Clash of the titans in Class A lax
Yorktown, John Jay lead the way in tough Class A lacrosse field

 

Hen Hud goalie Matt Colombini

By Jim MacLean
Every year the lacrosse season kicks off with talk about which team might be able to knock off Yorktown, and every year but one in the past 26 the season has ended with the Huskers walking off carrying a Section 1 championship plaque.

Let the talk begin once again, and once again it is how maybe this year will be the year, but until proven otherwise, Yorktown is the defending Class A champion and someone is going to have to earn that title the hard way before the Huskers hand it over.

For the past two years, the two best teams in Section 1 have been Yorktown and John Jay, and once again it appears those two powerhouses could be a pair of freight trains on a collision course.

Any questions just ask Mahopac, as the Indians suffered a 13-4 setback at home to John Jay last Thursday, and then traveled to Yorktown yesterday (Tuesday) and suffered a 12-5 defeat to the Huskers.

Two years ago Yorktown pulled out a one-goal victory in a thrilling final over John Jay for the Class B crown. Last year the Huskers secured the Class A crown with a one-goal victory over Mahopac, while John Jay won the Class B crown.

Now, John Jay is moving up to Class A and everyone is talking about the Class A battle with Yorktown and Jay as the favorites, while some other great programs like Suffern, Mahopac and Lakeland/Panas get set to take a shot at the two front runners.

Make no mistake about it though, Yorktown has been through this before, and despite a tough 4-3 victory over Suffern to open the season, the Huskers are off to a 4-0 start and getting better each time they take the field.

They know what is at stake for a program with so much tradition, and especially this year after the founder of the program Charlie Murphy passed away last summer.

“It’s our first season with Mr. Murph watching from above,” explained Yorktown coach Dave Marr. “The kids know that and they seem to strive on the pressure in a positive way. We have a lot of competition and it’s going to be a challenge, but these kids have been playing a long time and they’re stepping up into their roles.”

They have to step up in a hurry because the Huskers only have four returning starters. A lot of talented players were lost to graduation, but you don’t win 25 titles in 26 years without having new players ready to step up and carry on the program.

Of those four returning starters, three will serve as captains with Kyle Vercruysse returning to anchor the defense, Jake DeLillo on attack, and Tom Interlicchio at midfield. The other returning starter is Tim Kurpis on defense.

That means a lot of question marks for the Huskers, and some of them seem to be answered already. Junior Nick Newman has stepped up as another scoring threat on attack so opponents can’t just double team DeLillo. Mike Bonitatibus has come through as a rare freshman starter in goal.

Other key newcomers stepping up include senior Ryan Wynne on attack, Dan DeMartini and Ethan Fox on defense, and Jamie Goldberg and Pete Stuebe at midfield.

While Yorktown looks for newcomers to step up, JOHN JAY is the one with the talented veterans returning, and that’s why a lot of people feel this could be Jay’s year.

However, coach Nick Savastano has been around Section 1 lacrosse, and he knows the history. John Jay has never won a title with Yorktown in its class, so the Indians still have their work cut out for them.

“Any time you move up it’s going to be tough and you’ve got some great programs in Yorktown, Mahopac, Suffern and Lakeland/Panas in Class A,” explained Savastano. “Yorktown is a team that just reloads. We have some players, but it’s going to be a tough road.”

With the players Jay has returning and the way they cruised to victories over Somers Mahopac and Brewster to open the season, it could be a tougher road for all the Indians’ opponents as they head toward another potential championship season.

Leading the way will be four veterans serving as captains. Syracuse bound midfielder Chris Daniello will be one of the top offensive players in Section 1, while goalie Connor Sweeney will be one of the top goaltenders around.

Junior defenseman Ryder Bohlander will anchor the defense, while junior Kevin Stockel is the leading returning scorer for the Indians.

That’s just the beginning as sophomore Chris Bocklet returns on attack to team up with Stockel and junior Brian Douglass to provide three capable scoring threats up front, although the Indians will be without Stockel for two more games as he finishes up a three-game team suspension.

Joining Daniello at midfield will be Jake DeCandia and Matt Vibert, while the Indians depth will be a big factor with three midfield lines running at opponents all season long.

On defense, Bohlander will team up with Rob Crossett and Justin Schneidman to provide the Indians with a tall and talented set of long poles in front of Sweeney.

MAHOPAC can attest to the talent that both John Jay and Yorktown have as the Indians suffered a pair of tough defeats to go along with a win over Hen Hud to open the season.

After pushing Yorktown to the limit in last year’s title game, Mahopac is hopeful they can turn it around for a strong finish with a lot of new faces in the lineup.

Of course, it seems to be this way often for Mahopac as the Indians have often opened up the season with some tough losses only to come back and defeat the same team come playoff time.

“We do have a lot of young guys, but it’s just inconsistency,” explained coach Ryan McClay. “We’ve got guys making the right plays, it’s just a matter of making them consistently. It’s going to be a battle in Class A, which is good and it’s exciting. I think we’re getting better. We’re getting there and we just have to grow.”

