Top Sports Stories 2017: 12th county title for SWR boys lax

The wins came early and often for the Shoreham-Wading River boys lacrosse team, which featured a dynamic offense centered on the all-American attack Chris Gray.

The top seed in the Class C tournament, the Wildcats defeated Islip 13-7 in the championship game in June to bring home the 12th county title in program history.

The Wildcats scored the final five goals in the victory and, to no one’s surprise, it was Gray who contributed four of them.

The Wildcats appeared to have the championship game in hand to start the fourth quarter at Stony Brook University, leading 8-3. But Islip stormed back with four straight goals before the Wildcats turned the momentum back into their favor.

The win sent the Wildcats into the Long Island finals, where they faced a juggernaut Cold Spring Harbor team that had won the previous two state championships. The Seahawks lived up to the hype, knocking off Shoreham 16-7 for their 26th consecutive win.

Accolades piled up for Gray and the Wildcats when the season ended. Gray totaled 115 points, scoring 90 goals, and won the Ray Enners Award as the top player in Suffolk County. He was also named Newsday’s Suffolk County Player of the Year.

The Wildcats ended the season with a 15-4 record.