NCN LAX BLOG

OK, these are the final rankings of 2009.

I will have some additional lax coverage (video-wise) during the summer.

So stay tuned, or blogged.

Yorktown’s Remy Lieberman, who blew up during the playoffs, will be a key player for the Huskers next year. 

1) Yorktown (18-3) — To succeed in primetime playoff lax, a team needs to excel in two areas:

1) The cage
2) The faceoff X

In Thursday’s loss to West Islip in the Class A state semis, the Huskers were able to check off one of the two.

Goalie Michael Bonitatibus, who is lacrosse’s version of a Merry Prankster, wasn’t messing around against the Lions. The Loyola-bound star was very much the real deal, recording at least five point-blank saves, which, don’t forget, were being unleashed by some of the best players in the nation.

As good as Bonitatibus played, there was just that much more to be desired at the faceoff X.
All-American middie John Ranagan, who played like he had an ’89 Mustang engine transplanted into his chest, wasn’t to blame.

I mean, how much more should the kid be asked to do? I wouldn’t be surprised if he also had an apron in his bag. You know, to bake the post-game oatmeal cookies, too.
West Islip’s Conor Braddish was just that much better at the art of faceoffs. Braddish picked on ’Town at the draw in the same way Randy Moss does when matched up against 5-7 cornerbacks.

“I thought he was going early a bunch of times,” Yorktown Head Coach Dave Marr said of Braddish. “But he was timing it well and getting it every time.”

“We only won two or three faceoffs,” Marr said. “When you win two or three faceoffs and turn the ball over 20 times, you aren’t going to win too many games.”

If you watched Saturday’s Class B state title game on MSG — in which Canandaigua pulled off a 10-5 upset over Niskayuna — the importance of faceoffs was virtually impossible to ignore.
Canandaigua’s Marshall Johnson won 17 of 19 at the draw, gobbling up every single groundball like a hungry hippo. And he made it look so effortless, employing a simple clamp and rake maneuver.

As a result, Nisky’s offense — which had racked up 29 goals in state tournament wins over Somers and Sayville — lay dormant. All-American middie Dan McKinney, who racked up seven goals against Somers, was held to one goal.

Canandaigua Head Coach Ed Mulheron told the Daily Messenger that he knew everything would be OK if Johnson won faceoffs.

Well, things were a little better than OK.
In the same Daily Messenger article, Niskayuna Head Coach Mike Vorgang said that Johnson was one of “the best” faceoff men they had seen.

Mulheron went straight to the heart of the matter.
“You know [Johnson] kind of put us on his shoulders,” Mulheron was quoted saying in the Daily Messenger.

Back when ’Town won its last state title in 2003 — an improbable one at that — there was someone that carried them at the faceoff X, too.
His name was Bobby McCauley.

McCauley, who tragically passed in September, was the difference in Yorktown defeating Jamesville-DeWitt in the ’03 state finals.

With JD holding a 6-5 lead in the third quarter, McCauley came to the forefront. Built like the love child of an ice chest and fire hydrant, he proceeded to dominate the faceoff X. In turn, the Huskers gathered possessions and outscored JD 5-0 to close out the game.

“Bobby did a tremendous job on the draws in the second half,” Marr said in the NCN game story. “I probably should have gotten him in earlier than I did. When we put him in there in the third, you could see he matched up with that guy pretty well. He muscled up with him, got the ball out and did a really nice job when he picked it up and got his feet moving. He’s just one of many seniors that didn’t play a lot last year, but made the most of his time when he got it.”
From a bench player to a hero, McCauley proved a faceoff man’s value. (Not to mention, he was one of the funniest and genuine guys to ever put on a Yorktown lacrosse jersey).
So, is Yorktown’s future possession weapon lurking in the shadows somewhere on the bench?

With Ranagan off to Hopkins, the Huskers won’t have that dominant midfield presence to mask the problems at the draw.

Like a long-snapper in the NFL, a FOGO (faceoff get off) guy is invaluable and nearly irreplaceable.

