Tale of the Tape: Previewing Each Long Island Championship Game

It's one of the best days of the year — it's Long Island championship time! In all four classes, we have great matchups featuring some of the top talent on the island. Check out the breakdowns below! Games will be played on 6/4 — Classes A and C are at Hofstra University, Classes B and D are at East Islip Middle School.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class A: Massapequa vs. Hills</h2>   The island's top public school, Half Hollow Hills, is looking to stay undefeated, but they'll have to go through a hot Massapequa team in the LIC.   About Massapequa: The Chiefs have a great blend of youth and experience, as they were able to get through a difficult Class A to capture a county title. Sophomore duo Nolan Wieczorek and [player_tooltip player_id='123947' first='Rocco' last='Spallina'] have been electric for Massapequa. Eighth-grader Jake Byrnes stepped up in a big way last game — he scored two goals as Pequa took down Port Washington 9–7. A big reason why Massapequa is here is their senior goalie, Michael Jannotte (Stevens). He has been excellent this postseason; he collected 14 saves in the semi-final win over Syosset and had another performance over 50% against Port Washington. Hills is terrific in all aspects. The Chiefs will rely on their senior two-way middies, Joey Diesso (Adelphi) and Matt Pettis (Albany), to make plays against this loaded Hills senior class.   About Hills: It has been pure dominance for Hills throughout this season. They have yet to lose a game and possess one of the top offenses in the country. Nobody has been able to slow them down. The trio of Anthony Raio (North Carolina), Zach Marco (Harvard), and James Bruno (Dickinson) have continued their greatness in the postseason. In a very competitive Class A, Hills ran through the competition with blowout wins over Ward Melville, Smithtown West, and Northport, averaging 19 goals per game in the playoffs. Two-way midfielders Ryan Chung (Bates) and Luke Bradley have been true “do-it-all” guys and instrumental during this playoff run. On defense, Hills will count on [player_tooltip player_id='42654' first='Sal' last='Caiazzo'] (Vermont) and Jake Casamento (Navy) to continue winning their matchups, and for Sal Santoro (Pace) to keep playing well in the cage.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class B: Garden City vs. East Islip</h2>   After losing in the county semi-finals last year, Garden City is back — but they find themselves in a unique spot. This LIC will be a road game for GC, as the Suffolk winner, East Islip, is also the host of the B and D championships. The Redmen are looking to finish the job this year on their home turf after falling in the LIC a year ago.   About GC: The perennial powerhouse stormed through the Nassau County playoffs this year with dominant wins over Calhoun and rival Manhasset to get to this point. Their coaching and stout defense are always a staple at Garden City, and this year has been no different as they locked down the opposition in the playoffs. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='43768' first='Andrew' last='Dengler'] and senior Blake Cascadden (Cornell) have been terrific. On offense, [player_tooltip player_id='82287' first='Charlie' last='Koester'] (Lehigh) had a monster semi-final performance. He's joined by sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='123459' first='Anthony' last='Asaro'], who netted four goals in the county final win. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='126883' first='Ben' last='Smith'] has also had a breakout season this spring. For the Trojans, Luke Cascadden (Navy) has continued to be the X-factor, helping them control games this season from the faceoff X.   About EI: It's rare to win a Long Island championship on your home turf, but East Islip has that opportunity this week. The Redmen won their second consecutive county championship after an impressive win over rival West Islip in the title game. In this postseason, senior Ryan Parker (Rutgers) has been on a different level. The dynamic midfielder has refused to be stopped — he scored five goals in both the semi-finals and the championship game. Jack Kalinowski (Stony Brook) added a hat trick in both of those games, while Ethan Bernardos (Sacred Heart) scored five goals in the Suffolk County championship. Coach Zummo's Redmen have found a rhythm — and it's scary. Their goalie, Drew Walendwoski (Villanova), is one of the island's best and will be a key factor against Garden City.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class C: Wantagh vs. Kings Park</h2>   Wantagh had a special comeback win to secure their second straight county championship. Kings Park's special senior class guided them to a title behind their high-powered offense.   About Wantagh: Despite trailing in the second half against South Side, the Warriors defied the odds and scored four straight goals to send it to overtime before [player_tooltip player_id='126935' first='Luke' last='Martini'] found the back of the net for the game-winner. Luke, who's just a freshman, and senior Dylan Martini (Army) combined for seven goals in this game and connected on the game-winning goal. Wantagh has a high-powered offense led by [player_tooltip player_id='17760' first='Devin' last='Paccione'] (Villanova). Lethal shooters [player_tooltip player_id='82355' first='Joe' last='Nicholson'] (Villanova) and [player_tooltip player_id='42657' first='Carter' last='Loughman'] (Albany) will be crucial factors, as Kings Park has the ability to score in bunches.   About Kings Park: The Kingsmen have put together quite the campaign in 2025. Some people thought this could be their year — and they ended up being right. They had two impressive wins over Sayville and Bayport to help them win a county championship. Kings Park has one of the island's top scorers, as Jack Salva (Merrimack) has been incredible this postseason. In the county championship game against Bayport, Salva delivered — and so did his teammates. Billy Berhalter (LIU) has been finishing the ball at a high rate. Luke Griffin (Maryland) continues to show why he's one of the island's best. The future Terp had three goals in the championship game and is a player to watch in the LIC.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Class D: Cold Spring Harbor vs. Center Moriches</h2>   Cold Spring Harbor has owned Class D here on Long Island — the Seahawks captured their fourth straight county title and are aiming for their fourth straight LIC. But they are taking on a new face. Center Moriches upset Babylon and now has a chance to stun the perennial power for a Long Island title.   About Cold Spring Harbor: Skilled, athletic, and well-coached is something Cold Spring Harbor has always had — and things haven't changed. The Seahawks sprinted through the Nassau County playoffs with back-to-back victories by double digits. In the county final, Brady McKean (Stony Brook) had three goals in the second quarter to help create separation. Star sophomore Roy Testa is back from injury, and it looked like he didn't miss a beat. He notched two goals, along with his brother Roger adding a pair of goals in the county final. The Seahawks have a loaded senior class, as Alex Bauer (Michigan) is joined by Stevens commits Kevin Burns and Sam Bruno. Sophomore FOGO [player_tooltip player_id='126325' first='Alex' last='Vitale'] and sophomore goalie [player_tooltip player_id='127860' first='Matty' last='Kammer'] have been pivotal to CSH's success.   About Center Moriches: The boys from Center Moriches went almost a month without winning a game at one point during the season. April wasn't an easy month, but that didn't faze them heading into the postseason. Most people expected Babylon to be here, but Center Moriches took down the Panthers in maybe the most entertaining Suffolk County title game of the day. They got off to an excellent start, going up 4–0 on Babylon. They went on to win 7–6 with a last-second save by goalie John Marino, who finished with his season-best 15 saves. The offense was guided by Caden Leslie, who had three points. Junior Will Jordan had two goals in this one, and Colin Casey also scored to lead them to victory. Center Moriches' upperclassmen will be leaned on in their efforts to upset the defending state champs.

It's one of the best days of the year — it's Long Island championship time! In all four classes, we have great matchups featuring some of the top talent on the island. Check out the breakdowns below! Games will be played on 6/4 — Classes A and C are at Hofstra University, Classes B and D are at East Islip Middle School.