No. 2 Ranked Mt. Sinai Mustangs Team Preview

The Mt. Sinai Mustangs enter the 2022 season as the defending Long Island Class C champions and are the second ranked team in the LILJ preseason rankings. They were 16-1 and defeated Manhasset in what was an unforgettable championship game. They also competed in the LILJ High School Winter League where they went 5-1 against other high level Suffolk County opponents. The Mustangs are coached by Harold Drumm who said he’s excited to get the guys back out on the field and compete this season.

Mt. Sinai is led by senior All-American attackman Joey Spallina (Syracuse). The talent that Spallina has is through the roof as he is widely regarded as the best player in the entire 2022 class. He was the number one ranked recruit before committing to Syracuse. Last year he finished the season with an absurd 121 points, averaging more than seven points a game. He capped off Mt. Sinai’s season with the game winning goal in their championship game. Playing alongside Spallina at attack is sophomore Lucas LaForge. LaForge is coming off of a monster freshman season where he led the team with 48 goals to go along with seven assists for 55 points which was the second most on the team. This duo is the best one-two punch on the entire island. One of their other key attackmen is junior Cole Marsala (Quinnipiac) who had a big showing in the winter league. He was tied for the league lead in points with 17. Prepare for a big season from him in the absence of 2021 graduates Nick Colantonio, Derek Takacs, and Pat Deckert.

Leading the midfield unit is senior James Carretta (Georgetown). He is a player that will get it done on both sides of the field. In the winter league he was tied for the most points in the league with 17 and also added seven ground balls. Carretta is also one that can be heavily relied upon in the clearing game. Fellow senior Gavin Takacs (Stony Brook) also returns to a midfield unit that will be without Ryan Jones who was a key 2021 graduate.

The Mustangs also return two of their face-off specialists Austin Oppenheim (Albany) and Jake Spallina (Syracuse). Oppenheim had a dominant winter league, finishing second in total face-offs won and a winning percentage of 71%. Spallina can be seen as a do-it-all player that is very strong in the face-off X but also gets it done offensively and defensively as a midfielder.

On the defensive end one of their key returners is senior LSM Dylan Sageder (Syracuse). The things Sageder brings to the table are unmatched. He is elite at getting into the passing lanes and breaking up plays and is a ground ball machine. Sageder is an All-County LSM and was an All-American honorable mention. He will be playing alongside junior LSM Brett Spallina (Syracuse). He is described as being strong in his cover skills. As a team Mt. Sinai only allowed around five goals per game. A huge part of that was due to the play of goalie Matt Graffeo who was a 2021 graduate. This means that stepping into the role as the staring goalie is junior Brayden Wilcken. He showcased his abilities in the winter league where was just below 60% in saves. Senior defenseman Mikey Trepeta (Johns Hopkins) is a big loss for the Mustangs who will be out for the season with an injury he suffered in the winter. The team will also be without graduates AJ Volkman and Colton Maher who were two of their defensemen.

It is unclear if there will be any true rookies ton the team, but coach Drumm says they have a lot of players whot will get a lot of playing time this year that did not see that much action last year.

With a full schedule on tap the Mustangs have some marquee matchups that will be must-see. Here are some notable opponents that they have this season.

Northport @ Mt. Sinai (3/23)

Comsewogue @ Mt. Sinai (4/8)

Mt. Sinai @ Bayport (4/20)

Mt. Sinai @ Garden City ( at St. Anthony’s 4/22)

Shoreham @ Mt. Sinai (5/12)

 

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