Fall Sports Recap

Fall sports began on August 23rd for most sports, as tryouts and training got athletes in shape for the upcoming season. As the teams were optimistic, the student athletes worked day in and day out hoping to achieve their goals. Here’s how their seasons went:

Girls Soccer: Under Head Coach O’Connell and assistant coach Tronolone, the Girls’ Varsity Soccer team completed their season 4-7. In a tough conference, the girls held their own, competing in every game they played and even beating the No. 1 team in their conference, Mineola. Captain Tiffany Wong and goalie Gabriella Barrigo held down the defense while Karime Ribeiro, Sophia Barry, and Amaya Pagan led the team in scoring.

Boys Soccer: In Conference A3, the boys under Coach Aguado, and Coach Frazer finished with a record of 4-4-1, their best since their last playoff appearance. Captains Jonathan Xavier and Godwin Eyiuche led the Spartans tremendously. Goalie Jorge Tellez made 34 saves in the 9-game season, and Derek Fuentes led in points. Jonathan Xavier also received All-Conference honors in A3 and Player of the Week recognition.

Boys’ Volleyball: After competing in the 2020-2021 playoffs reigning Conference Champions for the first time in 26 years, the boys finished this season with a record of 9-5, third in the C2 conference. Captain Colin McAleer achieved All-Conference honors while leading the team with 63 kills; captain Jojo Garofalo earned All-Conference honors leading the team in blocks with 43; captain Steven Munson earned the Unsung Hero Award while leading the team in assists with 153. The team and I would like to extend our gratitude and thank Coach K for the time and effort he put into our team, and for changing the mentality of the team since the beginning.

Girls’ Volleyball: Reigning Coach of the Year, Ms. Parisi, led our Lady Spartans to another Conference Championship, the second in the past 4 years, with a record of 12-1 in the A3 conference. Libero Ally Llubit left it all on the court accumulating 197 digs, ranking 14th in Nassau County. Junior Kayla Santo and Isabella Matura also ranked amongst the top in Nassau County; Santo ranked 21st in kills, and Matura ranked 4th in blocks for the county. Senior Captain Haley Nelson earned preseason honors from Newsday, ranking in the Top 50 of all girls’ volleyball players on Long Island. Coach Parisi, for the second year in a row, won the Coach of the Year as well.

Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country: Coach Boyens led the Cross-Country team to yet another successful season with many personal bests and a State Qualifier! For the girls, All-County honors were awarded to senior Girls’ Captain Samantha Szabo and Junior Melissa Innocent; for the boys, All-County recognition was awarded to Jack Schwabe. All-Conference honors were awarded to senior Boys’ Captain Craig Papajohn-Shaw, senior David Pinos, and junior Elyas Layachi; Emily Dahl earned this recognition for the girls. Matteo Somma, Aleeza Dhillon, and Navrosedip Kundlas produced times that allowed them to participate in the State Qualifier meet. Junior Melissa Innocent, with a time of 20:38, triumphed in the race, punching her ticket into the State Championship race.

Football: Under second-year Head Coach, Mr. Paolillo, the boys had a successful season making it to playoffs for the first time since they appeared in the Big Four in 2013. Senior leadership helped to bolster the team through tough games producing an overall record of 4-4 in the regular season. The success of the team brought life back to Valley Stream North, convincing students to be active at the games and create an atmosphere of spirit and enthusiasm, especially at Homecoming. Senior Angelo “Gelo” Morales broke North High School’s record for the most tackles in a single season, earning All-County recognition in the process. Adding to the boys’ impressive team, Brian Farrell earned All-Conference for the 2nd time.  Joining Morales and Farrell in their athletic achievement is Vaughn Candelario and Andrew Lusterino, earning All-Conference recognition. Aside from Lusterino’s All-Conference achievements, he also earned Academic All-Conference, which he is eligible by receiving an academic average of 85% or better for 3 consecutive years. Morales, Farrell, and Lusterino will be representing VSN and Conference 3 in the Exceptional Senior Game. The game will take place on Thanksgiving morning at 10am at Mitchell Field. If interested in attending, please reach out to one of the participating athletes for tickets.