Chiefs lacrosse made history on Saturday by becoming the first Massapequa lacrosse team to win a New York state championship.
After a win against Smithtown East and utter domination against Niskayuna 23-9 in the semifinals, the Chiefs were sent to the finals against the Fayetteville-Manlius Hornets at Hofstra, a field that the Chiefs have become very familiar with.
The Hornets were present in the first quarter of play, scoring two goals and limiting Massapequa to four goals — then the Chiefs opened the floodgates.
Never again did the Hornets score as the Chiefs shut out their opponents in the next three quarters and scored twelve goals straight beginning late in the first quarter, six solely in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs had two players score hat tricks, senior Ian Kirby and junior Nick Yevoli, with nine other goal scorers who brought the Chiefs to a 16-2 victory over the Hornets.
“Our team is really deep,” said Yevoli. “We have more than six guys that can score which gives us a huge advantage because we can rest our players and when they go back in, they’re always ready to score some more.”
The defense played an important role in this victory. Junior goalie Matt Valdini limited the goals scored with seven saves while the defense limited the Hornets to 18 shots on goal. Junior Phil Brady also helped keep the ball in the possession of the Chiefs, winning 16 of his 19 faceoff attempts.
“”Faceoffs control the game,” Brady commented. “I feel that the more faceoffs I win, the more I help the team and help them win games.”
Boys’ lacrosse ended the Chiefs’ year with a bang, bringing back a Long Island and state championship while displaying an impressive 19-2 overall record after winning 17 straight games, and the future still looks bright for the lacrosse team.
As Massapequa says goodbye to great players like Craig Berge, Ian Kirby, and all of the other seniors who participated in this year’s amazing run, the Chiefs look forward to their new leadership under rising seniors Paul Dilena, Nick Yevoli, Carter Hawthorne, Griffin Barnathan, Phil Brady, and Griffin Konen. Can anyone else smell another state championship?