As the clock hit triple zeros at James M. Stuart Stadium at Hofstra University, St. Anthony's bench emptied onto the field in celebration. Fueled by a massive second-half performance in which they tallied nine goals, the Friars retained the NSCHSAA varsity lacrosse championship in a 16-12 victory over Chaminade.
"I was very nervous at first, but I had my teammates, including Ethan Bramoff and Chris Inzirillo, help me with their defensive play," said junior Friars netminder Dylan Rappaport, who came on in relief for senior goalie Dennis Brady in the second half. "It was an overall great win for our team."
Both squads came into this heavyweight bout ranked in the upper escleon of the newest Inside Lacrosse poll, with Chaminade at #5 and St. Anthony's at #10. The Flyers defeated the Friars 11-10 back on April 24 largely due to the efforts of James Gillis '26, who had five goals, and William Ball '25, who went 22-for-25 from the faceoff dot.
The Crimson and Gold hoped for a similar performance in the rematch at Hofstra on May 15 as they sought their first NSCHSAA championship in seven years.
As expected, it was a back-and-forth battle.
In the first quarter, it was The Connor Kuttin ('25) Show. Instead of setting up teammates like he usually does, Kuttin instead decided to utilize his scoring ability in the first period, netting three goals in the contest's first 12 minutes. His first-frame performance was capped off by an incredible backhand snipe to the top shelf of the cage with 16.8 seconds on the clock.
Despite the senior's dominant first quarter, the score was knotted at four after the first period, as St. Anthony's countered Kuttin's great performance with a balanced attack, showcasing the Friars' incredible speed on the turf. By wheeling around defenders, cutting to open spaces of the box, and finishing near the cage, Dylan Harrigan - an Inside Lacrosse four-star prospect - led the Black and Gold's attack with two goals.
From there, it was a game of runs, with both teams hitting their strides in different parts of the contest.
The second quarter was a fabulous frame for the Flyers. With the showdown tied at six after both squads netted a pair of goals to start the period, Chaminade exploded with four unanswered tallies from four different goalscorers to make the score 10-6 with 3:52 to go in the frame. Chaminade also dominated the ground ball department, with Sean Connolly '25, Brody Shapiro '26, and Benjamin Bekiers '26 tenaciously fighting for every possession in the midfield.
The Friars threw the final punch of the first half when Danny Rooney buried a goal in front of the cage with just under two minutes to go, but the Crimson and Gold maintained a 10-7 lead at halftime.
"We are sharing the ball really well, and we are finding some matchups that work for us," said Chaminade head coach Jack Moran during the intermission. "We know that St. Anthony's is going to make adjustments, and we need to be ready for them. Our message is that the score is 0-0, and we have to win each quarter."
The Friars indeed made adjustments, the biggest one coming in their cage. Head coach Keith Wieczorek slotted Rappaport, an Inside Lacrosse three-star prospect, into the net after an uneven first half from Brady. The decision paid off, as Rappaport made six saves in the second half, limiting the Flyers' offense to just two goals.
The offense fed off of Rappaport's spectacular performance by increasing the pressure on Chaminade goaltender Kieran Walsh '26. Through a series of back-cuts and passes near the crease, the Friars found open shots all around the box, erupting for six consecutive goals to start the period. Giovanni Massaro and Harrigan spearheaded the Friars' attack, scoring three combined goals and frequently setting up teammates in front. This six-tally spurt was finished by a huge momentum-swinging goal by Paul LoNigro, who capitalized directly off a faceoff win.
It was 13-10 St. Anthony's, but the Flyers pushed their way back into striking distance. Their captain, Ball led the way as he usually does, taking it upon himself to spark the offense. Off of a feed by Gillis, Ball found a wide open shot in front of the net which he lasered to the back of the cage, bringing the Crimson and Gold within two. The third quarter ended with the Flyers trailing, 13-11.
In the final frame, the Friars sealed the deal on their sixth straight NSCHSAA championship with three more goals to put the game out of reach. Harrigan put the icing on the cake of his eight-point outing with an empty-net goal, sending the Friars bench into a frenzy and clinching St. Anthony's 16-12 victory.
With three goals and two assists, Massaro was named MVP of the contest.
"I went into this game thinking, 'It's your last one,'" he recalled. "I was able to get the job done by just playing my game."
"It's a dream come true to play this game," added Harrigan. "It's just awesome to see the boys get up."
Even though they didn't come out on top, it was an amazing season for the Flyers that saw a lot of different players make an impact. Chaminade picked up three wins against ranked opponents across the season slate and beat St. Anthony's in April for the first time in four years.
At least 15 of the Crimson and Gold's seniors will go on to play lacrosse at the college level. This group is highlighted by the University of Pennsylvania-bound Ball, the only Chaminade lacrosse player ever to play all four years on the varsity level. Ball, who wore #19 this season in honor of Sgt. James J. Regan '98, will no doubt go down as one of the best Flyers lacrosse players of all time. The remarkable senior FOGO was victorious in around 80 percent of his faceoffs this season.
The 14-2 Flyers now turn towards a talented group of juniors - headlined by Gillis, John Balsamo, and Walsh - to lead the squad in pursuit of their first NSCHSAA championship since 2018.
