NCN LAX/BASKETBALL BLOG

Rankings as of Noon, Tuesday

Yorktown’s John Ranagan (left) and Ethan Fox were both named All-Americans.

1) Yorktown (16-2) — The Huskers scored more goals — 42 — in their last two Class A sectional wins over Arlington and North Rockland than the New York Jets did points — 34 — in their last three losses of 2008.

Sigh.

With that said, No. 8-seeded Arlington and No. 4-seeded North Rockland can blame it on a perfect scapegoat: Wilton.

“Right after we lost to Wilton — and sectionals were coming around — we wanted to prove a point to the section that there was no more messing around and we are serious,” All-American defenseman Ethan Fox said. “We just wanted to blow everybody away.”

Mission accomplished.

The Huskers jumped out to a 17-2 lead at the half en route to a 21-5 Class A sectional semifinal win over the visiting Red Raiders Friday. According to senior All-American middie John Ranagan, the Huskers only lost one face-off during the obliterating stretch.

“We had a bunch of talks this week about the Wilton game,” All-American attackman Kevin Interlicchio said. “We don’t want to do that again, obviously. Things changed over the last week and changed for the better.”

Yorktown’s 1984 squad — which won the program’s first state title in an epic 6-5 win over West Genesee — was in attendance. The squad gathered along the sideline at halftime and was honored by a gigantic crop of fans.

Jim Turnbull, who coached the ’84 team, gave a brief speech.

“It was 120 degrees at Hofstra that day and West Genesee had a 91-game winning streak, but they didn’t a have a 92-game streak,” Turnbull said.

For Yorktown players, I’d imagine that moment was akin to Bill Pullman’s hair-raising speech as the president in the movie “Independence Day.”

“It was really awesome to see those guys,” Ranagan said of the ’84 team. “They did it, and we want to be that seventh team.”

Yorktown Head Coach Dave Marr burned copies of the win over West Genny and planned to show it to the team.

“It’s a reminder of history,” Marr said. “They’ve never seen the game. We are going to sit down as a team and watch it and laugh at all the short shorts and see how much the game has changed. It’s definitely a different game. It’s a lot slower with no time limits coming over. Plus, there were six poles on the field so it was harder to score.”

Before the Huskers can even think about Lucky No. 7, they have to get by archrival Lakeland/Panas in the Section 1 finals June 4 at White Plains High School.

It’s pretty insane that these teams are meeting in the Class A finals for the third consecutive year. I mean, almost all these kids — minus a handful of Panas players — live in the town of Yorktown. This is beyond fertile ground for lax, folks.

The Huskers defeated the Rebels 11-7 in the Murphy Cup and tattooed them, 17-5, in last year’s sectional final.

“We made a lot of mistakes against (Lakeland/Panas) the first time and have corrected them,” Fox said. “I think we are pretty much ready for Lakeland.”

2) Somers (14-4) — “Red Rage” returns to the Section 1 Class B finals after a rare one-year absence. But the opponent — No. 3-seeded John Jay — is exactly the same. Napoleon’s elephants advanced after easily dispatching Brewster, 11-3, in the semis at home on Friday.

This will undoubtedly be the primetime game of the day, so it only makes sense the teams were rewarded with the marquee 8 p.m. timeslot.

Despite the fact Somers beat John Jay 10-7 during the regular season, Head Coach Lew Janavey isn’t convinced his No. 1-seeded squad is the favorite.

“Until anything else happens, they are the defending champions,” Janavey said.

Make that the back-to-back-to-back-to-back defending champs, as the Indians have ruled the Class B landscape with an iron fist.

Everyone knows that this game will be won in the midfield, which is a little disconcerting for Somers. Tuskers star middie and face-off maestro Matt Deiana, who looked like a game-changer earlier in the season, is still dealing with a nagging foot injury.

“He’s not 100 percent,” Janavey said of Deiana. “We are trying to get him in a little bit till he’s ready to go, but he’s nowhere close to where he was in the beginning of the season.”

As a result, junior middie Erik Pfiffner has to play like he did in Somers’ 10-9 win over L/P.

Regardless of everything, Somers will still have the best player on the field in Syracuse-bound JoJo Marasco. And it’s tough to imagine a scenario where Marasco loses.

Plus, do you think he might remember the outcome in 2007? Something tells me that 15-4 loss to Jay still stings just a tad . . .

3) Lakeland/Panas (13-4) — Immediately following L/P’s win over Mahopac in the Class AA sectional semis, I asked Head Coach Jim Lindsay about facing Yorktown in the finals.

“Pray,” Lindsay said, laughing.

Lindsay then reflected back to last year’s lopsided sectional final loss.

“I hope we learn from last year when we didn’t even come out to play and found ourselves down 13-1,” he said. “These seniors and juniors have learned from that.”

Want proof?

“We have been talking about how it was embarrassing and how it’s not going to happen again,” senior captain Jack Doherty said. “We want to win, that’s our feeling on that.”

In order to achieve that, L/P has to contain Yorktown’s Ranagan, who ran roughshod through their midfield in the Murphy Cup.

According to Lindsay, Ranagan is “probably” the third best middie to ever come out of Yorktown — which tells you just how good he is. Lindsay ranked him right behind Roy Colsey and Dom Finn.

“It’s debatable, but I’ve seen a lot of those teams play,” Lindsay said. “I don’t think people realize what they are watching on the field right now. He’s a special player. He’s going to get his goals, but we can’t let the other guys go off on us.”

Luckily, L/P has its own version of Ranagan — well, maybe Ranagan-lite — in Shawn Honovich.