Leading the way will be senior midfielder Matt Leithead and senior Stetson Hundgen on attack. They are the two experienced veterans for the Indians who will serve as captains. Other than that there are a lot of new faces and a lot of players taking on new roles as the Indians look to improve and get ready to compete once again with the best programs in the section.

LAKELAND/PANAS is another traditional powerhouse with a lot of new faces, including a new coaching staff.

Of course, those faces are new but also familiar ones to the Rebel program as former star Jim Lindsay returns to his alma mater to take the helm with the help of his former coach Frank Vitolo.

The Rebels opened with a tough 12-11 victory over Hen Hud to give Lindsay his first victory at the helm, but they know it will get tougher down the road to compete for a Class A title. Among the returning starters who will have to lead the way are Andrew Collins and Mike Malan. Collins scored five goals in the win over the Sailors, while Doug Hoch also had a big game with two goals and four assists.

CLASS B:
With defending Class B champion John Jay out of the way, a lot of teams are hoping to compete for the title this year.

It was expected to be a tough race between teams like Horace Greeley, Brewster, Fox Lane, Somers and Hen Hud, but after just one week the picture is becoming clear as SOMERS has taken over the front runner spot.

The Tuskers opened the year by getting trounced by John Jay, but Somers has since rebounded to score impressive victories over Brewster, Fox Lane and Horace Greeley in that order.

Three of their main rivals for the Class B crown, and Somers took care of business. First the Tuskers crushed Brewster, opening up a 7-0 halftime lead on their way to a 13-6 vcitory. Next up was Fox Lane and it was tied up 2-2 at halftime before Somers opened it up for a 7-3 win. Then came Greeley and an 11-5 victory.

One constant in each win for Somers was a strong defense led by Dartmouth-bound senior goalie Mike Novosel. Everyone knows about Novosel, one of the best goalies in the section, and he has a strong cast of long poles in front of him led by fellow senior captain Kyle Devito. All four long poles are returning starters for the Tuskers as DeVito, Matt Marasco, Luke Perito and Stephen Smith have combined with Novosel to create a formidable defense line.

Leading the way on offense has been senior captain Troy Donohue and junior midfielder Evan von Heyn.

Donohue runs the attack from behind the cage and vonHeyn is one of the Tuskers main finishers, including a five-goal outburst in the win over Greeley.

There are plenty of other experienced weapons in the Somers arsenal with returning starters Dan Werney and Joe Marasco on attack, along with returning starters Tim Lewis and Kevin Winters at midfield. Eighth-grader Matt Deiana has taken over the important face off role for the Tuskers.

HEN HUD advanced to the Class B title game last year and stuck right with John Jay for three periods, and the Sailors have proven they are capable of playing with anybody once again this year.

The record might say the Sailors are off to a 1-4 start overall, but as they showed against Lakeland/Panas they are capable of winning a lot of these games.

Especially come playoff time against Class B foes as a young Sailor lineup tries to bring it together.

Coach Craig Solomon has some solid veterans to work with, but for the most part Hen Hud is a young team and Solomon hopes they can continue to grow and compete for a title like the program has done the past seven years.

“We’re used to competing for a sectional title and the kids are working very hard, but we have four freshmen that start,” admitted Solomon. “In the long run it will pay off, but right now we’re going through some growing pains.

Defensively we’re pretty solid, but we have three freshmen on attack and they’re learning under fire. They’re taking their lumps, but they’re not backing down and they’re getting better each game.”

Leading the way for the Sailors will be a trio of captains that include senior long pole defenders Jeff Camarra and Jordan D’Ambrosio, along with junior midfielder Robbie Bosco.

Camarra and D’Ambrosio team up with Ryan Martin and Matt Jenks on defense in front of goalies Matt Colombini and Ryan DeSilva.

Bosco will have to dominate at midfield and he will be under constant double teams until other scoring threats emerge for the Sailors to take the pressure off him. He has started since he was in eighth-grade on the varsity and it’s no secret the offense will run through him.

Junior middie Chase Bernard is one of the best face off men in the section, and he will have to do even more to help Bosco generate some offense. On attack, freshmen Colin Parkhurst, Jake Green and Alex Kaufman will have to be ready for feeds from Bosco to beat the double teams he will face.

“Robbie has been outstanding,” Solomon said of Bosco. “He just keeps working and running. He’s used to playing with a lot of talented players around him, and now he has to make the younger players better. He’s definitely carrying the burden of the offense. Bernard has improved a great deal. Last year he was a bull in the china shop and this year he’s a lacrosse player.”

CLASS C:
It looks like the same old story in Class C as Putnam Valley looks to make it back to the title game once again for another chance against defending champion Rye.

Coach Brian Kuczma’s Tigers are off to a 2-1 start after falling 8-6 to Fox Lane in the season opener. The Tigers rebounded for a big 11-9 win over Class C rival Pleasantvilleas Tom Kelly had a huge game with five goals, while Pete Morgan added three goals. Cory Ender came up big in goal with 21 saves for the Tigers to record the victory.