For those Yorktown players rotting on the bench, I suggest you make a religion out of learning the art of faceoffs this summer. Seriously. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?
You end up being the unsung hero on a state championship team?

Moving on, I hear that backup rising senior goalie Derek Koelsch is very much the real deal. Whispers indicate he has the ability to make all the saves that Bonitatibus can.

But can he handle the rock outside of the cage like Mikey B.? Not a chance. With Ranagan and Bonitatibus’ outlet passes fleeing the coop, next year’s version of Yorktown isn’t even going to come close to resembling this year’s squad.

“It’s going to be a very different team next year,” Marr said. “We lose a lot of guys. Work starts on Tuesday pretty much. There is another 360 days till we do this again.”

According to Yorktown’s home on the web, here are the captains that will lead the 2010 team: Kevin Interlicchio, Remy Lieberman, Justin Mabus and Joey Porcelli.

While Yorktown’s entire defense graduates, there is one returning guy to keep an eye on.
His name is Stephen Burke. After getting injured this year, he will return as presumably the defense’s anchor. Remember the name.

Also, don’t forget about rising junior middie Ty Schuldt, who played his best lax in the playoffs. This kid is the future.

2) Somers (15-5) — Remember when Michael Jordan retired?
(In my book, Jordan’s second retirement in 2000 was his real exit from the league. The other two retirements were too Brett Favre-ian.)

Needless to say, it was a joyous occasion for Knicks fans.
As time passed, however, the NBA really lost its zest. The post-Jordan era put my basketball fandom on life support.

It took awhile for the league to recover. And its heart didn’t really start beating again till LeBron James arrived.

The rough transition period proved how much Jordan meant to the game of professional basketball.

Now, why am I babbling on like a cheap Bill Simmons rip-off?
Because I liken All-American attackman Joe Marasco’s exit from Section 1 to Jordan’s departure from the NBA.
Seriously.

Marasco was truly a one-of-a-kind talent in the scope of Section 1 lacrosse. With the grittiness of Chris Drury and the skill of Tiger Woods putting at the Masters, Marasco really was the complete package.

While Section 1 lax won’t take a nosedive like the NBA did, it’s certainly going to be an adjustment to watch a Marasco-less Somers team.

One thing is for certain: the highlight videos won’t be nearly as sweet.
I’ve said this before, but I think it bears repeating: Marasco has the ability to put up serious numbers at Syracuse — serious enough that it might warrant the chance to don the fabled No. 22 jersey.

But what I’m going to say now might surprise you: Somers might actually be better next year.
With so many key pieces returning — goalie Chris Longo; defensemen Eddie Schurr, Christian Smith, Andrew Madigan and John Bello; middies Colin Tullgren, Erik Pfiffner, Matt Deiana, Anthony Lombardo; attackmen Greg Petre, Kieran Donohue and Cole Partenza — the Tuskers will have a real solid chance at repeating.

Only a giant purple mass of seasoned returnees over in Cross River stands in their way.
Like last year, expect Class B to offer the most enticing matchups.

3) Lakeland/Panas (13-5) — Don’t be surprised if the Rebels end take Class A next year.

4) John Jay (10-9) — So young, so good. The future is scary over in John Jay — for its opponents, of course.

5) Putnam Valley (15-5) — Getting blindsided by Manhasset wasn’t the best way to end an epic turnaround season, but the Tigers have nothing to hang their heads about.
Look for rising senior attackman Ryan Fitzgerald to really challenge for PV’s second straight All-American selection.

But don’t forget this year’s graduating class, which pulled the program up by its bootstraps.
Head Coach Brian Kuczma certainly hasn’t.

“This is one of the most fun years I’ve had in a long time,” Kuczma said. “That’s a tribute to our seniors. They worked hard and kept the team together. They made it enjoyable to coach. I’m definitely going to miss these guys a lot.”

6) Mahopac (10-8) — Only Tyler Perrelle graduates on offense. Many — including myself — predicted the Indians would be an offensive juggernaut this past season. Maybe I was a year off?

