Wantagh boys lacrosse comes up short against Rye in state Class C semifinal
Joe Nicholson of Wantagh drives on the defense in the first quarter of a state Class C boys lacrosse semifinal against Rye on Thursday in Middletown, N.Y. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
MIDDLETOWN, N.Y. — It’s almost impossible to undersell what Wantagh’s senior class has done for this boys lacrosse program.
A year ago, Wantagh lifted its first Long Island championship since 2001. It defended that title at Stony Brook on June 6; the first back-to-back Long Island titles for Wantagh in the program’s history.
Even in the state semifinal, Wantagh kept cutting into its deficit against Section I’s Rye. But when the clock hit zero, Wantagh’s season came to an end.
Wantagh (16-4) fell to Rye, 10-8, Thursday at Middletown High School in the state Class C semifinal. Rye (16-5) will face Section III’s Jamesville-DeWitt at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva.
Wantagh had five unforced turnovers in the first quarter off errant passes and didn’t seriously threaten Rye goalie Sam LaMonte until Joe Nicholson assisted Sean Stachlick’s goal with 20.5 seconds left in the opening period, trailing 4-1.
“It’s just uncharacteristic lacrosse by us today,” Wantagh coach James Polo said. “I don’t think the moment was too big, I just think things weren’t clicking. Sometimes it happens, and you have to regroup and get better from it. And these guys will get better from it."
Wantagh bounced back in the second quarter and trailed just 6-4 at halftime. However, Rye scored three consecutive goals in the first seven minutes of the third quarter and led 10-5 with 11:08 left in the fourth quarter.
Nicholson responded with a goal, dancing through traffic, with 9:06 left. Standout senior Devin Paccione took his first faceoff of the game, won it, and scored seconds later. He then scored just over a minute later to cut the deficit to two with 7:42 left.
“He’s our guy,” Polo said. “He just fights so hard at any time, so why not put the best player on our team at the faceoff X and hope for the best?”
LaMonte made three quality fourth-quarter saves to keep Rye's lead. Nicholson and Paccione, both senior team captains, expressed how grateful both were to have led Wantagh this spring.
“We’ve been through so much — we made history together — but just fell short of what we really wanted,” Paccione said. “ . . . It wasn’t what we wanted, but I regret nothing. If I could do it all again, I’d change nothing.”
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.
