Long Island: Breaking Down the 2025 Nassau County Award Winners

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With another historic lacrosse season in the books, Nassau County's brightest stars have been recognized. Checkout the county award winners below!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>John Krumenacker Award: Player of the Year – Luke Cascadden, Garden City (Navy)<br></strong>Garden City won its third straight title in four years, and Luke Cascadden was a difference-maker at the X in so many tough games. He won 78% of his faceoffs and picked up 200 ground balls. He is an exceptional athlete who helped Garden City control games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bill Ritch Award: Attackman of the Year – [player_tooltip player_id='82287' first='Charlie' last='Koester'], Garden City (Lehigh)</strong><strong><br></strong> Garden City had one of the toughest schedules in the country among public schools. They needed offensive firepower, and that's exactly what Koester brought. He scored 66 goals and dished out 33 assists to lead the Trojans' offense. He netted four goals in the Long Island title game to help them defeat East Islip 15–11.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>John Driscoll Award: Midfielder of the Year – Dylan Martini, Wantagh (Army)</strong><strong><br></strong> The Wantagh native led the Warriors to their second straight county championship and their first Long Island title in 24 years. Martini collected another 50+ goal season, but this year his distributing ability took a huge leap. He added over 30 assists from the midfield position.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Howdy Meyers Award: Defenseman of the Year – Harrison Behan, Port Washington (Syracuse)<br></strong>Recently flipping to Syracuse, Behan put together a statement senior season as a lockdown cover man. His on-ball defense was in the conversation for best on Long Island. He rose to the challenge of guarding top players throughout the power conference and helped Port Washington return to the county title game, with the team allowing double-digit goals in just one game all season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Specialist of the Year – Luke Cascadden, Garden City (Navy)</strong><strong><br></strong> Along with Player of the Year honors, Cascadden also took home the award for top specialist. He was great all season, but in the playoffs is where he shined brightest. In postseason play, Cascadden won 82% of his draws and collected 68 ground balls during Garden City's state championship run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>LSM of the Year – Blake Cascadden, Garden City (Cornell)<br></strong> The final Trojan to take home a Player of the Year trophy, Blake Cascadden was a game-breaker at the long-stick midfielder position. His pure athleticism made him a tough defender, and his explosiveness allowed him to be a dangerous threat in the middle of the field. In the county title game, he scored three goals and guided the Trojans to a championship, avenging their loss to rival Manhasset in the 2024 playoffs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Goalie of the Year – Michael Jannotte, Massapequa (Stevens)<br></strong> The Chiefs' netminder stepped up time and time again during his senior season. He had a save percentage of 63% against a loaded schedule. Jannotte led a younger defensive core, and his leadership skills were always on full display. Despite losing the Long Island title game to Hills, Jannotte had a memorable performance with several electric saves, totaling 17 stops. His quick outlets led to instant offense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tom Flatley Award – Dylan Martini<br></strong>This award is given to a player who excelled in both football and lacrosse. Martini took home the Thorp Award (given to Nassau's top football player). He helped Wantagh win its first Long Island football title since 2016, rushing for 1,976 yards. Martini was a do-it-all player in both sports and left his mark in Wantagh history.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->