7) Hendrick Hudson (6-13) — Keep an eye on rising senior attackman Cole D’Addario, who could be on the verge of a big time breakout season in 2010.

BEYOND PREMATURE 2010 RANKINGS

1. John Jay
2. Somers
3. Lakeland/Panas
4. Yorktown
5. Mahopac
6. Putnam Valley
7. Hen Hud

The Island reigns supreme — again.

West Islip’s Nicky Galasso rips a shot against Yorktown in the Class A state semifinals at Middletown High School. 

The Yorktown Huskers (18-3) fell to the West Islip Lions (21-1), 13-8, in the Class A state semis yesterday at Middletown High School.

The Lions (Section 11), who won Class A state titles in ’06 and ’07, will advance to play Orchard Park in the state finals Saturday in Rochester.

Matched up arguably the best team in the nation, Yorktown kept it close for the first half.

After falling behind 5-1 midway through the second quarter, Huskers junior attackman Remy Lieberman (three goals) scored off a pass from sophomore middie Justin Mabus. The goal sparked a 3-0 Huskers run, which Lieberman capped off with 31.2 seconds left in the first half to cut the deficit to 5-4.

West Islip, however, would answer before the end of the half.

On the ensuing faceoff, the Lions caught Yorktown shorthanded in transition. All-American attackman Nicky Galasso (three goals, one assist) finished off the break, giving the Lions a 6-4 lead heading into the break.

“The goal at the end of the half didn’t help,” Yorktown Head Coach Dave Marr said. “We were exchanging to sub and we got caught on a 3-on-2 and they scored. Looking back, that seemed to be the turning point.”

The Lions kept the Huskers at bay in the second half, never trailing by any fewer than three goals.

For the Huskers, All-American middie John Ranagan finished with three goals. All-American attackman Kevin Interlicchio notched one goal. Sophomore middie Ty Schuldt chipped in with one goal. Senior keeper Michael Bonitatibus came up with 10 saves.

For the Lions, Shane Craig led the way with four goals and one assist.

OK, now let’s break down a bit about the game.

Turnover battle

Overall, the Lions won the turnover battle, which was the biggest factor in them pulling away in the second half.

This was most noticeable in the third quarter, as WI outscored Yorktown 4-1 to grab a commanding 10-5 lead heading into the fourth.

The Huskers threw a handful of errant passes during the stretch, which Galasso and Craig capitalized on.

“In the beginning of the game, they were making turnovers too, but we didn’t capitalize and gave the ball right back to them,” Marr said. “We did not play our best game by far. It was pretty gross.”

When the ball was on the carpet, a WI defenseman was on the spot to scoop it up and kick start transition. The sheer athleticism and speed of the Lions’ defense was a huge factor in the clearing game. Yorktown’s attack had a rough time riding them.

“The second half was very tough to watch,” Marr said. “We were working really hard and barely scratching a goal out. They were going down and getting hot shots on Michael [Bonitatibus]. If it wasn’t for Michael, it could have been 20-8.

Bonitatibus in the cage

Which brings us to our next point: Bonitatibus’ stellar play.

The Loyola-bound goalie was fearless, denying a handful of WI shots on the doorstep. He also played a vital role in the clearing game, showing his ability to handle the ball outside of the cage.

Sure, West Islip scored 13 goals, but at least 8-9 of them came from within close.

Fennessy vs. Galasso

Yorktown All-American defenseman John Fennessy did his best to keep the uber talented Galasso in check.

Despite Galasso’s final stat line, Fennessy held his own.

“He did OK,” Marr said of Fennessy. “We were trying not to slide to [Galasso] and make him play one on one because he is a very good feeder as well. We would rather him start the offense and give up a one on one goal than have him distribute eight or nine goals. Fen had his hands full and did a pretty good job. He beat him a couple times, but what are you going to do?”

Interlicchio on attack

The Hopkins-bound Interlicchio was held to one goal. West Islip’s Mike McCormack, a Yale-bound defenseman, did a solid job of containing Yorktown’s top gun.

