CHSAA FINAL
No. 1 St. Anthony’s vs. No. 2 Chaminade
I’ve seen a lot of both teams this season, which play contrasting styles. Control of this games pace will decide the winner. Chaminade, the two-time defending CHSAA state champions, needs to run its offense through Patrick McCann. The sure-footed senior is strong with the ball He can make the smart pass to get Chaminade a quality shot or score himself. His teammates need to look for him, especially when St. Anthony’s ups the pressure. Other wise they will struggle to score goals. The Flyers’ defense, led by Steve Stefanak, is one of the best around, but its up to the midfield to keep St. Anthony’s from quickening the pace. The Friars need to use their superior athletic ability and let Orlando Castanada and Mike Valencia create on offense. They are the two best of many weapons. Alex Naples is excellent in goal and will stifle many of Chaminade’s set pieces.
Pick: St. Anthony’s
SUFFOLK CLASS B FINAL
No. 1 Mattituck vs. No. 2 Southampton
Southampton handed Mattituck, the defending Class B champion, its only loss, a 3-1 defeat on October 14. Danny Hudson, 13 goals and four assists, is one of Long Islans’s best players. He and Alex Doubrava made up a good one-two punch for a strong Mattituck (15-1) offense. Mattias Ruiz and Irineo Amador are both double-digit goal scorers for Southampton. I’m sure Mattituck wants nothing more than to make up for its lone loss and give itself another shot at Oneonta. It also has a big-game goalie in Billy Birkmier. He will be the difference.
Pick: Mattituck
NASSAU CLASS B FINAL
No. 1 Cold Spring Harbor vs. No. 3 Carle Place
It is had to see Cold Spring Harbor (6-5-5) losing this game. The defending champions have been battle tested all year playing against Class A schools Jericho and Mineola and finishing ahead of schools like South Side and Great Neck North. Bryan Nason, 10 goals leads the Seahawks offense, which is not high scoring. Cold Spring Harbor is known for its defense. Carle Place (7-2-6) is coming off a 1-0 semifinal win over Wheatley and has a 10-goal scorer of its own in Ricky Jarvis. Chris Barbosa has eight goals and eight assists. Expect a Cold Spring Harbor win probably 2-1 or 3-1.
Pick: Cold Spring Harbor
NASSAU CLASS C FINAL
No. 1 Friend Academy vs. No. 2 Oyster Bay
Friends Academy has not beaten Carle Place this season. Carle Place won 3-2 on September 10 and lead 3-0 in the game. The two teams played to a 2-2 tie when Chris Campbell scored his second goal with one second left in the game off a direct kick just outside the 18 for Friends Academy on Oct. 2. Matt Slotnick, 11 goals and eight assists, and Colin Heffron, 10 goals and four assists, lead a Friend offense that can put some points on the board. Oyster Bay has won five straight games coming into this one. Thomas Treiber has 12 goals and five assists and Matt Capozzo had nine goals and five assists. I think Oyster Bay has proven it can beat Friend and is the hot team right now. Oyster Bay takes home the crown.
Pick: Oyster Bay
SUFFOLK CLASS C FINAL
No. 1 Southold vs. No. 2 Port Jefferson
Southold, the three-time defending champion, has been the favorite to win the Class C title all season. Port Jefferson lost by one goal both times during the regular season, 3-2 and 1-0. So expect this to be another close one. Port Jefferson (13-5), which lost 4-0 to Southold (15-2-1) in last season’s final, needs to play solid team defense to counter Southold’s balanced attack. Matt Ellis, 24 goals, is the most dangerous scorer for Southold, but many of its players are threats. Sam Davis, 12 goals, is Port Jefferson’s best option on offense. If the game, which should be physical, is low scoring than Port Jefferson can pull it out, but you have to like Southold to win by a goal or two.
Pick: Southold
CLASS D FINAL
No. 1 Greenport vs. No. 2 Smithtown Christian
The team split to two regular season meetings, both winning by a score of 2-1. Greenport (11-6) won the most recent match up. Greenport lost 4-2 to defending Class C champions Southold in its final regular season game. Orlando Lopez, 27 goals and seven assists, is the key to the Greenport offense. James McEnaney has six goals and 11 assists. Smithtown Christian (8-8) the reigning Class D champ, is coming off a 2-1 win over Class C finalist Port Jefferson on Oct. 22. Larry Kim, the teams, leading scorer tallied two goals in the game. Ryan Mohr, 12 goals, is its second scoring option. The experience Smithtown Christian gained going to State last season will be the reason they prevail in this game and they will have to slow down Lopez. If not, then we will have a new champion.
Pick Smithtown Christian