Thursday, October 1, 2026
A year removed from losing in the Long Island championship in the final nine seconds, the Massapequa boys lacrosse team has a lot of optimism.
That’s because they have 31 returning players, 18 of whom are college commits.
“Some of these guys are three and four-year starters who are definitely hungry,” second-year coach Kevin Catalano said. “They got an idea of what the Long Island championship is all about, and they’re very excited.”
The Chiefs return the entire starting attack line of senior Tyler Byrnes (UMass) and juniors Rocco Spallina (Penn) and Nolan Wieczorek (Richmond). The trio accounted for 118 goals and 79 assists a year ago.
“Tyler is a four-year varsity player who finally got his county championship last year, and he’s very hungry for more than that,” Catalano said. “He’s seen both sides of it, where he’s had some tough seasons, and now we’re on the upward slope. He’s very excited.”
Anchoring the midfield is senior Braden Tucker (Maritime), joined by junior Dylan Milio (Adelphi) and freshman Jake Byrnes, who had seven goals and three assists as an eighth grader.
Both sophomore Ryan Chabus and junior Kolby Roberts return as faceoff specialists, while senior Ryan McLaughlin (Geneseo) is back as a standout defensive midfielder.
The Chiefs’ back end is as imposing, with sophomore Casey Gilchrist leading the way among long-stick midfielders, senior Chase Tirino (Oneonta), and junior Michael Ippolito (Manhattan).
“Casey had a great playoff run for us last year and an amazing summer,” Catalano said. “I think, honestly, he’s going to be one of the best LSMs in the country in the next couple of years. He has a tremendous lacrosse IQ and does things on the field I can’t believe he’s doing at his age.”
Junior Justin Farrell (Michigan), seniors Ryan O’Connor (Maritime) and Brady Gilchrist (Muhlenberg) will look to lock things down at close defense.
Battling for the starting spot in the cage will be seniors Peter Konstantinakos and Declan Stanton for a Massapequa team seeded first in Class A by the coaches’ association as the Chiefs chase a 13th county championship and more.
To read more about the Massapequa Chiefs' 2026 girls lacrosse team, click here. To see more of the Herald’s 2026 Lacrosse Preview, click here.
