Bayport-Blue Point seniors finally got their chance to win a state title, and they did

Nothing has come easy for the seniors on Bayport-Blue Point's girls lacrosse team.

They had no freshmen season because of the beginning stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. After months of uncertainty surrounding their sophomore years, they had three athletic seasons crammed into a span of less than six months with no state championships. Once they were finally able to have a normal season last year, Bayport-Blue Point lost to Manhasset, 8-6, in the Long Island Class C championship.

This year was the final chance for arguably the most talented class in  the program's history to capture their first state title. It wasn’t a challenge the nine seniors took lightly.

“It was literally just fuel to the fire,” senior goalie Felicia Giglio said. “Last year after we lost, we were like, ‘This is it. We’re making it to states and we’re winning.’ And we came out every single game with a purpose, every practice with that purpose and everyone did so much work on their own to get this."

That resulted in a 13-5 victory for Bayport-Blue Point over John Jay in the state Class C championship at Cortland on June 10 to complete a perfect 20-0 season. The Phantoms won the Long Island Class C championship in 2021, also in an undefeated season, but there was no state championship to follow. The players and coaches felt they could have been playing for their second state title in three seasons this spring.

“We talk about it enough, we’re an open book,” coach Ryan Gick said. “We don’t hide things from each other and we discussed it. It’s earn your way back here and be the first group to do it and we felt like that season, as successful as it was and we know we ended on the high point of that season, not being able to come up here and show ourselves as a program I think that deep down was gnawing at them."

This year’s team felt it was the one to finish that seemingly overdue state championship mission.

“It was always in the back of our heads,” said Christine Dannenfelser, a senior defender. “Every practice, every time we stepped on the field, every single minute, that motivated us. It was always the thought of finally getting off the Island, specifically, but getting up here the first time and doing it, that was always the goal.”

Bayport-Blue Point was a dominating force since the first game. The Phantoms outscored opponents, 231-79, en route to their perfect season. Those 79 goals allowed were the fewest on Long Island despite playing the most games.

“It’s not by chance we are here,” Dannenfelser said. “We worked harder than everyone else and I’m fully confident in that. Every single person worked as hard as they could, this has always been the end goal and we finally did it.”

Offensively, there was no slowing down the Phantoms.  They had one of the most balanced offenses on Long Island, filled with Division I talents.

“I think we had the right circumstances that pushed all of us,” Giglio said. “And I hate to lose. And we’re all great lacrosse players, so that helps.”

Shannon Jones, a senior defender, suffered a leg injury and couldn’t play in the state championship. But she remembers that feeling around the 2021 team and how that should have been its first state title. Even though she couldn’t be playing on the field when that moment came this spring, she wanted to be around for every second of it.

“We talked about it all the time about how awesome it would be to make history and we just made history,” Jones said. “Even though I can’t play, I just got to see all my best friends play their butts off. They literally left everything out on that field and they got what they wanted and they got what they deserved.”

Gick was sure to pass the credit among the players, administrators, community and coaching staff. None more than his assistant coach, Matt Maloney.

“Matt is second to none, a class act, on and off the field,” Gick said. “His wealth of knowledge and ability to pull the best out of our players is remarkable. Watch just one practice and you’ll see just how much he means to his players."

Gick said he shared a special bond with the senior class. He’s coached many of them on and off the varsity field and after seeing all they’ve had to go through over the past four years, he sees no better ending for them than a historic one.

“I’ll remember just the relationships, the kind of people they are,” Gick said. “I couldn’t be happier that they have this to hang around their neck. At the beginning of the season, we talked about what’s your bond going to be as a group and the fact that theirs is going to be a state championship is an amazing thing.”