St. Anthony's boys lacrosse wins 7th straight state CHSAA Class AAA championship

St. Anthony’s Billy Atkinson walked around in amazement; the right side of his face smeared with eye black. Ethan Bramoff limped from photo to photo, his right calf still aching from second-half cramping. Paul LoNigro hugged teammates after he had come on and off the field while battling a lower-body injury, refusing to quit.

It wasn’t easy, and it was never going to be. Yet once again, St. Anthony’s battled back from a halftime deficit and beat Chaminade, 13-12, securing the Friars’ seventh consecutive state title Wednesday in the NYSCHSAA Class AAA state championship game at Hofstra’s James M. Shuart Stadium.

“We’re big on tradition and trying to tell the kids about leaving their mark, whether it’s in championships or just how they carry themselves,” St. Anthony’s coach Keith Wieczorek said. “This senior group was special. They competed at the highest level all the time. You always want it for your seniors, and I’m really glad they got to finish it off with this one.”

The Friars trailed at halftime against Chaminade in both their regular-season meeting and in the state championship. In both of those games, St. Anthony’s responded with a 6-1 third quarter. Wieczorek pointed to the team’s tough schedule as a reason for the second-half surges.

Chaminade led 9-6 at halftime, aided by a dominant first half from James Gillis (four goals, one assist). Guess what happened in the third quarter? A 6-1 advantage in favor of the Friars.

"Me and all of the seniors, we've never lost a championship before," senior captain Danny Rooney said. "We knew we had to go on a hot streak. It's special, it really is."

St. Anthony’s (12-4) scored five consecutive goals out of the break, with Jake Johnston’s assist to Dylan Harrigan serving as the sixth goal with 6.5 seconds left in the third quarter.

The final play, celebrations and aftermath of St. Anthony’s seventh consecutive AAA state title👇 pic.twitter.com/q5ReCfMcM0

— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) May 14, 2026

Highlights from St. Anthony’s v Chaminade 🧵

SA’s Ryan Lasko’s hustle off the opening faceoff to win possession.

CHA’s Brendan Sim scores to complete the give-and-go off James Gillis

SA’s Dylan Rappaport makes a terrific stop on a low shot.

SA’s Dylan Harrigan rips a rocket. pic.twitter.com/hnwwyeziUz

— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) May 14, 2026

“At halftime, I thought, ‘This is the last half that I’m ever going to play in this uniform. I got to give it my all,’ ” Harrigan, who had three goals and an assist, said. “And we turned out to be victors again.”

Atkinson had three goals and was named the game’s MVP. He caused a crucial turnover midway through the third quarter, leading Gavin Snyder to scoop the ground ball and feed Rooney for a quick score.

“I wasn’t coming out here thinking about myself at all,” Atkinson said. “The MVP is really a team award. I wouldn’t be where I am without my guys, so I just want to give them the praise they deserve.”

Chaminade (13-5) rallied as Brendan Sim scored his fifth goal with 3:23 remaining, followed by Benjamin Hristoforatos’s goal with 1:17 left to cut St. Anthony’s lead to one. Chaminade’s George Mavlios won the ensuing faceoff, but St. Anthony’s Dylan Rappaport made his 12th save to deny the Flyers an equalizer.

“I feel for [the seniors]. They deserve it,” Chaminade coach Greg Kay said. “Since the fall up until now, they’ve been great examples of what a Chaminade player should be. So, it’s tough to see them go down like this.”

Patrick Heron and Bramoff starred defensively, with Bramoff scoring a goal with his pole in the first quarter.

Bramoff held back emotions as he recalled the hours spent with his friends in the training room after practices, time that led the Friars to extend one of Long Island’s most dominant runs.

“I just played my last game ever with a lot of these guys,” Bramoff said. “These are really my best friends, man … I truly just love these guys to death. It means so much.”