Sports
Mike Gomez Receives Suffolk H.S. Lacrosse Honor
Award named for Garden City executive and standout high school, college athlete James C. Metzger.
The 2018 James C. Metzger Outstanding Player Award for a Half Hollow Hills East boys’ varsity lacrosse player recently was presented to senior Mike Gomez. A star defenseman, Gomez played varsity lacrosse for five years. According to his coaches, Gomez rarely made a mistake and always covered the leading players on opposing teams.
The Thunderbirds finished the season with a 15-4 record and competed for the Suffolk County championship. The team finished third of 22 Suffolk County Class A teams. The team was ranked 11th in the country by Inside Lacrosse during week eight. The publication ranked the Thunderbirds 23rd during week 13. USLacrosse Magazine ranked the team 16th on May 29.
During his senior season, Gomez scored 11 goals and nine assists and recovered 80 ground balls. He was an Under-Armour Top 44 Senior Game Selection and a Suffolk County Honorable Mention All-American. Gomez will play lacrosse at Johns Hopkins University.
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Photo: Senior defenseman Mike Gomez received the annual Half Hollow Hills East High School James C. Metzger Outstanding Player Award for boys’ lacrosse. M. Virgintino photo
Find out what's happening in Garden Cityfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
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The award is named for and endowed by a leading Half Hollow Hills High School East benefactor who also was an All-American student athlete at the school during the 1970s. James Metzger set assist records (82 in one season) and won many awards during his high school playing days, including All-American honors and the 1977 Ray Enners Award for outstanding Suffolk County lacrosse player when he scored 102 points. Metzger also starred in football and played varsity basketball as a sophomore in the Suffolk County playoffs.
After graduation from high school, Metzger played lacrosse for two years at Hofstra University. As an All-American, he led Hofstra in assists during his freshman and sophomore seasons (1979 and 1980). His single season points per game average (4.9) ranks fourth all-time and his single season assist average (2.8) ranks eighth.
Metzger is the founder and CEO of The Whitmore Group, a leading insurance services and estate planning company in the New York metropolitan area that is headquartered in Garden City.
