Comsewogue boys lacrosse's Gianni Marino nets late goal in victory over Smithtown East

The playoffs might still be just over a week away for Suffolk boys lacrosse, but those at Comsewogue High School Thursday got a glimpse at what could very well be the Class B county final later this month at Stony Brook.

Comsewogue goalie Dylan O’Connor flipped a pass to Nick Saladino, who sprinted upfield before dishing it to Gianni Marino. His low shot made the difference with 1:51 remaining, breaking a tie to set up Comsewogue’s 11-10 home win over Smithtown East in Suffolk’s Division II.

“Honestly, after I got stuffed the first time, I knew I was going to get the next one and that it would go in the back of the net, and it felt great,” Marino said.

Smithtown East (11-3, 11-1) suffered its first loss in league play. The Bulls led 8-7 at halftime in a game that never featured more than a one-goal lead in the second half.

“We weren’t as patient as we were in the beginning,” Smithtown East coach Kevin Huff said. “We were making bad shot selections. I’d attribute it to kids feeling the playoff pressure a little bit, trying to rush to make a good play but instead making a bad play.

“Hopefully, we get something out of this.”

Aided by O’Connor’s 20 saves, Comsewogue (11-3, 10-2) benefited from relentless on-ball pressure headlined by long-stick midfielder Logan McCaffrey. McCaffrey also took all 23 faceoffs for the Spartans, who opted for a defensive approach at the faceoff X against Smithtown East star Jack Reddock (five goals, 16-for-22).

Highlights from Comsewogue vs. Smithtown East:

SE’s CJ Stein makes a terrific point-blank save.

COM’s Luca Lattanzio scoops GB, scores with 0.4 seconds left in 1Q

SE’s Jack Reddock finishes a quick pass from Dylan Rossein.

COM’s Gianni Marino navigates traffic and finishes🔥 pic.twitter.com/ckqUe35GYm

— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) May 8, 2026

“He’s the backbone of our defense,” O’Connor said of McCaffrey. “We gave up eight goals in the first half. We’re a family, we like to pick each other up and shift the tide a little bit.”

Comsewogue’s Luca Lattanzio, who leads Long Island public school players with points (90), starred with five goals and two assists. That included clutch finishes, scoring with 0.4 seconds left in the first quarter, as well as goals to tie it at 8 and 10.

“We’re a group to look out for,” Lattanzio said. “We battle, and we work really hard.”

Reddock scored two goals in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter to give Smithtown East a 10-9 lead before Lattanzio and Marino responded with goals of their own. Smithtown East’s Brock Bernhardt did a terrific job to strip Lattanzio of the ball inside the final 30 seconds, but the Bulls lost possession trying to advance.

Comsewogue had a six-game winning streak snapped by a 7-5 loss to Westhampton. As such, there couldn’t be a better time to beat one of Suffolk’s top teams.

“For them to come back and beat an undefeated team, that shows some grit, some character,” Comsewogue coach Peter Mitchell said. “I’ve been here 36 years, and the teams that develop that chemistry tend to do pretty well.”