What a great year it was in LI HS sports

We took a look back at the top moments in high school sports in 2010. There were the usual championship-caliber teams such as West Islip boys lacrosse, St. Anthony's football and Garden City girls lacrosse.

Who took us on the greatest of rides? And who left behind an indelible mark, difficult to break, but a mountain for another to climb? There were individual and team record-breakers, and there were teams that rewrote the history books.

Who took down the giants in their sport to win a state title? And which individuals rose to the pinnacle to claim state gold? Some of the spectacular individual performances just weren't enough to help their teams win titles.

There was so much to enjoy as Long Island's student-athletes basked in the glory of title clinching and trophy kissing. Which newsmaker had the greatest impact this year and who left us?

Here were the top 10 most memorable dates of 2010.

Jan. 3, 2010: Glenn emerged as the top wrestling program in the state. The top-ranked Knights went undefeated in tournament and dual-meet competition but the biggest achievement came early in the season on this date when they went 4-0 to win the prestigious Union-Endicott duals in Binghamton. The dual-meet title let the Knights serve notice on the state that they were the team to beat.

Feb. 12, 2010: It was a record-breaking year in wrestling. Senior Stephen Dutton of Rocky Point eclipsed Long Island's career wins record. His semifinal win in the Suffolk Tournament at 140 pounds sent him on his way to a fourth championship. It also enabled him to surpass Shoreham-Wading River's Jesse Jantzen, Long Island's all-time greatest wrestler, in career wins. Dutton earned his second state title and finished with 227 wins. Jantzen, a four-time state champ, had 221 wins from 1995-2000.

March 6, 2010: A highly anticipated boys basketball playoff game between Half Hollow Hills West and its Tennessee-bound star Tobias Harris and high-scoring Longwood lived up to the hype in one of the most electrifying Suffolk Class AA games played. And Hills West and its dynamic junior point guard Tavon Sledge stole the show for a 77-69 win before a standing-room-only crowd at Farmingdale State. More than 600 fans were turned away at the gate.

March 20, 2010: Boston College-bound Kristen Doherty had 22 points, eight rebounds and six steals as Sachem East won the state Class AA girls basketball championship with a 50-44 win over Shenendehowa. Doherty's sophomore sister, Meagan, had 18 points, including four three-pointers, as Sachem East won the school's first state crown.

June 12, 2010: The West Islip boys lacrosse team won its second straight state title and its fourth in five years. The Lions, ranked No. 1 in the nation by Inside Lacrosse, extended their winning streak to 21 and made it two straight state Class A titles and four in the last five years when they defeated Fairport, 13-5. North Carolina-bound Nicky Galasso, Newsday's player of the year, concluded a historic career by breaking the Long Island scoring record to finish with an even 500 points.

June 12, No. 2: The Garden City girls lacrosse team captured the school's fifth straight state Class B title with a resounding 20-10 win over Bedford's Fox Lane. It was the 11th state crown for the program. Barbara Sullivan was named tournament MVP as the Trojans finished unblemished at 21-0.

June 12, No. 3: Lindenhurst earned the school's first state Class AA baseball title with a 15-2 rout of Guilderland. The offense pounded 18 hits and took a 13-0 second-inning lead and cruised to the title. Lindenhurst coach Mike Canobbio opted for junior lefty Rich Vrana to get the Bulldogs through the semifinal. Vrana responded with a four-hit, 3-0 shutout over Valley Central to improve to 9-0. The championship win allowed the Bulldogs to finish 26-1.

Aug. 7, 2010: The passing of Bethpage's legendary football coach Howie Vogts. The man was a staple in Nassau football and respected throughout the state. His death marked the end of an era. A touching ceremony on the school's new turf field was held in honor of the man who began the Golden Eagles' program 56 years ago and won a state record 364 games. He will be missed.

Nov. 7, 2010: Newfield football won a school-record eight games and won a playoff game for the first time in school history. The program, which started in 1958, beat Comsewogue, 26-16, before the largest crowd in school history in a quarterfinal playoff win. It was also the first playoff win after seven straight losses. All-Long Island senior halfback Shervon Barthelmy set the school's single-season rushing record in the game.

Nov. 10, 2010: Oceanside senior quarterback Tyler Heuer set the single-season record for touchdown passes. His 34th touchdown pass wasn't enough as Oceanside, making its first appearance in the Nassau Conference I semifinals, lost, 42-20, to Farmingdale. Heuer, who'd already broke the Nassau record of 30 set by Freeport's Randy Mills in 2003, surpassed Commack's Mike Prahalis, who held the Long Island record with 33 touchdown passes in 2000. It was Oceanside's first appearance in the Conference I semifinals since the inception of the Big Four playoff system in 1984.

Nov. 26, 2010: Freeport football rewrote the record book in the Long Island Class I championship game. Red Devils junior quarterback Isaiah Barnes rushed for six touchdowns and threw for another in a 62-35 win over Floyd to capture the school's fourth Long Island championship. Freeport set the single-game record for points in a title game (62) and in a season (511). It was the school's second straight title and fourth in seven appearances.

Nov. 27, 2010: Bellport football coach Joe Cipp Jr. is contemplating retirement after winning a Suffolk-record 211 games and the school's sixth Long Island title. Cipp had a record of 211-87-3 in 32 years for a winning percentage of .706. Cipp started the program in 1976. After a 2-3 start, Cipp righted the Clippers' ship, and led them to seven straight wins and tied the Long Island record for most Long Island championship wins. In the last five games of the season, Newsday's Suffolk coach of the year guided his team to wins against opponents with a winning percentage of .889, something never before accomplished in L.I. football history. It was an amazing run.

Nov. 27, No. 2: Glenn's electric quarterback Ryan Rielly compiled a Long Island-record 3,563 all-purpose yards to lead the Knights to the school's first Class IV championship. He accounted for all four touchdowns, including three rushing, in a 28-7 win over undefeated Seaford. The All-Long Island quarterback passed for 1,874 yards and 20 touchdowns and rushed for another 1,652 yards and 21 scores. It was quite a year for Rielly, who also had an L.I. record of 506 all-purpose yards in a win over Mount Sinai.

So the list starts and ends with Glenn. What a great year!