“He didn’t seem like he had it today,” Marr said of Interlicchio. “The guy that was playing him was very good. It’s tough if you don’t have your best stuff and playing in a game like this. We just didn’t seem to be playing well all around.”

Underclassmen

A bright spot was the play of underclassmen like Schuldt, Mabus and Lieberman.

“Ty and Justin did well and Rem made some nice plays,” Marr said. “It’s going to be a very different team next year. We lose a lot of guys. Work starts on Tuesday pretty much. Another 360 days till we do this again.”

Photos:

Yorktown’s John Ranagan looks to rip a shot.

 There are more photos after the jump . . .

Read the rest of this entry »

I’m about to cruise up to Middletown High School for the NYS semifinals.

Bang it at the Twitter feed for updates on Putnam Valley vs. Manhasset and Yorktown vs. West Islip.

Enjoy the day of lax.

Yorktown’s John Ranagan, seen here against Guilderland, will look to lead the Huskers over West Islip in the Class A state semis tomorrow at Middletown High School. 

Here are the vitals of Yorktown’s Class A state semifinal matchup against Section 11’s West Islip.

Who: Yorktown Huskers (Section 1, 18-2) vs. West Islip Lions (Section 11, 20-1)
Where: Middletown High School
When: June 11 at 5:30 PM
What: Class A NYS semifinals
Why: To be crowned the best lax team in NYS (and let’s be serious, the country)

History lesson

Overall, Yorktown has won six state titles. But the Huskers have yet to win one in Class A. West Islip — still a newcomer onto the national scene — has captured two state titles (’06 and ’07). The Lions beat the Huskers in the state semis in 2007, 12-7.

John Fennessy vs. Nicky Galasso

WI junior Nicky Galasso, who is touted as the best attackman in the country, tore the Huskers up in 2007. The UNC-bound star ripped four goals and dished out three assists, which was the difference in the Lions coming out with a closer-than-expected win.

Yorktown All-American John Fennessy, who was still relatively new to the game at the time, matched up against Galasso a few times during the loss.

Suffice it to say, Fennessy isn’t exactly the same player as he was back then.

“I guarded [Galasso] for a couple plays as a sophomore,” Fennessy said. “He’s very talented. People say he’s the best in the nation.

“Well, that’s all talk. That’s just a name. It depends if you come out and play. If you don’t come out and play . . .  we will just see what he does.”

This matchup within the matchup is reason enough to cruise up I-87 tomorrow.

Yorktown Head Coach Dave Marr sums it up

“From the end of last year to this point — this is where we wanted to be. I’m hoping the kids just come and lay it on the line. There’s no tomorrow. You can’t hold back now.”

Are you ready?

With about eight minutes left in Yorktown’s 16-4 blowout win over Guilderland in the state quarterfinals, the Yorktown cheering section started chanting, “We want Islip! We want Islip!”

Following the game, the announcement was made over the loudspeakers: “West Islip 14, Hicksville 7”

Yorktown captain John Ranagan pumped his helmet in the air and hollered.

“We are excited,” Ranagan said in the understatement of the century. “They ended our season two years ago. We wanted to get back obviously from last season. We are really excited and hopefully have an effort like tonight.”

Parting quotes

Prior to the Guilderland game, the coaches and players gathered for a pregame speech. Fennessy broke it down.

“We said that it’s win or go home,” he said. “If you aren’t winning, you shouldn’t be on this field. We came together and showed that we want to be here and win. We are good enough to get to the next level and that’s exactly what we are going to do.”

“Hopefully we have two more games left because that’s what we are going for,” Ranagan said.

“Everyone knows they don’t want the season to end on a bad note — and the only good note would be winning a state championship,” Fennessy said.

I’ll see everyone up at the game. Outside of being in labor, there really isn’t a conceivable excuse for missing this potential all-time classic.

