T’was another typical winter season for the student-athletes at Fox Lane High School where they did what they oftentimes do—represented the Fox faithful with honor. From hoops to wrestling and all points in between, the representation was prideful.
Boys hoops coach Mike Tomassi’s highly respected program secured the No. 8 seed in the Class AA playoffs. The Arthur Shevick-led Foxes went 11-9 in the regular season and finished 12-10 overall after knocking off No. 9 Lakeland, 58-41, in the opening round before their postseason concluded in a 53-38 quarterfinal loss to top-seeded, state-ranked (No. 21) Suffern on Feb. 25.
Shevick’s terrific career concluded with consecutive All-Section honors. Senior Janak Bain (All-League, All-Class) and junior Ethan Mayers (All-League, All-Class) were also honored with postseason awards.
“Earning a top-eight seed for the 14th time in 15 seasons speaks volumes about the standard of our program,” Fox Lane coach Mike Tomassi said. “That consistency is a direct reflection of our players’ effort, toughness and belief in what we’re building. Our seniors, especially Arthur and Janak, set the tone. They led by example, competed every possession and left the program better than they found it. They’ve earned every bit of recognition that came their way. With strong leadership returning and a foundation built on hard work, the future remains bright for the Foxes.”
Fox Lane girls hoops coach Kris Matts got the most he could out of the Foxes this winter, delivering a No. 8 seed in the Class AA playoffs, where Fox Lane met up with No. 9 Clarkstown South. The Foxes were eliminated in a thrilling 49-47, come-from-behind upset in the opening round of the Section 1 Class AA playoffs at Byram Hills High School.
The Foxes (11-10) appeared to be in control in the third quarter and jumped out to a nine-point lead in the fourth when Fox senior Morgan Clinton (16 points, 10 rebounds, two steals) drilled back-to-back threes for a 39-34 lead with 1:36 left in the period. Senior Kam Boniello’s free throw made it 45-36.
But the Vikings kept clawing. Dylan New gave the Foxes a 47-43 lead with 2:56 remaining, but the wheels came off from there. Fox senior Riley New had 11 points and senior Cora Moore scored nine for the Foxes, who will graduate eight seniors. Riley New and Clinton each spent five years on the varsity squad. Clinton finished with more than 600 rebounds and 600 points, while Riley New was hovering near the 1,000-point mark as they concluded their careers.
The 2026 Foxes did nothing to disparage the great wrestling reputation at Fox Lane, piling up 144 points and a seventh-place finish at sectionals, including 165-pound champion Luke Ryan, his second such title. Runners-up Andrew Brauning (215) and senior Piero Di Nicola (126) joined Ryan in earning a chance to compete at the state championships on Feb. 28 (after this edition’s deadline).
Additional elite seasons were turned in at 103 pounds by freshman Joe D’Alisa (fifth place) and 190-pound senior Christopher Bloom (third place), who were also on the podium at the fabled Westchester County Center.
“Fox Lane wrestlers had an eventful season,” coach Anthony Rodrigues said.
Since 2009, Fox Lane wrestlers have advanced to the state finals 11 times, including a NYS champion for Anthony’s son, Steven Rodrigues, in 2011.
“Coming into the season we had a very young team with as many as six freshmen in the lineup,” coach A-Rod said. “We started the dual meet season as 12th seed in section and were able to upset a few teams and took third overall. We finished with an overall dual record of 9-5, competing in the toughest league in Section 1.
“The Foxes had five wrestlers in the semifinals,” the coach added. “Joe D’Alisa took fifth with a 19-8 record; senior Piero Di Nicola took second and qualified for the state tournament, which is a great accomplishment considering he has only wrestled for three years. Luke Ryan went back-to-back as a section champion, no small feat, and the team overall took seventh place, two points outside of the top five. Luke and Piero will wrestle at the state tournament in Albany.”
Since 2002, Fox Lane has qualified 50 wrestlers to the state tournament, with two champions and 29 place-winners.
Fox Lane boys winter track coach Chris Dossena was stoked to see the number of All-League performers on his team, including Antonio Gramuglia — 600 meters, Marc Desforges — 3,200 meters, Jacques Desforges — 1,600 meters and Santo Cutri — shot put and weight throw.
Graduating seniors include Antonio Gramuglia, Marc Desforges, Jacques Desforges, Spencer Eigel, Sam DeMarco, Mateo Mancuso, Dennis Santos Garcia, Raymond Tolentino and Santo Cutri.
The coach is hoping for the key returns of Luke Sweeney, Michal Laclavik, Tyler Nakajima Graham, Evan Siemers and Timothy Harrison.
“We had a very solid season with athletes showing nice improvements across the board,” Dossena said. “To all the graduating seniors, we wish you all the best in ‘life’s race.’ Always remember to be true to yourself, ‘stay the course’ and keep running.”
The Fox Lane ski team saw the likes of All-Leaguers Brynn Anthony, Grace Anthony, Summer Yaggi, Charlotte Upton, Chase Hamilton and Nathan Fishkind turn in superb seasons.
Senior Brynn Anthony and underclassman Hamilton secured All-Section honors.
Key returners for 2026-27 include Chase Hamilton, Grace Anthony, Yaggi and Upton.
“Brynn placed eighth in the giant slalom and 13th in the slalom at the state championships, while Chase placed 20th (in giant) and 22nd (in slalom) at states, which was very impressive,” Fox Lane coach Jessica Anthony said.
Fox Lane failed to qualify for the Section 1 ice hockey tournament after struggling through a tough 4-15-1 campaign in which the players showed no quit, according to coach Thomas McGinn.
“The boys battled hard this year,” he said. “Our record doesn’t show how well our team played. We were on the wrong side of some really close games. No matter the outcome, the leaders on the team kept everyone’s minds in the right place. The players encouraged each other to work hard to get the best out of everyone. It was a pleasure working with this group of kids. We wish our seniors who are moving on the best in their endeavors.”
Graduating seniors include Hank Hearon, Owen Oliva, Nick Reilly and Greg Soderberg, while several key returners for 2026-27 include Calvin Metzger, Teddy Kao and Mark Chen.
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