Sayville seniors make county history with Butch Dellecave honors

Sayville High School made county history when Sophia Buffardi and Patrick Coan became the first female and male Butch Dellecave honorees from the same school in the same year, giving the Golden Flashes a rare double win that reflects the strength of the district’s academics, athletics and student leadership.

The pair was recognized June 7 at the 26th annual Butch Dellecave Awards breakfast at Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook, where Suffolk County’s top senior student-athletes were honored for more than what they did in competition. The award weighs academics, athletics, leadership, community service and character, and each winner received a $1,000 scholarship from the Dellecave family foundation. The 2026 program recognized 106 seniors from across Suffolk County and drew more than 600 attendees, underscoring how widely the honor is followed across the county’s school communities.

For Sayville, the distinction carries extra weight because it puts the district in a select category at a time when families are looking for proof that school athletics can still build stronger students, not just better scores and records. Buffardi and Coan stood out as examples of what happens when coaching, counseling, classroom expectations and community service all point in the same direction. Their selection also gives younger Sayville students a concrete model of what countywide excellence looks like in practice, from GPA and AP coursework to championship play and volunteer work.

Buffardi brought a 102.71 GPA, multiple AP classes and membership in the National Honor Society to the honor. She helped lead Sayville to the 2024 Class C girls lacrosse state championship and scored the winning goal in the school’s first Long Island girls soccer championship victory. She will continue her lacrosse career at the University of North Carolina on a full scholarship, a path that reflects both elite athletic performance and sustained academic work.

Coan matched that balance with a 96 GPA while helping lead Sayville football 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 and added 1,485 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. He also won the Boomer Esiason Award as Suffolk’s top quarterback, volunteered with Inclusive Sports and Fitness, coached youth quarterbacks, and will play football at Lehigh University while majoring in business finance.

The award’s name adds another layer to the achievement. Guy “Butch” Dellecave served the Connetquot School District for 30 years, spent nearly 20 years as one of Suffolk County’s top-rated basketball officials, directed the Smithtown Summer Basketball League for 35 years and helped found the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame. He died Aug. 27, 2000, but his name still marks a standard that now includes two Sayville seniors who left high school with countywide distinction.