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Newsday's All-Long Island boys lacrosse first team 2025 - Newsday

Published 1 week ago11 minute read

If you want to know who Anthony Raio is, you must pay attention to the moments most would barely notice.

The UNC commit will leave Long Island as its all-time leader in goals (293), with 99 of those goals coming during Half Hollow Hills’ undefeated run to the program’s first state title. Add in a ridiculous 77 assists and a willingness to drop back and deliver relentless hustle on the ride, and there’s no doubt as to why the senior will leave high school as one of the best to do it.

 “He just makes everyone around him better and just makes our team better,” teammate James Bruno said. “He’s a good leader.”

Half Hollow Hills West senior Anthony Raio.

Half Hollow Hills West senior Anthony Raio. Credit: Jonathan Singh

But it’s the senior’s maturity that speaks to why coach Connor Hagans got emotional when asked to describe Raio’s impact on the program following the state championship.

“He does everything we ask him to,” Hagans said. “He’s a great teammate. All the accolades, being the player that he is, he’s earned it. But he’s made us so much better just by being a great teammate.”

As Raio stepped off East Islip Middle School’s track after Hills’ county championship win over Northport on May 31, several youth Hills lacrosse players approached him to ask for a picture and to sign some gear.

“That’s the next generation,” Raio said. “I’m always happy to sign a ball, do whatever I need to do, because I was in that position once … I want to give back as much as I can.

"That’s what you dream about, is a little kid looking up to you like that. For kids to come up to me and think of me in that way, it’s definitely special.”

Raio competed with many of the same teammates as first-graders at Suffolk’s Christian Koehler Tournament before ending as triumphant state champions over a decade later in Geneva.

As the buzzer sounded and Hills rested as the final unbeaten team in New York, Raio stood at midfield hugging best friend and faceoff specialist Nico Ghicas before joining the group celebrations. You won’t hear Raio, who scored six goals and assisted two more, taking credit for any of it, though. He’ll always choose to credit those relationships that made Hills literally unbeatable.

“These guys are going to be at my wedding and with me my whole life,” Raio said after the state championship. “All the records, all the goals I score, the support that they gave me is what helps me thrive in these moments.”

In Garden City, reliability has a name — Luke Cascadden.

The senior Navy commit won 78% of his faceoffs and scooped 208 ground balls, while never dipping below 70% in Garden City’s seven elimination games. Those ground ball totals speak to how many outright wins Cascadden had for the Trojans this spring.

“Luke was really good last year and outstanding this year,” coach Steve Finnell said. “I think we were very good offensively, and to have the ball as much as we did was a very tough thing for our opponents to counter.”

Cascadden went 16-for-19 in the state championship win against Canandaigua, setting the tone and tempo for a 12-goal first half. When you combine his talent and strong wing play from guys like Owen Wuchte, you get a Garden City team that dominated en route to a state Class B title.

Luke Cascadden of Garden City.

Luke Cascadden of Garden City. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.

“You’re spoiled a little bit,” Finnell said of Cascadden’s consistency. “Picking up contested ground balls is not easy, and Luke wins a decent amount to himself. But sometimes he has to kick it back, and Owen’s been one of the best ground ball guys in the county for years.”

Cascadden leaves Garden City alongside twin brother Blake Cascadden as the duo won three state titles together for the Trojans. Leaving on top only makes sense for a Cascadden family name that knows a whole lot about winning.

“We’ve been side by side forever, out of the womb,” Luke Cascadden said of Blake. “I’m hard on him on the field and at home — we act like we don’t like each other — but deep down we both love each other. We truly have a different bond.”

It’s unbelievable what Asaro did as a sophomore, scoring 37 goals and assisting 21 more. From his raw strength and balance to his precision on shots either up close or from the wing, the only thing scarier than defending Asaro is imagining just how great he could still become. Nobody knows that more than coach Steve Finnell, who believes the sophomore can be the top player in the country in the Class of 2027.

Ball went 260-for-314 for an 82.8% win rate at the faceoff X and had 176 ground balls, 11 goals and nine assists. The Penn commit had 811 career faceoff wins and 531 ground balls. Former coach Jack Moran called him “arguably the best faceoff man in the country” as well as an “old-school two-way midfielder” and “a physical presence on the field (who) is college ready now.” New head coach Greg Kay labeled him as “the hardest-working player on the team” and praised his ability to create “6-on-5 advantages by perfectly timing his subbing patterns.”

Behan not only excelled defensively, allowing just one on-ball goal in 19 games, but he also contributed eight goals and seven assists. Coach Glenn Lavey praised the Syracuse commit for being “a physical and athletic on-ball defender” and “a factor in the riding game, clearing game and on offense.”

The long-stick midfielder possesses the range and length to defend the best of the best. His elite athleticism helped him launch the transition and defend on the ride. Bramoff sealed his junior season on a high note against Chaminade and figures to be among the best on the 2026 roster.

Long Island’s single-season goals record belongs to Bruno, who scored an unfathomable 106 goals along with 13 assists this spring for Half Hollow Hills. His precision and ability to find enough space to score proved itself time and time again for the RedColts, logging five or more points in 16 games.

Even coach Steve Finnell admitted after Garden City’s Class B state championship win that he wished he used Cascadden as a long-stick midfielder sooner. He had 10 goals and three assists, forcing 34 turnovers and scooping 88 ground balls to exemplify why Finnell called the Cornell commit “such an impact player in the middle of the field.”

