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Bayport-Blue Point Players Spotlight: Goalie duo of Matt Nilan and Eric Grahn
In high school lacrosse, some teams are lucky enough to get one very talented goalie. But for Bayport-Blue Point, they were fortunate enough to have two of them. Matt Nilan and Eric Grahn are the two goaltenders for Bayport and have created an amazing duo. Nilan is a senior headed off to Towson next year and Grahn is a junior committed to Siena.
Oceanside Player Spotlight: Izzy Weintraub
Oceanside’s senior goalie Izzy Weintraub has helped guide the Sailors to a 10-5 regular season and the number three seed in the Nassau Class A playoffs. She has been the anchor of a defense that has allowed just over five goals per game and has recorded a total of 100 saves with a save percentage of 56%. Weintraub grew up playing soccer and was a goalie before transitioning into lacrosse around the third or fourth grade. She initially started as a defender playing for PAL but switched over to goalie when she started playing the club team Legacy. The combination of lacrosse being a faster game and the thrill of being able to make a save and clear the ball is what made her realize that this is the game that she loves to play.
Massapequa Players Spotlight with Joely Caramelli, Jess Giller, and Bridget Valentine
One of the top girls teams in Nassau County and on Long Island are the Massapequa Chiefs. This season they went 10-4 in the regular season and have clinched the number one seed in the Nassau Class A bracket. They are led by three stud junior midfielders, Joely Caramelli, Jess Giller, and Bridget Valentine who fill out the draw circle for the Chiefs. The uniqueness of this lethal trio is that they have been playing lacrosse together for over 10 years. Their time on the field together goes all the way back to their days playing PAL lacrosse in the Massapequa community.
LILJ Pre-Playoff Top 25 Boys Rankings
With the playoffs around the corner, here’s the new top 25 rankings for boys high school lacrosse. There’s been a lot of movement in the top 25 since spring break, including a couple of new squads cracking the new rankings. Things are really starting to heat up as the regular season comes to a close.
In the new poll, there have been teams who have climbed up tremendously. Seaford, who was ranked 23rd in our last poll, jumped ten spots to be ranked 13th. The senior led Vikings just came off of a big win over South Side to go to second place in Nassau class C. Ward Melville has also performed well moving up 5 spots earning the number 9 spot in the rankings. Port Washington also made noise going from 20 to 16.Â
Some newcomers also made their way into the rankings. Connetquot is ranked 20th in the poll after racking up some big league wins. Miller Place comes in at 21 following their 10th victory of the year. The Westhampton Beach Hurricanes are on a 3 game win streak and crack the poll at the 23rd spot. And lastly, Sayville joins the poll at number 24 after coming away with a big win over Comsewogue.
1. Mount Sinai
2. St Anthony’sÂ
3. Shoreham-Wading River
4. Cold Spring Harbor
5. Chaminade
6. Garden City
7. NorthportÂ
8. Manhasset
9. Ward Melville
10. ComsewogueÂ
11. MassapequaÂ
12. Smithtown WestÂ
13. SeafordÂ
14. Smithtown EastÂ
15. Port Washington
16. FarmingdaleÂ
17. HuntingtonÂ
18. Bayport-Blue PointÂ
19. South Side
20. ConnetquotÂ
21. Miller PlaceÂ
22. WesthamptonÂ
23. East IslipÂ
24. SayvilleÂ
25. WantaghÂ