LI Lacrosse Journal
March 3, 2026
2 min read
No. 21 Ranked Smithtown East Bulls Team Preview
March 3, 2026
2 min read
“Close but no cigar” has been the story of Smithtown East lacrosse over the last few seasons, coming up just short in the Suffolk County playoffs in three of the last four years. This Long Island program was pleased to re-hire Kevin Huff as head coach in 2025, a proven winner who guided the Smithtown Bulls to a county title in 2003, as well as the Eastport-South Manor Sharks to the same achievement in 2017. After a full year to unpack his things and get re-acclimated in his old office, Huff will look to bring his team to another level this season as they now navigate their way through Class B.
An experienced offensive crew loaded with skill is definitely a step in the right direction, and that’s what the second-year head coach has in his pocket. The Bulls happily greet three of their top four scorers from a year ago back for another season, as senior attackmen Cameron James (Hopkins), Teddy Barrata, and midfielder Campbell Cracciola (Sacred Heart) headline a what-should-be lethal offensive corpse for Coach Huff. At the face-off X they also welcome back junior Jack Reddock (Albany). Sophomore Hunter Hughes should see an uptick in minutes in his second varsity season while senior midfielders Ryan Farrell and Logan Scanlon (Oswego) are also expected to have increased usage for the Bulls offense. Smithtown East will have a new leader in the cage for them this season after Brendan Carroll (Drexel) departed after 2025, and the two returners in goal for Coach Huff’s squad is sophomore CJ Stein and senior Jack Amato. With Brody Bernhardt and Sean Pellegrino also no longer in the picture for the Bulls’ D, it’ll be a rather different looking unit across the board. A nice constant to the mix is sophomore defensemen Brock Bernhardt, who’s already a three year varsity member and multi-year starter. The young cover man will be tasked with a leadership role amongst his new position group, featuring fellow sophomore Matthew Passarello. Other names to look out for to potentially have expanded roles include Troy Ress, Brendan Power and Mike McDevitt. When asked about a few keys to success this season, Kevin Huff refers to his team’s togetherness and the power that it can bring. “The brotherhood amongst them, they all work together and for each other,” Huff stated. The Smithtown East Bulls open up their 2026 season with a non-league contest against Syosset on 3/24 before opening up league play against Shoreham-Wading River on 3/27.
