Long Island: The final frontier.
After a 10-8 state semifinal victory over Wantagh on Thursday at Middletown, the 2026 Rye boys lacrosse team has boldly gone farther than any Garnet lacrosse team has gone before.
For the first time in program history, Rye will play for a boys lacrosse state championship.
“All year long, it’s been about two things for us: ‘we’ not the ‘me’; and our process,” said a happy but focused coach Jeremy Guski as he stepped off the bus back in Rye. “We don’t spend a ton of time discussing outcomes. We just keep our heads down and execute. These boys, particularly our seven seniors, did it today against an excellent Wantagh team.”
With one rather large game left to play – a Class C state championship at 12:30 p.m. Sunday against Jamesville-DeWitt – that process seems to be working.
The dream matchup of the Nassau County champions, No. 1 Wantagh, vs. No. 2 Rye began with a one-hour weather delay: Not for thunder and lightning, but for excessive heat, which made it too hot to play.
With Rye dressed in its all-black uniforms under all-black matte helmets, you might have thought the boys forgot to check their weather apps. It didn’t matter one bit.
After a quarter of play, Rye led 4-1. The Garnet attack, paced by Henry Shoemaker, Will Niejadlik, Charlie Brady, and Carson Miller was clicking early. The midfield, anchored by Thomas Goldszer, Henry Gilroy, Max Niejadlik, and the Scully brothers – Luke and Sam – applied constant pressure, slowly squeezing the juice out of Wantagh’s vaunted attack.
Meanwhile, Rye’s mighty defense, Luke Denvir, Jack Levine, Nigel Strazzini, and Jack Melville prevented the Warriors from gaining any true offensive rhythm. Dare to bring the ball into the Garnets’ defensive zone, and you and your ball will be separated. The lead was 6-4 at the half.
Face-off specialist Wilson Redd was extra special after halftime. His dot dominance – and more Miller, Shoemaker, Gilroy, and Brady magic – all helped stake Rye to a 9-5 lead after three quarters.
With semifinal sand in the hourglass running down, Wantagh had no choice but to put their best player, electric senior attack Devin Paccione, on the dot to try slowing Redd down.
For an exciting 1:27, it worked.
Wantagh scored three unanswered goals in the middle of the fourth quarter and roared back to make it 10-8 with 5:24 left to play.
Then, the game stopped for the mandatory mid-quarter water break, providing a chance to exhale, towel off, and refocus. Wantagh didn’t score again the rest of the game.
Sophomore Sam LaMonte has grown up in goal before his teammates’ and coaches’ eyes all season long. Like the star-studded defensive unit in front of him, LaMonte never flinched – not once – down the stretch of the biggest game of his lacrosse career. Displaying courage and athleticism beyond his years, Rye’s goalie made two saves late in the game – the second from point-blank range – that his teammates, coaches, and fans of this team will never forget.
“Wantagh was held under 12 goals only once all year,” Guski said of the Warriors, who hadn’t lost a game since April 14. “And that was by Garden City, one of the top teams in New York. But the save Sam made with just over two minutes left, was for me the play of the game. Sam was so good for us today.”
One game on the schedule left to play.
Trust the process.
