Half Hollow Hills boys dominate Corning-Painted Post in state 'A' semifinal to reach program's first final
Anthony Raio scored 4 of his 5 goals in the first quarter as Hills beat Corning-Painted Post in state semifinal on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Credit: Neil Miller
MIDDLETOWN — For most of the spring, Half Hollow Hills boys lacrosse has looked close to unbeatable.
On Wednesday, the RedColts earned the right to prove they’re exactly that.
Hills dominated Section IV’s Corning-Painted Post, 18-8, at Middletown High School’s Faller Field in the state Class A semifinal to reach the program’s first state final. The 22-0 RedColts will face a fellow undefeated team in 21-0 West Genesee of Section III at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Anthony Raio opened the game with two goals in the first 57 seconds and four in the first 2:29 minutes, somehow beating three CPP defensemen to a ground ball before scoring his second of five goals.
Add in a goal from Luke Bradley and Daniel Chung, and Hills led 6-0 inside the game’s first three minutes. The RedColts scored six first-quarter goals in their last two games combined.
“[We] got back to playing what we know and love, and that’s playing fast,” Raio said.
None of it would be possible without the dominance of Nico Ghicas, who won 19-of-24 faceoffs as Hills’ ability to scoop ground balls and transition to the attack continued to punish CPP (13-5).
“I know exactly what he’s thinking, and he knows what I’m thinking,” Raio said. “If we can get that small edge to get a little more on transition than we already have, I’m happy to fight for any ground ball for any of these guys.”
“We get the ball, we out-athlete you and we score,” Ghicas said. “That’s our motto, that’s how we play. It’s green.”
The RedColts led 8-3 at the end of the first quarter and finished the first half as strong as they started, scoring five goals inside the final 1:14 of the second quarter to take a 16-5 lead into halftime.
“We grew up as lacrosse players, we didn’t grow up with any set positions,” senior Ryan Chung said. “So as soon as we pick up that ball we have a saying; 'You're going green.’ You’re going straight to the cage.”
Zach Marco finished with two goals and two assists, and Sal Santoro finished strong with 16 saves, allowing seven goals.
Ryan Chung (three goals) and sophomore brother Daniel (two goals, one assist) combined for the team’s 13th goal, with the latter flipping it to the former for a quick finish.
“It’s backyard ball,” Ryan Chung said. “If you think when I’m gone that you’re done hearing my last name, you’re wrong."
That’s the nature of this Hills team, a senior-heavy class that grew up together, dominated in club ball and hustles to make up for the rare mistake another makes. It battled through monsoon-like conditions versus Mamaroneck in the state quarterfinal round.
This team also lost the Long Island Class A title game a year ago, a tough result to Farmingdale. Since that loss Hills has outscored its opponents 405-165 and will compete for a state title.
“For it to actually come to fruition and all our hard work paying off, it’s crazy to me,” Raio said.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
