/D playoffs, but regardless of how the season ends, D’Aversa’s dominance sets a new golden standard for the Vikings in the years to come.
West Babylon's Alvino surpasses Koch in wins
West Babylon pitcher Jace Alvino surpassed former MLB draft pick Billy Koch in program wins on May 3.
Alvino earned his fifth win of the season and his program-high 16th career win as an Eagle by pitching a two-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts in the Eagles’ 14-0 win over Bellport on May 3.
“Stepping onto the mound, knowing that I was one win away from breaking (Koch’s) record, it was a nerve-wracking feeling,” Alvino said.
The Penn State-commit ended the regular season with 68 strikeouts across 38 innings, with no losing performances. Alvino helped West Babylon win its first Long Island Class A championship in 30 years and knows it's time to defend the title.
Alvino: “We’re all confident kids, and we’re ready to go.”
Three years of winning badminton for Great Neck South girls
Great Neck South girls badminton won its 53rd-straight match and boasts an unbeaten streak that dates back to May 17, 2021, winning back-to-back Long Island titles with the plan to win the crown once more.
Coach Allison Gottfried credited seniors Kayla Wu and Bernice Wong for the sustained success, adding that the team is “basically conditioned to be a close-knit family.” Wu’s undefeated status speaks for itself, going 12-0 this season, and Wong holds a strong 11-2 record.
The Rebels hold a first-round bye in its search to extend history one more year.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
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