Suffolk County Semifinals Preview: Breaking Down Each Class

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the postseason underway, Suffolk County lacrosse features elite semifinal matchups across classes A, B, and C. Here's a look at the top teams and players still in the hunt for a county championship.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class A (Games played on 5/27)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#1 Half Hollow Hills vs. #5 Smithtown East<br>#2 Northport vs. #3 Huntington</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Half Hollow Hills</strong> – After the regular season, Hills was the undisputed top public school on Long Island—and some would argue, even the country. They are powered by an incredible offense led by [player_tooltip player_id='14547' first='Anthony' last='Raio'] (North Carolina), who has 123 points on the season and is joined by an electric senior class. James Bruno (Dickinson) leads all of Long Island in goals with 84, and [player_tooltip player_id='127551' first='Zach' last='Marco'] (Harvard) has been a tremendous scorer. Defensively, Jake Casamento (Navy), Sal Caiazzo (UVM), and Sal Santoro (Pace), along with some great two-way middies, lead the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Smithtown East</strong> – The Bulls collected a huge win on the road against No. 4 Connetquot in convincing fashion. Smithtown East isn't your typical No. 5 seed—the Bulls held leads at the half earlier this year against both Hills and Northport. Their offense is led by [player_tooltip player_id='45379' first='Cameron' last='James'] (Yale), a lefty sniper who has been excellent all year. He's joined by Luke DiMaria (Drexel), who has netted over 50 goals on the year. On the back end, veteran Brendan Carroll (Drexel) has true playoff experience and will be crucial for the Bulls' postseason run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Northport</strong> – The Tigers have been dominant throughout the regular season. They battled Hills in a close game but eventually fell short. This offense is led by [player_tooltip player_id='21380' first='Jack' last='Deliberti'] (Ohio State), the longtime varsity contributor, who is joined by [player_tooltip player_id='42652' first='Greyson' last='Cabrera'] (UMass) and [player_tooltip player_id='127556' first='Logan' last='Cash'] (Siena). Northport scored 19 times in a runaway victory over Sachem North in the quarterfinals. FOGO [player_tooltip player_id='127336' first='Dylan' last='Baumgarth'] (Dartmouth) could be an X-factor for the Tigers. On defense, senior Asher Levine (Geneseo) will look to lead a tough group against an explosive Huntington offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Huntington</strong> – The Blue Devils have a terrific senior class, and this might be their best shot to win the county title in recent years. They took Northport to overtime in the regular season and captured a blowout win over Cold Spring Harbor. Senior midfielders Tommy Kline (Loyola), Timmy McDonald (Siena), and Collin Lennon (Siena) have been incredible. Huntington FOGO Luca Cuozzo (UMass) can dominate at the X and also create an offensive spark, while Veteran Parker Wands (Lenoir-Rhyne) leads the troops down low.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class B (Games Played on 5/28)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong> #1 East Islip vs. #5 Comsewogue<br></strong> <strong>#2 West Islip vs. #3 Smithtown West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>East Islip</strong> – The Redmen are back and secured the top seed after a strong 2025 campaign. East Islip has won 13 games this year, and in 12 of them, they refused to allow double-digit goals. [player_tooltip player_id='23420' first='Drew' last='Walendowski'] (Villanova) is one of the island's best netminders. On offense, East Islip is well-rounded and filled with scoring threats. [player_tooltip player_id='127204' first='Ryan' last='Parker'] (Rutgers) is one of the most athletic midfielders in the county. Alongside him, [player_tooltip player_id='38866' first='Brayden' last='Black'] (Cortland) and [player_tooltip player_id='127207' first='Jack' last='Kalinowski'] (Stony Brook) bring great size and skill. