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Tuesday night’s showdown between Massapequa and Wantagh had all the makings of a classic Long Island public school showdown.
The Warriors won Long Island’s Class C championship a year ago. The Chiefs fell in the LIC Class A final in a one-goal thriller. With both bringing back a ton of talent, it made sense that many expected a battle that would go down to the wire.
Rocco Spallina and Massapequa had other plans. The NLF’s No. 30 junior, a Penn verbal, erupted for seven goals and an assist to lead the Chiefs to a 20-11 drubbing of the host Warriors. Spallina’s fellow Team 91 Long Island standout Nolan Wieczorek, the NLF’s No. 69 junior and a Richmond commit, matched Spallina with eight points on the strength of four goals and four assists. Uncommitted junior faceoff midfielder Ryan Chabus (Team 91 LI) was a horse at the faceoff stripe, winning 26 of 34 battles and scoring a goal to highlight the rout.
Lucky Seven for Spallina
Spallina’s monster night started on the Chiefs’ first possession when he dunked a terrific pass from standout freshman Jake Byrnes (Team 91 LI) 37 seconds into the game. He had a hat trick with 3:38 left in the first quarter after Byrnes’ older brother, Tyler, a UMass signee, found him on the back side for a finish. As is the custom with his game, Spallina was outstanding off ball and smartly got himself open with ease. It wasn’t just dunks, though. He showed increased velocity and his usual accuracy when stretched out, making him a veritable mismatch for the Wantagh defense.
“They were definitely playing off of me on those back door cuts,” Spallina said. “Just showing upfield made my job easy. I was able to find space and bury it in the back of the net early. It’s definitely huge to see the first one hit the back of the net. … The chemistry between the attack was definitely there. Nolan Wieczorek found me a few times cross-crease. Sean Durnin found me as well. It definitely opened things up and made my life way easier.”
What also helped was the noticeable transformation in Spallina’s body from the offseason. He played last summer between 145 and 150 pounds, and he’s now up to 165 pounds. He looked significantly more explosive and able to handle more contact than ever before, a nod to his extensive time in the weight room.
“It definitely gives me more confidence to initiate the ball, pick it up off the end line, handle pressure and it’s definitely helped my overall game,” Spallina said.
‘Pequa Ends It
Massapequa jumped out to a 7-2 lead after a quarter, but a hat trick from heralded sophomore Luke Martini (Team 91 LI) helped the Warriors crawl back into the game. Martini’s fourth of the game – which was one of four-star senior Devin Paccione‘s (Team 91 LI / Villanova) five assists – came with 9:05 to play in the game and cut the deficit to 13-9.
Then the Chiefs decided the game was over. Chabus won eight straight faceoffs and Massapequa couldn’t miss. The Chiefs scored six times in 2:46, including three Spallina tallies, to shut the door on any Wantagh comeback hopes.
Massapequa vs. Wantagh Standouts
Dom Antonelli ’27, SSDM, Masspequa (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island – Binghamton
Antonelli made his presence felt all over the field. You couldn’t miss 1 in blue because he was omnipresent around the ball. Antonelli played lockdown defense in coverage, ran the field well and even tossed out a pair of assists. He had a perfectly timed user pick on a pass from X and was able to get his stick on the ball on a number of occasions. Antonelli’s bounced back between LSM and SSDM, but his future seems really bright as a very good do-it-all D-middie.
Ryan Chabus ’27, faceoff midfield, Massapequa (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island
Chabus was dominant from the start, winning his first five faceoffs en route to a 26-for-34 day at the stripe. The 6-3 Chabus did a nice job of varying his exits throughout, and he did an excellent of pushing the pace when going out the front door. He was rewarded for his excellent play throughout the night with a late goal, but he also made good decisions with the ball on most other occasions. Chabus, a high-academic type, had a couple of hockey assists on the fast break. He completely took over in the fourth quarter, going 8-for-8 at one point to spark Massapequa’s game-sealing run.
Luke Martini ’28, attack, Wantagh (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island
If Martini’s not the No. 1 player in the class of 2028, he’s no worse than top 5. Last summer and fall, he had college coaches wishing he’d reclass up so they could recruit him as a ’27, even though he’s a natural ’28. Martini’s goal-scoring ability has always been his calling card, and he kept that going Tuesday night with four tallies in a number of different ways. His off-ball work and stick skills are superb. He’s much more than just a bucket-getter, though. Martini is an underrated passer who sees the field really well. Against the Chiefs, though, what really stood out was his toughness and willingness to get to dirty areas as a middie. The Warriors moved him to midfield to have him try to get possessions. Martini more than obliged, getting some tough ground balls throughout the night and scrapping hard in unsettled situations.
Joe Nicholson ’26, midfield, Wantagh (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island – Villanova
Nicholson may have had more goals – four – than times where he came off the field. He did it all for the Warriors, adding two assists for a six-point night to go with five ground balls. The lefty showed off his offensive game in ways that he didn’t often do for 91. He got downhill quickly and initiated contact on seemingly every dodge. He drew an and-1 on his first goal, finishing through a contact and taking a big hit for his troubles. Nicholson oozes toughness and grit as a two-way midfielder, scrapping for loose balls and hoofing it on the clear.
“With 91, playing with all of those studs, it’s tough to get offensive runs, but here, I kind of take my matchups a little more and play more offense,” Nicholson said.
Devin Paccione ’26, attack, Wantagh (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island – Villanova
Great passers are always a treat to watch. Paccione fits the ball as one of the best feeders in the senior class. He makes up for his lack of size with unbelievable vision and chemistry with his teammates. Paccione, who finished with a goal and five assists, sees the game two steps ahead of everyone else. He quickly breaks down where the defense is attacking and carves up slides with his pinpoint feeding. The Warriors didn’t have the ball enough to offset Massapequa’s offensive outburst, but Paccione helped Wantagh maximize their possessions with his orchestration of the offense.
Nolan Wieczorek ’27, attack, Massapequa (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island – Richmond
Wieczorek matched his running mate Spallina with eight points on the strength of four goals and four assists. The future Spider did in a number of ways, blending finesse with the physicality befitting his 6-3 frame. He had a really strong take from X that finished with a smooth backhand finish in the Chiefs’ explosive first quarter. Wieczorek also did very well as a feeder, always happy to throw the one-more look to facilitate plays on the back side.
“They were switching from man to zone, and we knew we had matchups all over the field,” Wieczorek said. “My teammates were just getting to the right spots to facilitate the offense. Me, Rocco and Tyler Byrnes have been starting together for three years at attack, which definitely helps.”
Additional Notes
- It’s early, but any discussion about the best 2029 in the country has to involve Jake Byrnes. The tall lefty middie runs on the first midfield line – as a year younger than everyone else – for Team 91 Venom’s stacked 2028 team and he was a problem to deal with Tuesday night. He scored two goals and added an assist to give him 11 points on the season and already help him eclipse last year’s totals when he played as an eighth grader. He’s an excellent shooter with a high IQ.
- Martini already has 134 career goals to his credit. Will he top 300 by the time it’s all said and done?
- Massapequa features one of the premier LSMs in the class of 2028 in Team 91 lefty Casey Gilchrist. The standout sophomore showed off his versatility by lining up at close defense and getting some quality coverage reps against a talented Wantagh offense. Expect to hear more about him this spring and summer.
- Twenty-six of the 31 goals scored and 18 of the 24 assists in the game came from a Team 91 player.