Owen Wuchte Receives 2025 James C. Metzger Lacrosse Leadership Award

The annual James C. Metzger Leadership Award for Nassau County high school boys’ lacrosse was presented to one player on each of the eight teams that competed in the finals of the 2025 Section VIII Nassau County high school boys lacrosse championships.

Each award recipient reflected the tenacity, honesty, commitment and positive attitude required in Nassau lacrosse. Each player also possessed the ability to inspire others on and off the field. One of the eight award recipients is senior midfielder Owen Wuchte of Garden City High School. A starter since freshman year, he collected 29 ground balls as a junior. Wuchte’s coaches referred to him as the team's defensive anchor during all four years. Wuchte also played varsity football. He is committed to Bucknell University (Lewisburg, Pennsylvania),

The lacrosse championships were held on Saturday, May 31, at Hofstra University. In the Class B championship game, Garden City High School defeated Manhasset High School 13-5.

The award for Wuchte is named for 1970s Long Island lacrosse star James C. Metzger, a three-sport athlete at Half Hollow Hills East in Dix Hills. He received the 1977 Lt. Ray Enners Award for outstanding Suffolk County lacrosse player when he scored 102 points and received All-American honors. An All-American lacrosse player at Hofstra University, Metzger is the founder and chairman of Whitmore - The Agency, an insurance and financial services firm in Garden City now known as Acrisure.

The award was presented by Vincent J. Sombrotto, another 1970s Long Island lacrosse star who attended Chaminade High School in Mineola and was a Hofstra University All-American midfielder. He was named to the 1982 All-World Team and is a member of the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame.