Al Pehanick And James Kalberer Receive Lacrosse MVP Awards At 2026 Lacrosse Showcase

Midfielder Al Pehanick of Northport High School with three goals and second half goalie James Kalberer of Saint Anthony High School were named co-MVPs in leading Suffolk County over Nassau County 17-7 in the 2026 Long Island Lacrosse Showcase Top 25 Game of Rising Sophomores at Hofstra University on Thursday, June 25.

The boys received the James C. Metzger Most Valuable Player Award. The winning Suffolk team, coached by Drew Peters of Westhampton Beach High School, Mike Massari of Mount Sinai High School and Mike Vitulli of Center Moriches High School, received the Metzger Cup.

The cup is awarded to the winning teams at each of the four games of Rising Freshmen, Rising Sophomores, Rising Juniors and Rising Seniors at the Lacrosse Showcase.

The awards were presented by James C. Metzger and Vincent J. Sombrotto. Metzger was a lacrosse, football and basketball standout at Half Hollow Hills High School East in Dix Hills and a lacrosse All-American at Hofstra University during the 1970s. He received the 1977 Lt. Ray Enners Award for outstanding Suffolk County lacrosse player when he scored 102 points and received All-American honors. Metzger’s support for Long Island lacrosse includes boys high school leadership, MVP and outstanding player awards for teams in Nassau and Suffolk counties. He is the founder and chairman of Whitmore - The Agency, an insurance and financial services firm in Garden City now known as Acrisure.

Sombrotto attended Chaminade High School in Mineola during the 1970s and was a Hofstra All-American midfielder. He was named to the 1982 All-World Team and is a member of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

Showcase Format

For more than a decade, the Long Island Lacrosse Showcase for boys attending local high schools has been recognized as the premier event that allows players to display their talent for college coaches. The Long Island Lacrosse Showcase format originally was featured in the former New York Empire State Games. The Nassau County Lacrosse Coaches Association and the Suffolk County Lacrosse Coaches Association recreated the format during 2009.

Players compete during tryout rounds to determine the top athletes at each grade level. Fifty players from each county for each grade level are selected to compete in the Final 50 games. The 25 players selected from the Final 50 games represent their county at their grade level at the Long Island Lacrosse Showcase Nassau versus Suffolk Games. Players for these games also earn roster spots to represent their county at the New York State Regional Championships held during the summer.