Cold Spring Harbor boys lacrosse repeats in Nassau Class D, earns 14th county title
Cold Spring Harbor's Alex Bauer (7) gets around Friends Academy's Will Hirshfeld (5) and scores in the first quarter during the Nassau High School boys lacrosse Class D finals between Cold Spring Harbor and Friends Academy on Wednesday May 31, 2023 at Hofstra University Credit: Bob Sorensen
Once they got started, they couldn't stop.
No. 1 Cold Spring Harbor beat No. 2 Friends Academy, 14-1, in the Nassau Class D boys lacrosse championship at Hofstra on Wednesday night.
Nine players tallied points for the Seahawks, who triggered a running clock with a 12-0 lead at the 6:35 mark of the third quarter.
It’s the 14th county championship and the second in a row for Cold Spring Harbor (11-6), which won the Class D state title last spring.
“Consistently, we have kids who care, and kids who understand what we expect from them every year,” Cold Spring Harbor coach Dennis Bonn said. “That’s a nice recipe.”
Hayden Calabretta scored three goals with two assists and earned most valuable player recognition. Brothers CJ and Reagan Reilly each added two goals and an assist, and Alex Bauer scored twice.
“It’s the culmination of all our hard work. Everyone wants to be here and everyone works to get here,” CJ Reilly said. “We’re lucky enough to be here so we’re going to make the best of it and we’re going to take the opportunity.”
The Seahawks waited 16 days between their final regular season game and playing Friends Academy (11-7) in the county final.
Mentally, the players said they were ready after weeks of high-intensity practice. Calabretta scored the first goal with 6:44 left in the first quarter.
The Seahawks scored five goals in the final 2:40 of the first quarter, then tacked on three more in the second.
“We were moving the ball really fast today, and making sure we got everyone involved,” Calabretta said.
“It’s always fun, it’s always exciting, and it’s even better to do it with your team,” Bauer added. “It was a long wait, but it was fun to get back in the groove.”
Will Bystrom scored for Friends Academy with 2:21 to play in the third quarter to make the score 13-1. Brett Cohen made 12 saves for the Quakers.
Cold Spring Harbor will face Mattituck/Greenport/Southold in the Class D Long Island Championship at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Stony Brook University’s LaValle Stadium.
“We’re going to have to come out ready to go,” CJ Reilly said. “Mattituck is good. Our coaches know what we’ve gotta do, they’re going to give us the matchups, and hopefully, we’re going to come out on top.”
