Face paint and eye black splotched in the crowd. The screams of spectators and athletes alike. Drums banging, speakers blasting, and chants roaring. There is no environment quite like LHS’s annual Sports Night.
The stakes were high for the class of 2025 as they aimed to complete an unprecedented feat: the elusive “Three-Peat.” After an improbable win in their sophomore year and a complete and utter domination last year, the seniors were looking to do something that has never been done before: win three Sports Nights in a row.
Aiming to play spoiler, however, was the loud, proud, nitty, and gritty, class of 2026; the juniors seemed to have been given a new life and a new determination to win. Sporting paraphernalia from large bass drums to silly string and confetti poppers, the juniors were bleeding blue and had every intention of being crowned “Sports Night Champions.” In addition, the underclassmen were also looking to make names for themselves, as the sophomores and freshmen, who were likely seen as the underdogs, aimed to turn lots of heads and create a foundation which they could build off in the future.
With high stakes, of course, came high tensions among the competitors. On Day One, the sophomores led the traditional “Parting of the Red Sea” intro, the juniors waved their massive blue flag, and senior Cooper Schorr, dressed as Super Mario Brothers character Luigi, handed out pizza to members of the senior class. One slice, however, went rogue and found its way into the junior section. The makeshift food fight was quickly deescalated, but it was just a precursor for the intense matchups to come.
The juniors rocketed out to an impressive start against the freshmen, as their boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams each advanced to the finals in dominating fashion. On the girls’ end, Sophie Deifel and Dani Zhanay quickly righted the juniors’ slow start, while Jake Prince and Devin Byrne dominated both offensively and defensively for the boys.
However, the scores were not as simple for the volleyball matchups between the sophomores and seniors. In possibly one of the biggest upsets in recent Sports Night history, the sophomore girls scratched their way back from multiple deficits to stun the senior girls. Sophomore class advisor Michael King was feeling “absolutely great” after the unlikely victory. “They really came out there, dominated, and showed they were the better team,” King defended. The sophomore boys, however, could not reciprocate the girls’ efforts, as they fell short to the senior boys.
While the main gym held the volleyball semifinals, the small gym had a competition just as intense: the badminton brackets. After over an hour of intense play, the seniors emerged victorious in three of the six brackets, while the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen left with one victory each.
In an interview with Lynbrook Sports Media Club’s Aliye Simsek, a junior; freshman sports co-chair Ariana Lanzello; and overall freshman co-chair Noah Berkowitz were extremely pleased with their first ever Sports Night. “Honestly, I had such a great time,” Lanzello shared. Berkowitz agreed, admiring how “even with the competition…all the grades come out here, try their best, and have fun.”
Despite a less-than-ideal start, senior sports co-chair Bennett Votano remained optimistic for the seniors to pull through. “We won the first two years pretty easily; now we’re facing some adversity,” he explained. Votano, who has been a sports chair for the class of ’25 since his freshman year, never lost faith in his group’s ability to overcome the challenges they faced because “that’s what we always do.” Votano’s approach to this year’s competition had the three-peat in mind: “It has been looming since sophomore year when we won. And it’s gonna happen…the mentality for everyone is ‘just win.’”
Heading into Day Two, the sophomores, juniors, and seniors aimed to build off their momentum from Day One, while the freshmen aimed to find their footing in the new environment. Starting with the iconic obstacle course, the juniors and seniors each used their experience to their advantage, as juniors Tyler Berke and Daniella Inserra each ran speedy times, while seniors Luke Dantona and Kelsey Roth flew through the course.
The juniors, however, not only built off their momentum, but added to it in the subsequent ultimate frisbee matches. Both the boys’ and girls’ teams cruised past the freshmen, earning a spot in their respective finals. The seniors, however, once again split the series with the sophomores, as the girls fell short in a low-scoring battle, but the boys were able to hold off the sophomores’ comeback attempt in the closing minute of the match.
The junior girls continued their dominance as they cruised to yet another easy victory over the sophomores, led by the offensive and defensive efforts of Maggie Mattera and sports co-chair Addison DiFiore; this meant it was time for a rival rematch. Two years ago, the class of ’26 was able to complete one of the most improbable wins in the competition’s history, defeating the class of ’25 to be crowned ultimate frisbee champions as freshmen. Last year, however, the class of ’25 was able to even the score, taking down the class of ’26 in the championship round. Now, with the stakes higher than ever, it was time for the juniors and seniors to break the tie and battle for the title of “Ultimate Frisbee Champions.”
This back-and-forth slugfest was intense from the boys’ opening whistle, as senior Brian Gilmartin kicked off the match with his signature overhand throw. The juniors, propelled by Jake Prince’s and Chase Samelson’s offensive performances and spectacular catches, jumped out to an early 4-1 lead. The seniors, however, were not going down without a fight. Led by Marco Pantano and Jack LaBarbera, the seniors were able to cut the juniors lead down to one point heading into the final minute of play. Their efforts proved to be futile, as the class of ’26 ultimately pulled through with a 4-3 victory.
Entering Day Three, the juniors and seniors were neck-and-neck, meaning every event on the third day was of the utmost importance to both grades. In the first matchup of the day, the junior girls put the finishing touches on an impressive three-day performance, emerging victorious as volleyball champions. Seeking revenge for the frisbee loss, however, the senior boys took the court against the juniors. The seniors, led by varsity players Joe Woods and Andrew Malinka, along with Chris Paladino, were able to escape with a narrow 21-18 victory over the class of ’26, keeping their hopes of winning Sports Night alive.
The final scores came down to the last set of events: the relay races. With three years of previous experience, many seniors felt that they were in the best position to win most of the relays. From a dominant victory in the iconic Square Run, to a come-from-behind victory in the challenging Team Walkers, the seniors dominated the final events, placing first in four of the six scheduled relays for the day.
The final results were announced on Friday, Feb. 28, and despite a sluggish start and a degrading second day, the seniors’ strong finish proved to be sufficient, as they became the first grade in LHS history to win three consecutive Sports Night titles. “We couldn’t have done it if we didn’t believe and work together, which we did the past three years,” praised Votano. Fellow sports chair Cate Jennings shared Votano’s excitement for making history: “It’s an unreal feeling…I am so proud of everyone and all the work we all put into this.”
While a Sports Night win is venerable, each grade will now set its focus on the upcoming 97th Annual Class Night, where the seniors aim to finish the job, while the freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, will attempt to overcome their current deficits.