The Lehigh commit’s contributions included 48 ground balls, 36 caused turnovers, four goals and six assists. Coach John Calabria lauded Cawley’s leadership and praised him for setting “the standard of what it means to be a teammate, player and well-rounded young man.” Calabria added that Cawley “has a grit and determination that is unmatched by any player in Nassau County, and maybe all of New York.”

D’Agostino showed why he’s bound for Syracuse, scooping up 47 ground balls and causing 21 turnovers. Jack Moran, his coach during his varsity run, lauded him as an “athletic, physical, versatile, takeaway defenseman” with “great feet” and the ability to play close defense or as a long stick midfielder.

When Deliberti graduates Northport High School in June, he’ll leave as one of the best Tigers to ever do it. With the program’s all-time goals (214) and points (307) record, Deliberti averaged over 76 points per season and logged 103 points this spring as one of Northport’s rare four-year varsity contributors. Coach William Cordts described the Ohio State commit “as an impact player for all of his years on varsity.”

Gillis delivered 39 goals, 16 assists, 38 ground balls and 12 forced turnovers on the ride. The Duke commit is a “power lefty dodger and shooter” who’s “extremely athletic (and) can beat you with power or speed,” according to former Flyers coach Jack Moran.

Jannotte, who will be moving on to play and study engineering at Stevens Tech, made 253 saves for a team that won the Nassau Class A title, and he finished with 473 career saves and a save rate of 61%. Coach Kevin Catalano cited Jannotte’s confidence, vision, reflexes and leadership and said, “He makes the easy saves, but also can make game-changing saves in tight.”

Coach Keith Wieczorek described Johnston as being “as steady as a rock,” and that’s what the Friars got from Johnston during his junior season. The Johns Hopkins commit had 31 goals and 10 assists as St. Anthony’s won its sixth straight state title.

Tough. It’s a word that fits Garden City just as well as it does Koester, who battled a bone contusion in his left forearm en route to the Trojans’ state championship win. Koester, who also won a state title with Garden City boys soccer in the fall, had 66 goals and 33 assists, with six goals and three assists in the state semifinal and final after suffering the injury. Coach Steve Finnell called him “a really good athlete and very skilled lacrosse player,” and the results showed why.

Kolin, who won two state titles over his four years on the varsity, put up 36 goals and 32 assists in his final season. The Navy commit received praise for “his leadership and tireless work ethic” from coach Keith Cromwell, who called him “a physical dodger with an elite first step.”

After scoring 53 times and playing a huge role in the Cyclones’ run to the 2024 state Class B championship, Lynch followed up with 44 goals, 25 assists, 35 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers to help them reach the Nassau Class C title game. Despite having a nearly new cast around him, the Iona commit “elevated not only his own game but also those around him, demonstrating leadership, resilience and an unselfish dedication to the team,” according to coach Steve DiPietro. Lynch leaves in eighth place on the program’s career points list with 145.

Martini posted 53 goals and 36 assists and helped Wantagh win the Nassau and Long Island Class C titles, and he ended his four-year varsity run with 161 goals, 68 assists and 229 points. Coach James Polo praised the Army commit’s ability and fearlessness and said, “Dylan is a born leader and makes everyone on the team feel valued. A great lacrosse player but an even greater human being.”

What more can be said of Merrill, the UNC commit and top midfielder in the country? Despite being the focal point of every gameplan, Merrill still managed to score 40 goals and assist 16 more across 17 games against some of the best in the country. St. Anthony’s coach Keith Wieczorek described the senior’s competitiveness as “through the charts” and Merrill himself as “a pleasure to coach.”

The Rutgers commit leaves Long Island among the most well-rounded players to wield a lacrosse stick, having posted 41 goals and 38 assists for East Islip in his senior season. Carrying over the strength and speed from his time as a linebacker, coach Tom Zummo described the senior as “an integral part of the program since he stepped foot on the high school field.”

No player leaves Kings Park more accomplished than Salva. The senior set single-season program records in goals (78), assists (34) and points (113). The Merrimack commit graduates as Kings Park’s all-time leader in all three categories — 159 goals, 98 assists, 257 points — and led the Kingsmen to their first-ever county title.

Triolo finished his season with 68 goals and 40 assists and finished his five seasons with 265 goals, second in Long Island history. Coach Jaron Batts cited the Delaware commit’s physical ability, seeing a player who can’t be stopped “from getting to his spot. Also being able to shoot from any distance right or lefty helps as well.”

Polo’s team started at 3-3, but it took off under his leadership and won 12 of its final 14, reaching the Class C Southeast Regional final en route to a 15-5 finish. He guided his team to a comeback from four goals down to beat South Side in overtime and repeat as a Nassau champion, then to a comeback from five goals down to beat Kings Park for the program’s first Long Island championship in 24 years.

Under Hagans’ watch, Hills became the first team since Cold Spring Harbor in 2017 to win an undefeated state title and the first to do so in Class A since Ward Melville in 2013. His animated and enthusiastic coaching style, personalized to each player, consistently got the best out of a RedColts team that looked unbeatable throughout the spring.

Eventually, that’s exactly what the 23-0 RedColts became.

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