The boys’ varsity team from Floral Park Memorial High School won its second straight Nassau Class A title on Friday, March 6, with a convincing 70-53 victory over Friends Academy.
The game brought the team up to a 21-2 record for the season, and created a chance for it to become Long Island Champions in a bout against Suffolk’s Mount Sinai, which overtook Floral Park in last year’s island championship.
Floral Park’s girls’ varsity team also competed Friday in the Nassau championship, but fell in a match against Plainedge. The team finished with a 17-6 record, and players said the season remains a success.
“These young people are tremendous athletes. Watching them complete is really just phenomenal,” Alicia Calabrese, the school’s principal, said. “They are great young role models. They take that role very seriously. They represent Floral Park.”
She said that even in the school building, they are role models to the community. She credits both teams’ work ethic and culture as well as the students’ character with the season’s success.
Boys’ coach Sean Boyle said that “brotherhood” defines the culture of the team.
“They are a very special group,” he said. “They really embody what the team is all about; they are brothers to one another.
“The team started off very strong,” Boyle said. “The goal was to win the conference, win the county, and then have a chance to rewrite the end of our season last year.”
The boys’ varsity team won last year’s Nassau County Championship as well, meaning this squad holds two of the school’s three championships in the team’s history. They will compete on Tuesday in the Long Island Championship.
“I think we all have a great relationship on this team,” Brendan Martin, another senior and captain, said. “We’ve built a brotherhood, and that helps us win.
Source: LI Press
