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Tommy Snyder‘s been through it all and he’s won championships in different ways in his time at St. Anthony’s.
Two years ago, he was a rare defensive sophomore that found a spot on the Friars’ varsity roster. St. Anthony’s beat rival Chaminade in overtime when current Harvard freshman Jackson Greene stuck the winner. Snyder’s older brother, Will, was the starting goalie that year, so it gave the brothers an opportunity to win a title together.
Last year, Snyder was a starter on a loaded Friars’ team that rolled to another title. The Long Island Express standout and Virginia commit was a part of a stingy defense that, paired with an outrageously explosive offense, dominated teams.
This year, he came into the season as the defense’s most experienced player at the varsity level. It turned out to be a suffocating unit as Snyder and Penn commit Dante Vardaro led the charge. So, Snyder’s seen things from so many different perspectives. After his Friars downed the Flyers, 10-6, to claim another NSCHSAA Class AAA title, the captain was adamant that the feeling never gets old.
Best Feeling in the World
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Snyder said with a smile. “It doesn’t get any worse, it doesn’t get any better. It’s the same feeling I had two years ago when Jackson scored the overtime winner and it’s the best feeling in the world. It’s definitely a little different. Sophomore year, winning it with my brother was special and again last year with the group of guys we had. Just being the one to have the ball at the end was cool. It just means more being on the field with the guys I’ve been with for four years.”
Snyder got that ball after a quick discussion with Vardaro, who also had his sights set on holding the rock as the clock hit zeroes. Snyder, who had just blocked a shot to get possession for the Friars, won with the ironclad logic of, “I just ate the last shot,” with which nobody can argue.
Once again, St. Anthony’s locked things down in the second half. Chaminade didn’t score in the second half of the teams’ first meeting. It got a little better this time for the Flyers, but not nearly enough. Senior midfielder Michael Cuddeback (Long Island Express) and junior defenseman Gavin Fitzpatrick (Team 91 Long Island / Johns Hopkins) scored to get the Flyers even at 5.
Time to Shine
Quinn Langton made sure to get his signature moment in a Friar jersey. The Army-bound Long Island Express standout calmly came up the hash and buried an overhand rip with six seconds left in the third quarter. St. Anthony’s never looked back. Luke Breslin (Team 91 Long Island / Lehigh) scored twice in the final quarter, with Kyle Bilello (Long Island Express / Brown) and Jake Riglietti (Long Island Express / Iona) joining him in the goal column in the fourth quarter.
Ballgame, even despite a solo tally from Chaminade junior Gavin Lynch (Long Island Express / Notre Dame). Once again, the Friars were simply too much for the Flyers en route to securing their seventh straight win over their rivals.
“St. Anthony’s / Chaminade goes back forever,” Breslin said. “Obviously the last game on here is emotional for us seniors. The team played a great all-around game. I’m thankful for it all.”
St. Anthony’s vs. Chaminade Standouts
Quinn Ball ’25, faceoff midfield, Chaminade (N.Y.) / Long Island Express – Penn
Ball’s performance through the first three quarters was a huge reason why the Flyers were within striking distance of an upset. He won 10 of 13 draws in the first three frames before the Friars were able to turn the tides on him in the fourth frame. The four-star Penn verbal was a perfect 5-for-5 in the third quarter and three of four in the first quarter, often winning the ball to himself with a bevy of different exits. St. Anthony’s did a good job of closing down any potential fast breaks, but Ball’s ability to pop the ball out and chase it down himself enabled Chaminade to maintain possession.
Luke Breslin ’24, attack, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island – Lehigh
Breslin capped his Friars career with four goals to push him over the 40-goal and 60-point plateaus for the season. Not bad for a guy tasked with replacing ACC Freshman of the Year Owen Duffy.
“Owen Duffy last year was the best X attackman in the country, so sharing the field with him, as well working with (St. Anthony’s offensive coordinator( Coach (Doug) Schreiber and the whole offseason working in the weight room, I think it paid off on the field,” Breslin said. “I was able to put up some pretty big points.”
That he did. Breslin got on the board with a pair of man-up goals, one the mirror image of the other. He sprung open on a wheel and connected on shots off of feeds from five-star junior North Carolina commit Gary Merrill (Team 91 Long Island). He also finished off a pair of fast breaks from fellow senior and Army commit Quinn Langton (Long Island Express). Breslin didn’t find much room in a few dodges against 91 teammate Ben Fox (North Carolina), but to his credit, he smartly found other ways to impact the game.
