Enright Goes For Empire Gold

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Robert Enright squared off against one of Long Island's most feared scoring tandems in the playoffs and won. Enright, a defenseman for Massapequa High School, helped choke off the Hicksville attack in the Nassau Class A semifinals to send the defending champs home early.  

Brandon Gamblin and Joey Leonard energized a Hicksville offense that reached double digits in six of their final nine games. Two of those misfires? That's right, against Enright and the Chiefs. 

But once the season ended, the rivals became teammates and Enright had the unenviable task of chasing down the Hicksville duo like a sheep dog at daily practices in the humid afternoon glare. All three made the Long Island scholastic boys lacrosse team, and Enright and Gamblin headed north for the Empire State Games.  

The five-day Olympic-style festival is a New York tradition. And Long Island lacrosse is the flagship team in the preeminent sport at the Games. So the tenor is serious and the atmosphere intense. Everyone is eager to knock off the Island. Which puts Enright, the last line of defense, in the crosshairs. Not that he'd ever admit it.

"We're not feeling any pressure at all," Enright said. "We're top dog. That's how it's going to be." 

Long Island has played well going  4-1 after wins against host region Western and always-tough Hudson Valley on Thursday followed by a 12-4 victory over Adirondack in the rain on Friday at Canisius College.  After a win over New York City, Long Island has outscored the opposition 57-26 and will go for the gold medal game on Sunday at 11 a.m. Enright has been in the thick of it all, in heavy rotation throughout.

The 5-11, 185-pound rising senior is a Johns Hopkins commitment, so the daily tests of mettle are nothing new. What has left an impression on the tough defender is something beyond the playing field.  

"This has been about developing friendships," Enright said. "I didn't expect to meet as many good kids as I did." 

Especially former rivals. 

EMPIRE NOTES

Massapequa's Dana DeMartino stopped 26 shots as the Long Island scholastic girls ice hockey team scored a pair of third-period goals to skate past Hudson Valley, 3-1, on Friday. DeMartino also had 12 saves in a 6-1 win over New York City on Thursday. But Long Island ended up taking Silver after losing 5-4 to Western on Saturday . . . Massapequa wrestlers Chris Sarro and Justin Paradiso had a strong showing in scholastic Greco Roman wrestling. Saro, who placed fourth at the Nassau tournament in February, won the Empire State Games 143-pound weight class with 6-0, 5-0 decisions over fellow Long Islander Steven Rispoli (East Meadow). Paradiso earned silver at 132 pounds after pushing the bout to three rounds . . . Daniel R. Bittner earned bronze in open men's Greco Roman wrestling with a 1-0, 3-1 decision over New York City's Ruslan Kalyujny in the 275-pound weight class.