A salute to champions

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1. East Rockaway girls volleyball
Graduating 11 seniors from the previous year’s squad, combined with a more challenging schedule, made for quite a bumpy road for East Rockaway’s girls’ volleyball team. The Lady Rocks won just one of their first 12 matches before “something clicked,” coach Ksenia Ferrand said. After closing the regular season with wins in three of four matches, the Lady Rocks rode the momentum all the way to the Nassau Class C title. They swept defending champion Carle Place, 25-12, 25-15, 25-15, on Nov. 4 for their first crown since 2011. Senior Kim McCann had 14 assists and four aces, senior Ally Cilluffo added seven digs, and junior Marisa Felbinger chipped in three aces and five digs.

2. MacArthur boys soccer
As freshmen playing varsity soccer for MacArthur in 2011, Greg Baumstein and Anthony Rocchio didn’t taste a single victory. But last Nov. 5, they savored a win for the history books. The third-seeded Generals, coached by Andy Atkins, completed a fairytale rise to the top with a 3-1 victory over No. 4 Syosset in the Nassau Class AA championship game. Seniors Baumstein, Rocchio, and Chris Roditis scored second-half goals, and sophomore goalkeeper Sean Lyons made six saves to secure the program’s first-ever county title. Rocchio netted the game winning-goal with 13:47 remaining on a 25-yard blast after taking a touch pass from senior Jake Thomson.           

3. South Side boys soccer

After South Side and Roslyn battled to a 1-1 stalemate through 80 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime before a jam-packed crowd of 1,750 at Hofstra in the Nassau Class A boys’ soccer final on Nov. 5, goalkeeper Josh Levine’s diving save in the sixth round of penalty kicks sealed the Cyclones’ third county title in six years and first since 2010. Sophomore Pat Basile netted the winning goal after Roslyn squandered a chance to win it on their fifth attempt, which sailed over the crossbar. South Side, which won the shootout 3-2, lost in the finals to Jericho last year as well as in 2012. The Cyclones, coached by Fred Paul, became the lowest-seeded team (No. 13) to win the county crown. 

4. South Side girls volleyball
Given the long-standing history between Wantagh and South Side, it was no surprise the Nassau Class A girls’ volleyball final on Nov. 6 needed the maximum five sets to determine a champion. After staying alive with a resounding win in the fourth set, South Side rode the serving of senior Ashley DeTullio to open the fifth and never looked back in capturing its second county title in three years, 19-25, 25-19, 14-25, 25-12, 25-17. Senior Maya Shabbir had 35 kills and 14 digs, senior Sydney Gabriel had 38 assists and 16 digs, and senior Meghan Johnke added 29 digs for the Lady Cyclones, coached by Cheryl Scalice. 

5. Lynbrook girls volleyball
Midway through the volleyball season, Lynbrook coach Stewart Ratzken let it be known what he believed the Lady Owls could accomplish in 2014. He expected them to be county champions. So, when his girls raised their championship plaque, marking the program’s first county title in 23 years, Ratzken wasn’t a bit surprised. The Lady Owls shook off some opening-set rust and knocked off Mineola 27-29, 25-12, 25-14, 25-19 on Nov. 6 to earn the Class B title. Juniors Shannon Wren (13) and Lara LoIacona combined for 24 kills. Sophomore Rebecca Shear had 22 digs, six service aces, and 40 assists. 

6. South Side girls soccer
South Side senior Keri Cavallo scored plenty of goals during a highly successful four-year high school varsity soccer career, but none compare to the one that deflected off her face and barely crossed the line on the night of Nov. 8. Cavallo’s 46th career goal 4:10 into the third overtime gave the Lady Cyclones a 2-1 victory over Shoreham-Wading River in the Long Island Class A championship game. The winner came off a scramble in the box following a corner kick off the foot of Tessa Considine. South Side, coached by Shannon McEntee, beat Garden City in the Nassau Class A final on a goal by Alex McNicholas. 

7. Lawrence football
For the second time in three years, Lawrence’s defense provided the difference against Sayville in an exhilarating Long Island Class III football championship game in front of a packed house at Hofstra. They’re calling it “The Mavruk Miracle.” With Sayville leading by a point and just a few yards from sealing the deal late in the fourth quarter, Lawrence's Mike Spinelli caused a fumble that Melik Mavruk scooped up and returned 82 yards for a touchdown with 1:06 remaining for an unlikely 40-35 victory on Nov. 28.  Coached by Joe Martillotti, the Golden Tornadoes finished 12-0 and became the first Nassau-based school to win three straight L.I. football crowns. 

