Bradley's late score breaks tie making Half Hollow Hills LI Class A champs - Newsday
The fate of the Long Island Class A championship game rested with Luke Bradley. The senior middie will forever remember what happened next.
His undefeated Half Hollow Hills team was even with Massapequa in the final minute Wednesday night at Hofstra’s Shuart Stadium, seeking its first Island crown. Bradley had the ball and his instructions.
“We said, ‘Make a good decision,’ ” coach Connor Hagans said. “And I’d like to say he made a great one.”
Bradley stood far up on the left side, waiting to make his move. It came with about 18 seconds left. He made his run. Shoot or pass? He shot from about 10 yards out and beat Massapequa’s standout goalie, Michael Jannotte, with 9.7 seconds on the clock, good for his fourth goal.
Final: Hills 15, Massapequa 14.
“I knew my teammates had trust in me,” said Bradley, who also had three assists. “All year, we’ve been running and gunning, never been that close . . . The shot went. I delivered for my team. I delivered for my family and my friends. Ready to keep the championship vibe going.”
The championship vibe wasn’t there after this game last year. Hills fell to Farmingdale. But this team is now up to 20-0.
“No one’s ever going to forget the 2025 lacrosse Hills team,” Bradley said.
Next up, a rematch. Hills beat Section I champ Mamaroneck, 11-, in the season opener. They will meet again in the Southeast Regional final at 3 p.m. Saturday at Yorktown. “It’s a special group,” Hagans said. “They’re awesome boys. I’m proud of them. This is all for them.”
Matthew Pettis scored his third goal to give Massapequa a 14-13 edge with 2:15 left.
But Anthony Raio tied it on rocket from the left side with 1:22 remaining, giving him five goals to go with two assists. Then Bradley stepped forward.
“I trust Brad shooting that shot 10 times out of 10 to make it,” Raio said. “The same goes for anybody else on this offense. That’s what makes us amazing.”
Massapequa (15-5), which got four goals and two assists from Tyler Byrnes and 17 saves from Jannotte, provided a tough test.
It led 6-5 at halftime. The score was 9-9 after three. The score was tied 10 times.
“There was no doubt ever that we were going to lose this game,” Raio said. “We knew this was the most important game of our lives.”
Brian Heyman covers high school, college and pro sports. He joined Newsday in 2021 and previously worked as a sportswriter for The Journal News in White Plains and The Hudson Dispatch in Union City, New Jersey. His work has appeared in The New York Times, MLB.com and Baseball Digest magazine.
