Manhasset boys lacrosse withstands late Smithtown East push to win Long Island Class B title
Manhasset wins the Long Island Class B boys lacrosse championship on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in Stony Brook. Credit: Dawn McCormick
When Manhasset’s boys lacrosse team boarded the bus to head to Stony Brook for the Long Island Class B championship game, it forgot one of the most important pieces to the team’s success.
It wasn’t a lucky lacrosse stick or the team’s stat book. It was freshman goalie Andrew Limberg, whose dad drove him behind the bus before the mistake was realized.
“Our guys were so focused and lasered in, and so was I,” Manhasset coach Nick Armstrong said. “We had to stop the bus; he got out of his dad’s truck and brought him on. And thank God we did, because we wouldn’t be here if we left him back at school.”
Limberg put together a stellar 15-save performance Saturday as the Set held off a ferocious Smithtown East comeback to win, 10-9, and lift Manhasset’s first Long Island title since 2023 in Class C.
“It’s crazy, it’s unbelievable,” Limberg said. “My defense, without them, we definitely wouldn’t be here. Our offense putting goals, racking them up; everyone just came together as a team.”
Manhasset (16-4) will face Section I's Yorktown at 4 p.m. Thursday at Middletown High School for a Class B state semifinal.
The Set led 5-1 at halftime and 7-1 with 8:59 left in the third quarter, only conceding to Cameron James with 4.8 seconds left in the second quarter.
Yet in the second half alone, James had two goals and three assists, and Brendan Power had five goals for Smithtown East (15-4). The Bulls scored three goals in the final four minutes of the third quarter to cut the deficit to two.
“Just had to calm each other down, plays happened that shouldn’t have happened,” Limberg said. “But in the end, we just stayed together and were like, forget about it. Next play.”
Manhasset’s Will Mondiello scored 37 seconds into the fourth quarter, but James found Power just nine seconds later. Smithtown East’s Jack Reddock won 5 of 6 faceoffs in the fourth quarter and forced a turnover on his lone loss.
“They’re just so resilient,” Smithtown East coach Kevin Huff said. “I’ve never had a group of guys, top to bottom, that were all on the same sheet music. They all had each other’s backs … This is truly the definition of team, this group.”
Tommy Kasselakis’ goal with 7:22 remaining gave Manhasset a 10-7 lead. Power responded with a goal and James assisted Hunter Hughes with 2:58 left. Manhasset held long possessions and aided by two late Smithtown East turnovers, ran out the clock.
It felt fitting. After all, this was the same Manhasset team that defeated Garden City in the final seconds of overtime in the county final, the same team that had weathered so many injuries throughout the season.
When you looked at Manhasset legend Bobby Anastasia on the sideline — who Armstrong described as “pseudo-general manager“ — he held a sign that said, “Survive and advance.”
Mission accomplished.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
