Wantagh boys lacrosse outlasts late Sayville run to claim back-to-back Long Island titles
The Wantagh boys lacrosse team is crowned champions at the Long Island Class C final after defeating Sayville on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in Stony Brook. Credit: Dawn McCormick
Wantagh ran the final minute and 14 seconds off the LaValle Stadium clocks after a timeout, and the repeat was complete.
This boys lacrosse team had withstood a sensational Sayville comeback Saturday on the Stony Brook campus, edging the Golden Flashes, 12-11, for its second straight Long Island Class C championship after claiming a third straight Nassau title.
But this is an experienced group, a group loaded with talent all over the field. So Wantagh has its eyes on a bigger prize — the program’s first state championship in a quarter century.
“It’s do or die,” said Joe Nicholson, the Villanova-bound senior midfielder who delivered four goals and one assist to claim the game MVP award. “It’s win a state championship or it’s a failure.”
This win brought them a ticket to the state Class C final four.
They will be facing a large obstacle on the road toward the title — Rye. The semifinal is set for 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Middletown High School. The Section I champ advanced Saturday with a resounding 19-3 victory over Highland.
The Garnets, though, will also be facing a large obstacle.
“Everybody’s been saying it’s going to be us or Rye coming through,” Wantagh coach James Polo said. “And I’ll be honest with you, I know that they’re going to be very good. We’re going to be prepared and ready to battle.”
Matt Giacobello added three goals and one assist to help move Wantagh to 16-3. Devin Paccione contributed two goals and four assists. Luke Martini had two goals and three assists. And Gianni Passaro made 10 saves.
“As much as it means to me, it means so much to these kids,” Polo said of ruling Long Island again in this class. “They have put in the time, the effort, their entire careers. And now these seniors, to do what they’re doing, it’s such a great feeling for me to see them mature into these young men.”
It was 7-5 Wantagh at halftime. It was Nicholson’s goal as time expired in the third that proved to be the difference.
He turned in a great individual effort to get in close and make it a 12-7 game, capping a three-goal run.
Then came the comeback.
Brady O’Donoghue, Jamison Holt and Tristan Vitale scored. And then Javen Taff rocketed a 15-yard shot from up top — 12-11, 5:34 left.
But the Golden Flashes committed two turnovers in the last 2 1/2 minutes.
“Obviously, the nerves were there, but we knew we could get it,” Giacobello said. “A little scary, but the coaches calmed us down.”
Holt posted three goals, O’Donoghue had two goals and two assists and Sean Casey won 19 faceoffs for Sayville, which had taken its first county title since 2012 with a junior- and sophomore-heavy team. It finished at 11-8.
“It was great,” coach Christian Doller said of the season. “We fought through injuries, and the guys came together and they kept believing. I knew once we got our guys all together, we’d been playing our best lacrosse.”
