It was, as always, a season of great accomplishments for Nassau Co. high school athletes and teams this spring.
From Garden City’s dominance on the lacrosse field, to breakthrough softball titles in Glen Cove and Mineola, to a dynasty being dethroned in flag football, there was so much for local prep sports fans to savor.
Before thoughts turn to summer and vacation, a look back at the spring that was:
Baseball: It was a stellar season on the diamond for Class AAA powerhouse Massapequa, as the Chiefs won county and Long Island championships, but fell in the state semifinals. In Class AA, Garden City rolled to county and LIC wins, and lost in the regional final to Fox Lane. In Class A, Wantagh grabbed the crown before falling in the LIC, while Class B saw Carle Place win counties and lose to Babylon in the Long Island final.
Softball: Two very long droughts came to an end in Nassau County, as both Glen Cove and Mineola roared to county crowns.
Led by ace pitcher, junior Brooke Simmons, who threw a no-hitter in Game 2 of the championship series, Glen Cove won its first title since 1985, beating MacArthur in Class AA. The Big Red then fell to East Islip, 2-0 in the L.I. championship game, but it was a season to remember for Glen Cove.
And in Class A, Mineola had one of the craziest seasons in recent memory, enduring a 13-game losing streak during the regular year, but getting hot toward the end and shocking Seaford, 5-0, in the deciding game of the county final series. Autumn Malone homered and threw a shutout as Mineola won its first county crown since 1998.
The Mustangs got upended by Miller Place, the eventual state champs, in the L.I.C.
Boys Lacrosse: Garden City’s lacrosse dominance suffered a blip in 2024, losing to Manhasset in the county semis, but the Trojans bounced back with a vengeance this spring. Garden City cruised by Manhasset in the Class B county finals, 13-5, then easily rolled to a state championship.
In Class A, Massapequa won a thriller over Port Washington in the county championship game, 9-7, before losing a heartbreaker to Half Hollow Hills, 15-14, in the LIC.
Class C saw Wantagh win a pair of one-goal thrillers in championship games, as it turned back South Side and then Kings Park to win the LIC for the first time since 2001. The Warriors were upended in the Southeast Regional final.
And in Class D, the Cold Spring Harbor dynasty continued, as it won its fourth straight LI championship and followed that up with another state crown.
Girls Lacrosse: It was an historic year for South Side High School in Class C, as the school, which had lost for three straight years in conference title games, finally broke through and beat Wantagh, 14-8 in the title game for South Side’s first ever title in the sport. South Side then lost to Bayport-Blue Point in the LIC.
In Class A, Massapequa squeaked by Port Washington to win the county title, before losing to Huntington in the LIC.
Class B action saw Garden City come so close to a state crown, beating Manhasset to win counties, then advancing all the way to the state final before losing to Victor, 12-9. It was the Trojans’ second appearance in the title game in the past three years.
And in Class D, Cold Spring Harbor defended its state title, matching what its boys team did.
Boys Tennis: In the team competition, there was a thrilling first-timer winning a title, and an “old reliable” showing its still the best team on the block.
Friends Academy, which had lost the small schools competition in the finals two straight years, broke through in June to claim its first crown. A win at third doubles by Vir Singh and Blake Doan gave the Quakers a 3-2 win over Byram Hills at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
In the large schools competition, Syosset survived tough tests against Roslyn the county final and Horace Greely in the regional final, winning both matches 4-3, before dominating the semis and finals en route to its third straight title.
In the county individual tournaments, Manhasset’s Max Golubenko won his first county singles crown, while Garden City’s duo of Ben Wise and C.J. Bravo won the doubles.
At states, Golubenko and Roslyn’s Ethan Solop very impressively made the semifinals before losing, with Solop then topping Golubenko in the third place match to finish his terrific career.
Boys Track and Field: The Manhasset boys team completed a remarkable season in the spring, after winning the state cross country championship and county indoor title, Set cruised to a Class AA county team title. Manhasset’s 4×800 relay team also won a state title for the first time.
Too many other great individual performances at states to name them all, but highlights include Herricks’ thrower Kenneth Ramdayal winning a state shotput title in Class A, and coming in second in the discus; Roslyn pole vaulter Zachary Davidson finishing off a sensational career by coming in second (but tying for the title in height) in Class B, and Elmont’s Aidan Peterkin, who won the Class B 400-meter state title and was runner-up in the 200, while anchoring Elmont’s 4×400 relay team to state championships. Hewlett’s Matthew DeCicco won the state championship in the Class B pentathlon as well.
Girls Track and Field: It was another incredible outdoor season for the Baldwin High School sprinters, as the 4×100 relay team won the state title (and broke the state record in the process); Breanne Barnett captured first place in the 200, and Sariah Doresca took second in the 100 meters. All that helped Baldwin win the team title at states.
Valley Stream North’s Paige Fessler had an incredible state meet as well, winning the state title in the high jump and long jump (just squeaking by Manhasset’s Kate Voelker in high jump),
Friends Academy’s Aislinn Frazer also finished off her incredible career with four wins at the Nassau Co. meet, giving her 21 county crowns in her career. And Port Washington’s Bella Lucas wrapped up her highlight-filled career by coming in second in the state in the pentathlon.
Girls Badminton: There was a new queen of the hill in Nassau County, as Jericho finally got past Great Neck South for the team title after losing to the Rebels the past four seasons. Led by Sandra Chen at first singles, Jericho went undefeated in the regular season and advanced to the LIC, where it crushed Commack, 7-0 to take the crown.
In the individual tournament, Siddhangi Wickramasinghe of Calhoun won first place, while GNS’ Emma Ding and Eva Westbay won the doubles title.
Flag Football: Finally, in flag football the new dynasty was dethroned. Plainview-Old Bethpage hadn’t lost a game in four years, winning Long Island championships in each season, but after a regular season that saw Plainview again be the tops in Nassau, the Hawks were defeated by Half Hollow Hills in the LIC.
In Class B, Levittown-Division was county champs, while in Class C, Plainedge made a run to the state semifinals before losing.
