Freshman Jake D'Orsa sparks St. Anthony's to boys lacrosse win over Iona Prep
Jake D'Orsa (No. 55) of St. Anthony's looks to grab the face off ball against Shane Banahan of Iona Prep during a CHSAA boys lacrosse game on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in South Huntington. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Freshman faceoff specialist Jake D’Orsa spent the last month winning faceoffs for St. Anthony’s junior varsity team. With established FOGOs in Robert Johnson and Paul LoNigro, not to mention Nathaniel Cooke, the thought of competing on varsity for a star-studded St. Anthony’s team never crossed D’Orsa’s mind.
Then injuries sidelined both Johnson and LoNigro, leading the Friars to hold a tryout on Friday. D’Orsa made the cut and made his debut Saturday against Malvern Prep where he won a respectable 7 of 13 faceoffs.
“It’s been a crazy few days,” D’Orsa said. “I never thought I’d be brought up to varsity. But once I heard they were having a tryout and I made it, I’ve been working my butt off.”
Now, cries of “Jake the Snake” — a nickname that began at Friday’s practice and one D’Orsa “loves”— ricochet around Cy Donnelly Field like they’ve been there all along. They only increased in volume as the freshman continued his impressive run by winning 9 of 10 faceoffs in St. Anthony’s 7-2 home CHSAA win over previously undefeated Iona Prep Tuesday.
St. Anthony’s (7-3), ranked No. 8 in USA Lacrosse’s national rankings to Iona Prep’s No. 18, looked to take momentum into halftime after Gavin Snyder delivered a perfectly timed feed to Charles Cacciabaudo with 1:29 remaining in the first half. But Billy Harrigan of Iona Prep (7-1) managed to score as time expired, forcing the Friars to take a 3-2 at halftime.
“We were a little slow in the beginning, only being up one at half,” Snyder said. “But then in the second half we started moving the ball faster … That’s what was working for us.”
Snyder took full advantage of D’Orsa’s faceoff wins, relentless ground ball pursuits from Brody Richert and James Griffin, and successful second-half clears. His shot found the top right corner of the cage with 1:24 left in the third quarter, and he assisted Danny Rooney’s goal with 5:34 remaining. Cacciabaudo scored two more to seal the result.
Goalie Dylan Rappaport enjoyed a strong day, saving nine shots along with a second-half shutout. That included a nifty double-save in the fourth quarter, kicking his leg out to stop the first with his shin before saving the second with his stick.
“I just stay prepared. We’re always told to get set for rebounds,” Rappaport said. “I feel like we stepped up today and played a great second half.”
St. Anthony’s lost games to New Jersey’s Delbarton and Philadelphia’s La Salle College before it kicked off a four-game homestand on April 11. All four turned into wins.
“I think they’ve answered the bell,” coach Keith Wieczorek said.
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.
