Suffolk County Team Of The Week: Huntington Girls Lacrosse Repeats As LI Champs

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — Huntington girls lacrosse repeated as Long Island champions, Smithtown East boys lacrosse nearly completed a dramatic championship comeback, and student-athletes from Deer Park, Bay Shore and Huntington earned recognition during another busy week in Suffolk County sports.

Huntington Girls Lacrosse Repeats As Long Island Champions

The Huntington High School girls lacrosse team is heading back to the state Final Four after repeating as Long Island champions with a 9-6 win over Massapequa.

Winning county and Long Island championships once is difficult enough, but the Blue Devils made it back-to-back titles by building a strong lead and then holding off Massapequa’s comeback attempt.

The win sent Huntington to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A Final Four at SUNY Cortland. The Blue Devils were scheduled to face Suffern at Grady Field, with the winner advancing to the state championship game.

Against Massapequa, sophomore goalie Juliet Johnson helped anchor the victory, recording 13 saves and helping shut down one of the state’s strongest offensive units. Johnson has stopped 129 shots this spring.

Huntington led 5-2 after the first period and took an 8-3 lead into halftime. Massapequa never caught up.

Olivia Puccio, Jolie Weinschreider and Ava Bencivenga each scored two goals for the Blue Devils. Valentina Puccio added a goal and an assist, while Grace Gordon and Leigh Evans also scored.

The Blue Devils are coached by Meg Marinello, Chris Taylor, Lauren Blackburn and Lauren Schwalje.

Ava McDonald, who anchored Huntington’s defense, said the team’s belief and preparation helped carry it through the championship run.

“From the very beginning, we believed in ourselves and what we were capable of doing,” McDonald said. “Our coaches spent countless hours preparing us for moments like this and we trusted everything they taught us. We played for each other. Every play was for each other. We knew what was at stake and nobody wanted this season to end. When you have a team that believes, trusts one another, and is willing to fight for each other until the final whistle, you can do special things. That’s how we were able to shut them down.”

Smithtown East Boys Lacrosse Falls In LIC Thriller

The Smithtown High School East boys lacrosse team rallied, rallied again and nearly pulled off a major comeback in the Class B Long Island Championship game on June 6.

The Bulls fell to Manhasset, 10-9, at Stony Brook University in a game that did not appear headed for a final-minute finish early on.

Smithtown East trailed 5-1 at halftime and 7-1 in the third quarter before its comeback began. The Bulls roared back and cut the deficit to 10-9 in the final minute, but a pair of turnovers helped seal the one-goal loss.

Brendan Power led Smithtown East with five goals, while Cameron James added three.

The loss came after Smithtown East won the Suffolk County Class B title, the program’s first county championship since 2015.

Huntington Golfer Qualifies For State Amateur Championship

Huntington junior Jack Corcoran qualified at Bethpage Red for the New York State Men’s Amateur Championship.

Corcoran finished in the top 10 out of 70 golfers with a score of 73, shooting 37 on the front nine and 36 on the back nine.

The performance sends Corcoran to the championship tournament, scheduled for July 7-9 at Glens Falls Country Club in Queensbury.

Deer Park Celebrates Spring Varsity Athletes

Deer Park High School celebrated the accomplishments of its spring student-athletes during its annual varsity sports awards night on June 2.

The event was hosted by Athletic Director Dominick Fontana and recognized members of 13 Falcons teams: Unified basketball, Unified bowling, boys varsity tennis, boys varsity lacrosse, girls varsity lacrosse, varsity baseball, girls varsity golf, boys varsity badminton, girls varsity badminton, varsity softball, varsity flag football, boys varsity spring track and girls varsity spring track.

Student-athletes received certificates and plaques honoring Most Valuable Player, Coaches, Spirit and Scholar-Athlete award recipients.

“Thank you to our coaches and athletes for putting in the time, effort, hard work and dedication that they do, season in and season out,” Fontana said.

Bay Shore Athlete Receives SCOPE Scholarship

Bay Shore student-athlete Niall Haughney received the SCOPE Nick DeCillis Memorial Scholarship at a recent Section XI Awards luncheon.

The recognition added another honor for a Bay Shore student-athlete during the spring postseason awards season.

Don’t See Your Team Highlighted?

Patch is gathering weekly high school sports results from districts across Suffolk County. Coaches, athletic directors, and school communications staff are encouraged to share scores, highlights, and postseason updates for inclusion in upcoming weekend wrap-ups.