Monday, January 20, 2025
The state lacrosse champions wrapped up an extraordinary year with an event that has swiftly evolved into a beloved holiday tradition in the Rockville Centre community.
While families and friends gathered around dining tables to enjoy a hearty Thanksgiving dinner complete with mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, stuffing and cranberry sauce, another kind of tradition was unfolding outside South Side High School.
This year, more than 65 former South Side Cyclones lacrosse players set aside the holiday comforts to lace up their cleats and participate in the annual alumni lacrosse game.
“We combined the alumni game with our ring ceremony, this year” Cyclones Head Coach Steve DiPietro said. “It was an awesome day. We’re very proud of the fact so many guys come back and participate.”
The addition of the ring ceremony provided a very unique experience for the returning 2024 state champions, who were reunited with former teammates and coaches.
DiPietro said that a few of the returning champs also participated in the alumni match, where they competed alongside players from the 2004 state championship team.
The annual alumni lacrosse game traces its roots back to 2018, when DiPietro, who has been head coach of the team since 2008, first introduced the idea. His vision was to celebrate and honor the remarkable legacy of the South Side High School boys’ varsity lacrosse program, which has been thriving in the village for more than three decades.
“We had a really good turnout,” DiPietro added. “We had players from as far back as 1992 come and watch.”
The game now stands as a hallmark event, reconnecting players and their love for the sport while engaging the wider school community. Each year, following the Thanksgiving holiday, former Cyclones teammates compete in a full-length regulation exhibition match, with the coveted championship belt and bragging rights hanging in the balance.
Players are divided into two teams based on their graduation year, creating a friendly rivalry between those who graduated in even years and those who graduated in odd years. This unique setup adds a playful, yet competitive twist that ensures the game is as much about camaraderie as it is about winning.
This year, the evens-year team managed to pull off yet another hard-fought victory, triumphing over the odd-year team 8-5 to continue a two-year winning streak. The evens-year team previously emerged victorious in 2023, following a thrilling high-scoring game ending in sudden-death overtime.