8. Carey football
Carey, which hasn’t been defeated since the 2012 playoffs, capped another perfect season on Nov. 30 with a convincing 41-7 victory over East Islip in the Long Island Class II title game. The Seahawks, who became the first Nassau team to repeat as Rutgers Cup champs in almost 30 years, averaged more than 40 points per game led by a tremendous offensive line, quarterback Mike Catanese and weapons Conor Colasurdo, Nick Spillane and Mike DeLeo. Coached by Mike Stanley, the Seahawks beat Garden City, 21-6, in the Nassau Conference II final, and will take a 24-game unbeaten streak into the 2015 campaign.    

9. Hewlett boys bowling
Hewlett finished the regular season as the top boys’ bowling team in Conference 5 and entered the county tournament with a No. 6 ranking. Once the big day arrived on the first Saturday of February, coach Nick Paxinos felt confident about his team’s chances, knowing that it would only take one strong effort to do something special. Junior Adam Glickman bowled games of 300 and 299 during the regular season and saw teammates Andrew Bernstein, Kenny Bernstein and Bryan Krinick all play large roles in helping the Bulldogs capture the county crown. Other key contributors were Matt Leblanc and Zane Lipson. 

10. Wantagh wrestling
Despite one of the youngest rosters in Wantagh wrestling history, the Warriors continued their recent tradition of being on top of the scoreboard at the Nassau County individual championships. Wantagh placed nine wrestlers at the county tournament Feb. 15 at Hofstra and finished with the most points in the event for the fifth straight year. The Warriors, coached by Paul Gillespie, piled up 191 points, beating out Long Beach (183) for the crown. Senior Kyle Quinn captured the county title at 113 pounds. Freshman Justin Vines was runner-up at 99, while seniors Blaise Kavanagh (145 pounds) and Nick Rogers (160), along with sophomore Mike Killard (99) finished third. 

11. Malverne boys basketball
Malverne is back on top. The Mules, who won seven of eight Nassau County Class B boys’ basketball championships from 2004-11, regained the title after a three-season drought with a convincing 69-46 victory over Carle Place at LIU-Post on Feb. 19. Senior Kevin Young led a balanced scoring attack with 19 points and also grabbed 15 rebounds for third-seeded Malverne, which last celebrated a championship in the 2010-11 campaign under head coach Darrol Lopez. Senior Chris Hackett added 14 points, senior James Choisi had 13, and senior Kazeem Martelly chipped in 11 points and 10 rebounds. Malverne’s season ended with a loss to Southampton in the L.I. Class B title game.

12. V.S. South boys basketball
For the second season in a row, Valley Stream South dug out of a hole to capture the Nassau Class A boys’ basketball championship. The seventh-seeded Falcons, coached by Matt Johnsen, allowed the first 7 points and needed three minutes to get on the board against No. 16 Floral Park in the March 7 title game, but eventually outlasted the tournament’s Cinderella team, 49-43, in front of 2,500 spectators at Hofstra. Junior Dana King scored 16 points, and junior Hall Elisias added 9 points and 18 rebounds to lead the Falcons, who went on to defeat Bayport-Blue Point the following week for their first-ever L.I. crown. 

13. Baldwin boys basketball
Baldwin’s Paul Nosworthy carried the disappointment of falling short of county championships on the hardwood and the gridiron into the Nassau Class AA boys’ basketball title game on March 7, and after Uniondale cut an 11-point third-quarter deficit to one early in the fourth, the 6-foot-4 senior center put the Bruins on his back. Nosworthy scored 8 of his 12 points in the final six minutes and pulled down 10 rebounds to help top-seeded Baldwin hold off the Knights, 53-45, before a crowd of 3,500 at Hofstra. It was the third county championship in four years for the Bruins, who are coached by Darius Burton. They got a game-high 19 points from senior Daraja Rodwell.           

