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Sophia Buffardi and Patrick Coan, seniors at Sayville High School, are the 2026 Butch Dellecave Award recipients
Sayville High School made history Sunday when two of its seniors swept Suffolk County’s most prestigious scholar-athlete honors for the first time in the award’s 26-year history.
Sophia Buffardi and Patrick Coan were named the 2026 Butch Dellecave Award recipients at an annual breakfast held at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook. The awards recognize Suffolk County’s outstanding student-athletes for excellence in athletics, academics, leadership, community service and character.
From Sayville to Chapel Hill
Buffardi is a lacrosse, soccer, and track and field standout who boasts a 102.7 GPA. She has excelled in multiple Advanced Placement courses and is a member of the National Honor Society.
A two-time Newsday All-Long Island first team selection, Buffardi helped lead Sayville to the 2024 Class C girls lacrosse state championship, scoring five goals in the title game. She also scored the winning goal in Sayville’s first Long Island girls soccer championship victory last November.
On Sunday, Buffardi helped lead Sayville in its Long Island Class C championship win over South Side at Stony Brook University. The Golden Flashes are undefeated (19-0) and in the state final four; they play Rye in Cortland on Friday.
Beyond competition, Buffardi has coached youth lacrosse teams, and at camps and clinics. She earned a full athletic scholarship to play lacrosse at North Carolina.
Sayville two wins away from a state title
Quarterback, centerfielder, volunteer
Coan was Sayville’s starting quarterback and centerfielder, guiding the football team to two Suffolk Division III titles and a Long Island Class III championship.
Over the past two seasons, he threw for 4,214 yards and 54 touchdowns while adding 1,485 rushing yards and 18 scores. He received the Boomer Esiason Award, given annually to Suffolk County’s top quarterback.
In the classroom, Coan carries a 96 GPA and will play football at Lehigh University, where he plans to major in business finance. He has coached young quarterbacks at youth summer camps and volunteered with Inclusive Sports and Fitness, a local nonprofit supporting children with special needs.
A legacy in Suffolk County sports
The Butch Dellecave Award is named for Gaetano “Butch” Dellecave, a respected educator, coach and athletic administrator who spent 30 years in the Connetquot School District. Dellecave was also a prominent high school basketball official and a founding member of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame.
The winners each receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Dellecave family foundation.
“Sophia Buffardi and Patrick Coan represent the very best of Suffolk County’s student-athletes,” said Adrian Fassett, CEO of the Economic Opportunity Council of Suffolk. “They have excelled on the field, in the classroom, and in service to others.”
Top: Sayville High School seniors Sophia Buffardi and Patrick Coan were named the 2026 recipients of the Butch Dellecave Award, honoring Suffolk County’s top female and male scholar-athletes. (Photo Credit: Artist Lake Media, LLC)
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