And if you aren’t juiced up enough, here’s a slide show of the 2007 game:

Somers senior All-American Joe Marasco avoids a Niskayuna defender in the Class B state quarters at SUNY Albany. 

Somers’ bid for a Class B state title ended yesterday evening.

Section 2’s Niskayuna (23-0) handily defeated the Tuskers (15-5), 14-5, in the state quarterfinals at SUNY Albany.

After a hotly contested first quarter that saw the teams tied at two apiece, the Silver Warriors shifted into another gear. They outscored the Tuskers 10-1 over the second and third quarters, grabbing a commanding 12-3 lead heading into the fourth.

Junior middie Colin Tullgren led the Tuskers with three goals. Junior attackman Greg Petre notched a goal and All-American attackman/middie JoJo Marasco registered an assist. Goalie Chris Longo recorded nine saves in the cage.

In the end, Somers’ demise was the result of three key factors:

1. The unreal play of Georgetown-bound middie Dan McKinney
2. Niskayuna’s stifling defense
3. Niskayuna dominating the time of possession

McKinney torments the Tuskers

The All-American middie  scored a surreal seven goals, which was also a career-high.

McKinney basically got his shot whenever he pleased. He combined quickness, field vision and some of the best stop-and-go speed I’ve seen from a high school player.

His shot — which was plenty fast — wasn’t overly impressive in terms of accuracy. But he got off so many that it didn’t really make a difference.

“He’s a stud,” Somers Head Coach Lew Janavey said. “He’s definitely one of the best middies in the state — there’s no doubt about that. We threw some things at him and they didn’t work out.”

“He was on my Jake Reed team over the summer,” Marasco said of McKinney. “He’s such a good player. He knows how to pass, his head’s always up and he can always shoot. I have always respected him as a player and as a person, too. He’s unbelievable. He’s a great player out there.”

McKinney really exploded in the third quarter, tallying three goals to put the game completely out of reach.

Nisky’s defense lives up to the hype

After giving up two goals in the first quarter, the Silver Warriors locked down like Fort Knox. Led by Army-bound defenseman Steve Abba, the unit was impenetrable, sliding with incredible speed, power and instincts.

There would be times that Marasco would beat one, two, even three Niskayuna players. But then another Silver Warrior would seemingly teleport into the play and close in. It was kind of like a worm regenerating.

“They slid and recovered very, very well,” Janavey said of Nisky’s defense.

“They locked or slid early,” Marasco said. “We tried to move the ball quickly, but they are a great defensive team.”

When things were working in the first quarter, Janavey said they were patient on offense and worked the matchups.

The ultimate game of keep away

Overall, the Silver Warriors controlled faceoffs to win the possession battle.

However, once they won the faceoffs, the magic really started in 6 on 6.

“In the second and third quarter, they were throwing the ball around two or three times and weren’t turning it over,” Marasco said. “They took a shot, missed and got it back again. They had possession for so long that it crushed us and we couldn’t get in a groove on offense.”

Marasco moves on

The Syracuse-bound Marasco leaves Somers as the most talented player in the history of the program.

And while he didn’t put up eye-popping stats in his final game, there’s no question that he did everything in his power to try and extend the season.

Seriously, Marasco must have ran 10 miles against Niskayuna — barely taking a possession off at midfield/attack — and taken 500 titanium shafts to the body.

“It has been a great run,” Marasco said of his time at Somers. “I’ve had great coaches, great friends and a great team every year. I’ve respected everybody that I’ve ever talked to and met here.”

Parting quote from Coach Janavey

“We went down with a fight and that’s all that I could ask for. I couldn’t be prouder.”

Yorktown’s John Ranagan follows through on a shot against Guilderland in the Class A Regionals.

Yorktown (18-2) dominated Section 2’s Guilderland (20-3) from the opening whistle in yesterday’s Class A state quarterfinal matchup.

The Huskers jumped out to a 7-3 first-quarter lead en route to a lopsided 16-4 win at SUNY Albany.

