By TONY BELLISSIMO
1. South Side girls soccer
South Side won back-to-back overtime games to claim a 12th straight girls� soccer county championship. Liz Monfort provided the heroics on both occasions. Her goal 52 seconds into the third overtime period off a pass from Jackie Cifarelli gave the Lady Cyclones a 3-2 victory over Island Trees in the Nassau Class A final. In the semifinal, Monfort converted a rebound with 16 seconds left in double overtime to eliminate New Hyde Park, 1-0. �I�m thrilled for the girls,� coach Judi Croutier said after the championship victory. �They work hard and play hard.�
2. Elmont football
Elmont�s Justin Mayers stood in his own end zone early in the fourth quarter as Hewlett, trailing by 15 points in the Nassau Conference II championship game, lined up for a field goal. The snap into a blustery wind sailed high, and before any of the Bulldogs could react the ball was already in the hands of Mayers, who raced 70 yards for a touchdown to put the finishing touch on the Spartans� 28-7 victory.
It was Elmont�s first county title since 1986. �Winning a championship was our goal from the first day of practice,� coach Jay Hegi said. �We hit a couple of snags early in the season, but we knew we had the talent.�
3. Kennedy girls� volleyball
Only a few bounces separated top-seeded Bellmore-JFK and No. 2 Wantagh through the first four games of the Nassau Class A girls� volleyball championship match.
But in the decisive game, it was clear which team wanted it more.
The Lady Cougars, led by Elana King, Lexi Stone, Dana Coletto, Katie Sheehan and Stephanie Bauman, captured their first-ever county title by outlasting the Lady Warriors in a two-hour marathon, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 25-15. King had 35 assists, 29 digs and 11 kills. Stone had five of her 10 kills in the final game and Sheehan racked up 42 digs.
4. East Meadow field hockey
The Lady Jets went from a last-place team in Conference I in 2006 to county champions in 2008. Their remarkable run to the top culminated with a 2-1 overtime victory over perennial power Massapequa in the Nassau Class A title game. Michelle Minutoli notched the game-winning goal off a pass from Tracy Rivas. It was the first-ever county crown for East Meadow (13-3-1), coached by former player Danielle Rosenau. �We knew we were capable and had to work hard and push through all of it,� Rosenau said.
5. East Rockaway girls� volleyball
Whether it�s a conference, county or Long Island championship, winning a title at any level is gratifying. However, after East Rockaway�s relatively easy 25-17, 25-13, 25-22, victory over Oyster Bay for its seventh Nassau Class C girls� volleyball championship there wasn�t any euphoria.
The Lady Rocks, who finished with a record of 13-4, came out with a purpose and were never challenged in the first two games. Chrissy Feil, a second team All-State player in 2008, and Jalisa Barnes, were dominant. They combined for 35 kills. While Feil and Barnes dominated the score sheet, they received plenty of help from Mary Connors, Monica Mielinis, Joie Marie Skelly, Dani Laino, Kaitlyn McCann and Alanna Lapollo.
6. Malverne boys� basketball
As Malverne players gathered around midcourt to pose for pictures following a 68-57 victory over Wheatley in the Nassau Class B boys� basketball championship game, each of them held up four fingers to signify the length of the team�s county reign.
But during the game the top-seeded Mules were flashing threes. They hit seven shots from behind the arc in the first half and eight overall. Kadeem Bell scored 11 of his game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter to lead the way. �We�d rather take the ball to the rack, but when teams allow us to shoot the three we�ve got to let it go,� Bell said.
Coach Darrol Lopez�s team went on to beat Center Moriches for the Long Island Class B crown.
7. Baldwin boys� basketball
It was a storybook ending, but this time without the �happily ever after� for Baldwin.
Devon McMillan�s desperation three-pointer at the buzzer gave Uniondale a stunning 53-52 victory over the Bruins in the Nassau Class AA boys� basketball championship game at SUNY-Old Westbury, adding another chapter to arguably the best high school sports rivalry in the county.
The fourth quarter featured six lead changes. The title-winning shot came from about the same distance�25 feet�and through the same rim Baldwin�s Chris Mauldin swished a trey to stun Hempstead in the closing seconds of a semifinal game a week earlier. Mauldin totaled 67 points in three playoff games to lead the defending champs back to the final.
8. Malverne girls� basketball
A premature end to Malverne�s season crossed Brittany Jenkins� mind many times down the stretch of the Nassau Class B girls� basketball championship game against Locust Valley. The top-seeded Lady Mules, who trailed by as many as seven points in the first half and were down five with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, came dangerously close to settling for the runner-up plaque.
But Jenkins wanted no part of it. Her three-pointer with 4.4 seconds left in regulation forced overtime and she went on to score six of Malverne�s 15 points in the extra session as the Lady Mules captured their third county title in five years under coach Lisa Gress and second in a row, 58-52. Alisha Steele and Brianna Cunningham added 14 points apiece.
9. Kennedy boys� volleyball
Brendan Mills left no question who the best volleyball team in Nassau Class B was when he stuffed home the final point to lead top-seeded Kennedy past No. 3 Roslyn.
Mills (11 kills) put an exclamation mark on the program�s first-ever championship, as the Cougars knocked off the Bulldogs in four sets (25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 25-19). �We definitely expected a competitive match,� coach Allen Ma said. �We have a lot of respect for the Roslyn program and knew it wouldn�t be a walk in the park.� Greg Uffner, the tournament�s Most Valuable Player, had 19 assists, while All County players Daniel Segal and Jason Edelman combined for 21 kills.
10. Clarke baseball
Sometimes, a little confidence can go a long way. For top-seeded Clarke, it meant the program�s fourth Nassau Class A baseball championship in the last eight seasons and first since 2005, as left-hander Brian Sundberg finished off a 5-4 victory in the third and deciding game against No. 2 Island Trees. The Bulldogs had runners on second and third in the seventh when Sundberg struck out Mike Pellegrino on a high fastball to touch off a celebration between the mound and home plate.
Clarke, coached by Tom Abruscato, won 25 games this spring, including a 3-1 victory over Islip in the Long Island Class A title game, and finished state runners-up.
11. Long Beach softball
One run was the difference between Long Beach and Carey in each of the two games that decided the Nassau Class AA softball championship series. The Lady Marines claimed their third county title in four years with a 2-1 eight-inning victory in Game 2. They took the opener, 1-0, with a run in the bottom of the seventh.
Sydney Folk drove home the winning run in the title-clinching victory, which ended with Lindsay Abramson throwing out the potential tying run at third base. Korinne Fox had the game-winning hit in Game 1. Pitcher Kelley Jansen was dominant throughout the playoffs with 68 strikeouts in five games.
It was Long Beach�s seventh county
championship in 22 seasons under coach Carmine Verde.
12. VS North boys� and girls� track
For the second time in as many years, Valley Stream North captured the Nassau Class A track and field championship on the boys� and girls� side under coaches Mike Frazer and Tim Boyens.
It was the fourth straight spring county title for the boys and the fourth in five years for the girls. Michael Rossi was a three-time county champ for the boys, taking the 400, 800 and 400 Intermediate Hurdles. Anthony Russello scored in three events, including a second-place finish in the steeplechase. The Lady Spartans were led by freshman sensation Shanice Johnson, who won the 200-meter dash, and Rakiyah Marshall, who finished on top in the triple jump.
HONORABLE MENTION
1. Baldwin boys� lacrosse
2. South Side boys� basketball
3. Hewlett football
4. Carey softball
5. Baldwin girls� soccer
