Aaron Johnson leads Syosset boys volleyball to its first Nassau Div. I crown
Syosset teammates celebrate after their win over East Meadow in the Nassau Div. I boys volleyball championship on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023. Credit: James Escher
Aaron Johnson is a handful.
The senior middle hitter can swing with power, place balls in vacated spots with finesse, play the back row and of course, use his 6-5 frame to block.
Johnson totaled 17 kills, six blocks and an ace to lead No. 2 Syosset to a 25-13, 25-22, 24-26, 25-16 win over No. 8 East Meadow in the Nassau Division I boys volleyball final Wednesday night at SUNY Old Westbury.
It’s Syosset’s first county title in program history.
“We made it to the finals last year and it hurt us a lot to lose that championship,” Johnson said. “Our mindset this entire year was to come back here and win. To bring our coach and our school a championship, nothing can compare to this feeling.”
Johnson came through in the final set, totaling three blocks and three kills, including a kill on an unreturnable spike for the final point.
“Because of his elevation, it’s really hard to stop him,” Syosset coach Mike Acquaro said. “As a blocker, he’s got some instinct to find the ball. Even when he’s out of position, he’ll reach and find the ball. It’s amazing.”
Johnson was complemented nicely by Malvin He, who had 14 kills and three aces. He is a senior who has been on the team since he was a freshman, but didn’t see the court much until this season.
“I struggled a lot with injuries and skill issues,” He said. “I feel like I finally developed to my full potential and I showed it in the county final. It’s an amazing feeling.”
“He’s been one of our go-to guys this year. He’s very gritty,” Acquaro added.
Libero Mike Gaeta played a stellar game defensively and even put down a kill late in the third set. Aarya Patel had five kills and two blocks and Jason Ahn totaled two aces, both of which came during a 7-0 run late in the first set.
Julian Kimak had 12 kills for East Meadow, which finished 16-6.
Syosset (16-2) will face Ward Melville for the Long Island Division I championship at noon on Saturday at Center Moriches High School. Johnson will square off with Kyle Fagan, who totaled 43 kills in Ward Melville’s 3-2 win over West Islip in the Suffolk final.
“We’ve played against each other and it’s going to be a fun matchup because we’re friends,” Johnson said of Fagan. “We know they’re going to be a hard team to play, but we’re going there to win and make history.”