Yorktown All-American middie John Ranagan scooped up the opening faceoff and found junior attackman Remy Lieberman on a fast-break. Lieberman cashed in to give the Huskers a 1-0 lead just 12 seconds into the game.

The fury of goals continued from there.

Kevin Interlicchio (three goals), Tom Casey (one goal), Remy Lieberman (four goals), Jared Zapakin (one goal), Ty Schuldt (four goals), John Ranagan (one goal) and Justin Mabus (two goals) all contributed to the offensive output.

Now, let’s break down some key elements that contributed to the win:

NoDoz

After sleepwalking through the first two-and-a-half quarters against L/P in the sectionals finals — which almost resulted in the Rebels pulling off a mammoth upset — it appears the Huskers learned their lesson.

“It was learning from our mistakes the other day (against L/P),” Yorktown Head Coach Dave Marr said. “It was finishing our shots early and being intense from the start on groundballs.”

According to Ranagan, the Huskers were a little too wired up before the previous game, which completely backfired once the whistle blew.

“We came out over-psyched against L/P,” Ranagan said. “It was the calm before the storm approach today. We came out relaxed, poised and mentally sound. Once the whistle blew we were fired up.”

Not a sophomore jinx

Sophomore middies Ty Schuldt and Justin Mabus had their best games to date, getting involved in the offense from the start. The duo combined for four of ’Town’s seven first-quarter goals.

Schuldt, who has the poise and stick skills of a veteran, popped in three of his four goals in the first half.

“Ty Schuldt and Justin Mabus can shoot the heck out of the ball,” Ranagan said. “I told them that these are the games they have to step it up.”

REM mode

Yorktown’s Remy Lieberman is playing his best lacrosse when it matters most. The junior attackman scored a total of four goals against the Dutchmen, displaying his deadly shooting accuracy.

Lieberman has now scored nine goals through four playoff games, which is more than he scored in the first 13 games of the regular season.

Something has clicked for the crafty attackman — that much is evident.

Steal your faceoff

Yorktown — powered by the Ranagan Express — dominated faceoffs the entire game.

The Huskers won 10 of 13 at the draw in the first half, charging out to a 9-3 lead.

“That’s where the game starts and we take a lot of pride in our “off unit,” Ranagan said. “You win these games like these because you win all the faceoffs.”

“I watched this team play before and thought we could have an advantage in faceoffs,” Marr added.

Defense getting down to business

Something must have clicked after L/P took a 9-4 lead midway through the third quarter of the Section 1 finals.

Since that point, Yorktown’s starting defense has given up four goals (Guilderland scored one after the starters were pulled).

Against Guilderland, all three goals the starters gave up came in the first quarter. After the defense settled in, it was game over.

The Dutchmen had quality stick-handlers and shooters, but they were unable to penetrate Yorktown’s defense. John Fennessy, Brendan Brunelle, Ethan Fox and Brett Cabriele owned the belly of the field. On the oft chance a Guilderland player found a seam, there was a devastating slide there to meet him.

As a result of the tight defense, keeper Michael Bonitatibus swatted away long-range Guilderland shots like they were pesky mosquitoes.

Photos

Kevin Interlicchio warps his body around the cage.

Ty Schuldt’s shooting performance lacked one thing: a red laser beaming from his eye. 

Would you try and take John Fennessy 1 on 1?

I will be back with some player reaction to the West Islip game. 

As promised, here’s the last installment of the video highlights.

Enjoy.

OK, I’ll check back in later with the Somers vs. John Jay video.

Enjoy.

The best game of the day deserved to be chopped up and served first.

I’ll have the other two sectional final games — PV vs. Rye and Somers vs. Jay — up at some point tomorrow.

Until then, enjoy this instant classic. I’d have to say it ranks up there with one of the best championship games in recent memory.

Three North County squads celebrated Section 1 titles today at White Plains High School.

They are as follows:

Class A

Yorktown 11, Lakeland/Panas 10 (OT)

Class B

Somers 14, John Jay 9

Class C

Putnam Valley 10, Rye 7

Check back later for video highlights and commentary from all three games.