Sal Caputo ’24, goalie, Chaminade (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island – Iona
Caputo nearly willed the Flyers to an upset with his incredible play. The Iona-bound senior stopped 13 shots, but it was how and when he made those saves that stood out the most. He was downright brilliant in the second quarter, stopping five shots. Caputo stoned future Iona teammate Jake Riglietti on a pair of in-tight shots, including one in the third quarter that led to a goal the other way.
Caputo didn’t play varsity at all for the Flyers last year. He started the year as the tenuous starter but ceded his spot for the start of a game. After he came back in, he cemented his hold on the job and never looked back, giving Chaminade plenty of stability in the cage. He made double-digit saves in wins over perennial powers Delbarton (N.J.), Darien (Conn.) and Fairfield Prep (Conn.).
“It all started in October,” Caputo said. “There are six goalies on the team. It’s a fantastic group. It was just an honor to be in the net today and for the rest of the season. Last year, being that I didn’t play, I just had to step up. Every day on the practice field, it was very competitive. It’s friendly but very competitive. We hold each other very accountable, and that’s what helped me get the starting spot.”
Sean Forde ’24, goalie, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) – Utah
There’s rarely any fanfare around the St. Anthony’s goalie spot, especially when it’s surrounded by a defense as talented as this year’s Friars’ back end. Forde, however, stole the show for the Friars. The future Ute denied a dozen shots sent his way. His finest might have come when he stoned a Connor Kuttin (Long Island Express / Johns Hopkins) low offering on a Chaminade man-up that sent the ball the other way. Poised and composed throughout, Forde kept his movements very efficient and tracked the ball well throughout. His three saves in the final quarter helped the Friars get the separation they needed.
Parker McDonald ’25, LSM, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island – North Carolina
McDonald might have had his best game of his Friars’ rookie season. He and five-star sophomore Ethan Bramoff (Long Island Express) have alternated runs all season long. Tuesday, Bramoff dealt with an injury, which meant more opportunities for McDonald to shine. He didn’t disappoint.
The future Tar Heel had a pair of impressive takeaways in the middle of the field with perfectly-placed checks. He still runs the field as well as anyone in the class, and he also more than held up his end of the defensive bargain. McDonald’s most impressive play, though, came when he leapt for a ground ball on the end line. While mid-air, he caught the ball, turned around and fired a perfect pass to Forde to preserve possession for the Friars. Earlier on, one of his caused turnovers led to a Quinn Langton (Long Island Express / Army) transition goal the other way to give St. Anthony’s a 5-4 lead.
Jake Riglietti ’24, attack, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) / Long Island Express – Iona
Riglietti did a little bit of everything for the Friars, particularly early. He got the scoring started on a dunk off of a Merrill assist, then showed off his playmaking chops by finding sophomore Charlie Cacciabaudo (Long Island Express) on off-ball cut for a goal. Cacciabaudo, one of the best off-ball attackmen in the 2026 class, did the honors by catching and finishing in a flash, like he does just about every time the ball’s in his stick.
Riglietti also later set up Langton’s goal off the McDonald takeaway, and he capped his St. Anthony’s career with a fourth-quarter finish for the Friars. The Iona commit worked seamlessly within the offense, and he made Chaminade pay for all of the defensive attention that it committed to Breslin and Langton.
Dante Vardaro ’24, defense, St. Anthony’s (N.Y.) / Team 91 Long Island – Penn
You can’t draw up a better tone-setting play than the one Vardaro had on the game’s opening possession. The future Quaker drew superb Chaminade sophomore James Gillis (Long Island Express) and viciously took the ball away and grabbed the ground ball. If anything, it served as a reminder to the Flyers that there are plenty of other places that they should consider dodging. Postgame, Vardaro credited Gillis for getting an impressive goal on him to make it 4-3 St. Anthony’s before the half.
Despite that, Vardaro finalized his case as the most impressive Friar this year. He never showed any signs of distress after recovering from a torn ACL that robbed him of his junior year. He played middle linebacker for the Friars’ football team and played like one at close defense, too. At around 200 pounds and with an aggressive mindset to boot, Vardaro loves getting physical but also has the footwork to cover smaller attackmen. Mike Murphy and his Quaker staff have a great one coming in.
