Half Hollow Hills boys lacrosse stays unbeaten, outlasts Northport in Suffolk I thriller
Ryan Chung of Half Hollow Hills goes airborne for a shot during a Suffolk boys lacrosse game against Northport on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in Dix Hills. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Half Hollow Hills senior Ryan Chung limped off Robert A. Collotta Field holding his helmet in his right hand with his eyeblack smeared and a bag of ice taped to his left knee.
That’s what happens when two of Long Island’s best programs meet on the lacrosse field, and neither team disappointed in a 30-goal thriller. Half Hollow Hills defeated Northport, 16-14, in Suffolk I Wednesday. Senior Zach Marco led Hills with three goals and two assists for a team-high five points.
“It’s many, many years in the making,” Marco said. “We’ve almost never beat them in the regular season. It just shows how we battle through adversity.”
Hills took a massive lead early at 9-2 with 6:23 to go in the second quarter, led by four first-half goals by sophomore Nick Haugen.
Coach Connor Hagans described Chung before the season as a “Swiss army knife,” and it’s easy to see why. The senior scored two goals and assisted another in the win, provided physical, high-effort defense and won seven faceoffs.
“This isn’t a game that’s just won in a day,” Ryan Chung said. “This goes all the way back to last year with early sessions and late nights … it’s a culmination of months of work.
Northport showed zero quit, however, and answered with seven unanswered goals in less than 10 minutes across the second and third quarters to bring the Tigers within one. Junior Luke Loiacono, who finished with three goals and two assists, sparked the run with a feed to sophomore Jack Trizzino.
Despite terrific defense by Northport’s Asher Levine throughout the afternoon, sophomore Daniel Chung helped Hills respond by scoring 1:03 later.
Ryan Chung, his older brother, noted how special it is to have his younger brother along with him for the ride on this 11-0 Hills team that entered the week ranked 19th in the country by USA Lacrosse.
“It’s unbelievable,” Ryan Chung said. “This is pretty much it for us [being on the same team], so we’re looking forward to spending it as best we can.”
Northport (9-2) again rallied with three consecutive goals, with senior Logan Cash scoring one and assisting another, to open the fourth quarter and tie the game at 12-12. Sophomore Gavin O’Brien led the Tigers with a game-high seven points as the score would be tied again 14-14 late.
Then Marco scored his most important goal of the day, slipping through the final go-ahead score for Hills before Ryan Chung assisted James Bruno’s insurance goal with 1:49 left in the game for the final result.
Bruno led Hills’ defense, forcing three turnovers as an attackman after a Hills mistake led to a turnover. Senior Luke Bradley boasted a goal and two assists.
“[It shows] our resilience,” Marco said. “We haven’t had much competition but when we do, it shows we can come out on top.”
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.