14. Baldwin girls basketball
Unbeaten Baldwin had blown by most of its opponents en route to the Nassau County Class AA girls’ basketball title game against Massapequa on Feb. 28, but needed to dig out of a massive hole to earn a repeat championship. The Lady Bruins trailed by 17 points midway through the third quarter before staging a furious rally to capture a thrilling 58-49 victory at LIU Post. They went on a 21-2 run and outscored the second-seeded Lady Chiefs 38-9 the rest of the way. Senior Jade Aponte scored 15 of her 17 points in the second half for Baldwin, coached by Tom Catapano. 

15. Calhoun girls badminton
The Calhoun girls’ badminton team, coached by Dan Bowker, added another Nassau County Class AA title to its impressive collection—the program’s ninth in the last 13 seasons and second straight—knocking off No. 2 Great Neck, 4-3, in the championship round on May 19. The Lady Colts (14-1 overall) dropped their first match of the season then ripped off a 14-game winning streak with only one team even winning more than two games before the County finals. Senior Claire Murphy, the only returning starter in the entire top 11 and a former doubles player, finished up her 11-4 All-County campaign with a straight set win to clinch the team’s title. 

16. Wantagh girls lacrosse
After a decade of falling just short, Wantagh’s girls’ lacrosse program achieved championship status. The Lady Warriors captured their first Nassau County title on May 27 with a 9-6 win against top-seeded and previously unbeaten Manhasset, at Adelphi University. Junior goaltender Grace Beshlian was lights-out, and junior Courtney Gendel had a hat trick. It was a long-awaited moment for a program founded 18 years ago that endured many near-misses over the years, including defeats in the Class B finals in seven of the previous nine seasons. Wantagh, coached by Jaclyn Coyne, beat Garden City in the second consecutive year in the semifinals. 

17. East Rockaway softball
For the third time in four years, and the 11th time in program history, the East Rockaway Lady Rocks are on top of the Nassau County softball world. Eighth-grader Emily Chelius allowed just a pair of earned runs and struck out four to lead the fourth-seeded Lady Rocks to a 9-6 win over No. 3 Wheatley and a sweep of the best-of-three Class B championship series on May 28 at Adelphi. Sophomore Jessica Loyer was 2 for 4 with three RBIs, and junior Erica Acampora also drove in three runs to lead the offensive attack. East Rockaway finished 20-5 under coach Joe Lores.

18. Oceanside softball
A day after scoring all 13 of its runs with two outs on the way to stunning top-seeded MacArthur in the opening game of the Nassau Class AA softball championship series, No. 2 Oceanside found more magic in its bats in Game 2 at Hofstra on May 29. Senior Claire McNamara’s two-out single up the middle brought home junior Risa Zucker with the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to give the Lady Sailors a dramatic 6-5 come-from-behind, walk-off victory and their first county title since 2008. Oceanside, coached by Joe Supple, had four playoff wins by one run.

19. V.S. North X/C and track
Depth and consistency were the key elements as Valley Stream North captured its eighth Nassau County Class A boys’ spring track and field title in the past 10 years on May 29 at Roosevelt. Senior Zavier Jean-Charles won the high jump, senior Peter Wilk took the 1,600-meter, and junior Jake Catalano placed first in the 3000-meter steeplechase to lead the Spartans, who racked up points in a dozen other events. North’s 114 points were 32 more than host Roosevelt. The Spartans, coached by Tim Bowens, completed their own version of a triple crown after winning county titles in cross-country and winter track.

20. MacArthur baseball
A big second inning was all MacArthur needed to secure the program’s first Nassau County baseball title in two decades. A two-out single by junior Jared Wolfe drove in two runs to cap a four-run inning in what proved to be all the necessary offense in the Generals’ 4-3 series-clinching victory over Oceanside in the Nassau Class AA finals on June 3 at Farmingdale State. A complete-game effort from sophomore pitcher Bobby Lewis helped seal MacArthur’s first county championship since 1994. MacArthur, coached by Steve Costello, overcame a four-run deficit to win the series opener, 7-4.

21. Clarke softball
When the sun finally came out June 3, allowing the Nassau Class A softball championship series to resume, Clarke junior pitcher Sarah Cornell turned out the lights on Carey. Cornell capped the Lady Rams’ 3-2 victory and their first county title since 2007 with her 12th strikeout and raced into the arms of catcher Selena Ruiz to set off a wild celebration pile in front of home plate. Two days later, Clarke, under rookie coach Rachel Barry, went on to capture its first-ever Long Island title, 11-4, over Mount Sinai with Brooke Scherer hitting the go-ahead homer in the sixth.