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='23417' first='Sean' last='Hannigan'] has registered 38 assists, and Ethan Bernardos (Sacred Heart) has scored over 30 goals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Comsewogue</strong> – What a rollercoaster year it's been for Comsewogue, which lost six games by just one goal and had a 3–11 record in May. But 'Wogue kept fighting, made the playoffs, and eventually beat No. 4 Harborfields, 11–9. Luca Lattanzio and Hunter Marquardt have found a rhythm offensively. Super sophomore Logan McCaffery does it all at LSM—he's been excellent at winning faceoffs and making defensive plays. Goaltender Ryan Schnepf (Farmingdale State) has been hot and will be counted on against explosive offenses.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>West Islip</strong> – The senior class for West Islip has been promising, and the Lions have lived up to the hype. They started off 10–0 before finishing 13–3. [player_tooltip player_id='38859' first='Derek' last='Busking'] (Siena) has continued his excellent career as a dominant attackman. He's had a great season alongside his brother, Chase, who will also play at Siena. Sophomore Will Schwartz has showcased his offensive ability in this prolific unit, along with seniors Nick Henry (Manhattan) and Quinn Reilly (Bucknell). On defense, Kevin Cinotti (St. John's) and Mick Faulkner (Fairfield) lead the way.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Smithtown West</strong> – The Bulls started off 0–6, and many people simply forgot about them. But Smithtown West stormed back, winning six of their final nine games to earn the No. 3 seed. This well-coached group has momentum, and senior Patrick Hyland (Cortland) has been one of their leaders. Hyland has delivered a great season, and Peter Bonefant (Queens) has played a big role during the Bulls' recent success. Eric Kowalski (LIU) will be a player to watch in the playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class C (Games Played on 5/28)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>#1 Kings Park vs. #5 Sayville<br></strong> #<strong>2 Bayport-Blue Point vs. #3 Mount Sinai</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kings Park</strong> – This has been one of the most promising Kings Park teams in recent memory. They've had a special season, including signature wins over top teams like West Islip and East Islip. It all starts with one of the most prolific scorers on Long Island in Jack Salva (Merrimack), who has over 60 goals and the ability to take over games. At midfield, Luke Griffin (Maryland) is an excellent athlete, and junior Andrew Lavaino has delivered. Ethan Bitran (Iona) and Gavin Marzigliano (Marist) will be key defensively for the Kingsmen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sayville</strong> – The Golden Flashes have the potential to make a run and have found their stride. They earned a big 13–9 road win over a talented Islip team in the quarterfinals. [player_tooltip player_id='125157' first='Tristan' last='Vitale'] (Salisbury) had a huge game with six points, while Tommy McCan (Drexel) notched three goals. McCan is one of the best pure athletes in the county. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='43774' first='Javen' last='Taff'] is a matchup nightmare and an X-factor in the playoffs. [player_tooltip player_id='129594' first='Connor' last='Batterberry'] also scored three goals in the quarterfinal game. Sayville only lost to Kings Park 11–8 in the regular season, and netminder Alex Delgiorno made 14 saves in that matchup.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bayport-Blue Point</strong> – Despite losing one of the most special classes in program history, this hasn't been a rebuild for Bayport. The defending state champions still have firepower and enter the playoffs on a five-game win streak with a 12–3 record. Connor Curran (Towson) has become a complete offensive threat with 45 goals and 35 assists. Fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='31298' first='Traigh' last='Tomassone'] (Wingate) has also had an excellent year with 32 goals. On defense, Ryan Atheran (Cortland) is one of the most underrated players in the county. His future college teammate, Dylan Craig, is one of the most athletic midfielders in this bracket.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mount Sinai</strong> – The Mustangs are back in the county title conversation after finishing the regular season 12–4. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='123605' first='Tommy' last='Massaro'] has been putting up video game-type numbers, scoring over 40 goals while dominating at the faceoff X and collecting ground balls. Senior Ryan Filippi (Florida Southern) and junior Donate Spadaro (Marist) are reliable scorers. Mount Sinai handed Kings Park their first loss of the season in an 8–7 victory, while junior goalie Sean Steimle made 18 saves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->