Friday, November 7, 2025
For Matt Pettis, it was personal.
Yes, it was senior day, his senior day, and yes, the opponent was rival Farmingdale, the same team that beat his in the county championship a year ago.
But for the Massapequa midfielder, Friday’s anticipated Nassau Class A boys’ lacrosse showdown had a greater importance than just rivalry, revenge, and bragging rights.
“We were just playing for something much bigger than lacrosse, which is our friend and teammate Dylan Milio, so emotions were definitely very high going into the game,” Pettis said.
“The fact that it was Farmingdale was enough motivation alone, but playing for Milio just made it personal for everyone on our team.”
Pettis made sure there were plenty of smiles on a day in which the Massapequa boys lacrosse team helped raise money for the Mighty Madison DIPG Research & Awareness Fund, helping lead the Chiefs to an 11-6 win over the Dalers.
Dylan Milio’s sister Madison was nine years old when she died in December of 2021 from diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. The Chiefs wore shooting shirts honoring Mighty Madison, and a 50-50 raffle helped raise additional funds for the fight against DIPG childhood cancer.
“The team came out with a ton of energy,” Massapequa coach Kevin Catalano said. “It was a great day honoring our seniors and supporting the Mighty Madison Foundation. The boys really wanted this one after coming up short in the county finals.”
Pettis helped spark that energy with a breakout performance. The Albany commit, known for his defensive abilities, showcased his offensive skills with four goals and two assists in the 73rd all-time meetings between the rivals.
“Pettis put the team on his back,” Catalano said. “He is a tremendous athlete, and we have been waiting for him to take over a game. Today was the day, and I’m hoping he continues to build off of it.”
Pettis credited his teammates with his offensive explosion, as he matched his season-high with four goals and had a career-best six points.
“They created opportunities for me and trusted me with the ball in my stick, so they are the reason why I was able to go off,” Pettis said.
Braden Tucker and Nolan Wieczorek added two goals apiece, Jake Byrnes, Joey Diesso, and Sean Durnin each scored a goal, and Michael Jannotte made 13 saves as Massapequa (9-3) snapped a three-game losing streak against their biggest rival.
And it's a win Pettis thinks could catapult his team during the stretch drive of the regular season and into the playoffs, where the Chiefs are chasing their first county title since 2019.
“It’s without a doubt a huge confidence boost knowing we got the best of Farmingdale for the first time in a while, and knowing that we can beat every team in our path is just a great feeling,” Pettis said.
Dean Kott and Josh Kama scored two goals apiece, and Kevin Renneisen and Sean Schumeyer scored once each for Farmingdale (6-6), which was outscored 7-2 in the second half.
“I thought we brought great energy and played hard,” Farmingdale coach Eric Dunne said. “If we can limit some of our mistakes and execute for 48 minutes, I like our chances.”