Lindsay compared both Honovich and Ranagan, explaining that Honovich uses his speed to dominate teams in transition the same way Ranagan uses his overpowering size.

“It’s going to be a tough battle and hopefully we come out on top,” Honovich said. “We have to prepare hard this week. It’s not over till that day.”

4) John Jay (10-8) — Playing with an undeserved No. 3-seed, the Indians went into the Class B sectional semis at Greeley on Friday with a chip on their shoulder.

The result?

Jay handed out a 16-6 beating on par with the one Kimbo Slice received from that MMA fighter with pink hair.

John Jay’s attack was hotter than the sun, as Drew Beck (four goals), Mike Daniello (three goals) and Andrew Masterson (two goals, four assists) shined.

“Those three guys are really starting to gel,” Head Coach Nick Savastano said. “They know where each other are on the field and it’s really paying off right now.”

While putting up 16 goals is quite impressive, Savastano actually highlighted the play of the defense.

“When we double teamed and slid, we stayed on the double to get the ball on the ground and we got transition up the other way,” Savastano said. “When we didn’t get the ball on the ground, our goalie was making great saves and throwing outlet passes. It all started on that end of the field.”

The emergence of junior goalie Fletcher Franklin has been a gigantic reason Jay has won six of its last seven games. Franklin took over for former starter Rob Maher after the overtime loss to L/P on April 28.

According to Savastano, Franklin has seen his confidence puff up each game.

“The thing (Franklin) brings to the table is his spunk,” Savastano said. “He’s a spunky and vocal kid. When you have a guy like that in the cage that’s up on his toes, backing up shots and outlet passing, he’s a big time leader back there.”

Now, Jay will look to make it five sectional titles in a row. The only thing blocking their path is a gigantic elephant.

While neither Coach Janavey nor Savastano wants to be known as the “favorite,” I think we all know it has to be No. 1-seeded Somers. With that said, the Indians are more than happy to take the “underdog” role of the equation.

“We thrived in that role, especially with getting a No. 3 seed and having to go into Greeley’s den to play them,” Savastano said. “Hopefully, our tough schedule that we had will make for a great game Thursday night.”

5) Putnam Valley (13-4) — The No. 1-seeded Tigers righted a wrong Friday, destroying No. 4-seeded Byram Hills, 17-3, at home in the Class C sectional semis.

Last year, the Bobcats ended PV’s season. It was a day not-soon-forgotten by PV’s stock load of returning players.

“Exact same round, same place, everything was identical,” Head Coach Brian Kuczma said of the game. “That was definitely a point of motivation, especially for our seniors. The entire team was back minus a few guys, so they really remembered that day vividly.”

After last year’s loss, PV’s run of four straight appearances in the sectional finals was effectively cut short.

“It was not going to happen again,” Kuczma said. “That’s a tribute to the leadership of our seniors in making sure that it didn’t happen again.”

One of those seniors — All-American SUNY Oneonta-bound middie Jimmy Van de Veerdonk — pumped in three goals and registered an assist, slicing up the opposition much like he has done all season.

Can anyone remember the last time Oneonta got a high school All-American to commit? Ever?

My alma mater is really stepping up its lax recruiting! It also doesn’t hurt that Oneonta is loaded with former PV players, such as Hugh O’Gorman, Tom Kelly and Andrew McIntosh.

Now, the Tigers will try to take out Rye in the sectional finals. The Garnets have won the title four years straight. So, how should the Tigers go about winning their first title since ’04?

According to Kuczma, PV has to neutralize Rye face-off monster Cole McCormack by making every possession count.

“You must value every possession and score goals off of those possessions,” Kuczma said. “If they get a lead, it’s difficult to come back against them because of their ball control offense.”

All I know is this: the last time PV had an All-American — Steve Ammann, 2004 — they also won the sectional title.

6) Mahopac (10-8) —Tyler Perrelle became the first Mahopac player to win All-American honors since Tony Tanzi did in 2005.

Perrelle, who was the lone senior on offense, ended his high school career with a bang, going off for five goals in a loss to L/P.

“He’s been a rock since I’ve known him,” Mahopac Head Coach Mike Haddeland said of Perrelle.

Perrelle had a great year on a team that lacked real offensive weapons at midfield. His production (55 goals, 14 assists) is a testament to just how talented a player he is.

But this kid is really going to blossom in college — trust me. If you recall, Perrelle broke out at the Empire Games this past summer. He scored 12 goals during the course of the tourney, tying Manhasset All-American Connor English for fourth overall.

This proves one thing: when surrounded by talent, Perrelle is just that much better.

Perrelle, who played during a rare down period for Mahopac lax, finished his career with 142 goals and 45 assists.

Now, I’m going to go out on a limb and predict Mahopac gets another All-American next year. His name is Johnny “McSavin” McGuigan, and he’s Pac’s best keeper since Billy Schell.

“We have our goalie back, which is the most important,” Haddeland said when asked about next season’s prospects.

Considering Mahopac loses Brendan Synan — its best long-stick — McGuigan’s role will be even more important.

On offense, the Indians only lose Perrelle.

“We will look to [John] Brandofino to be our leader on offense,” Haddeland said.

7) Hendrick Hudson (6-12) — Like Mahopac, the Sailors return a talented goalie in Bobby Sincero. Look for him to lead Hen Hud to a bounce-back season in 2010.

Rankings as of Noon, Tuesday

1) Yorktown (14-2) — To say Yorktown’s setback to Wilton — 8-6 on May 19 — was unexpected would be a vast understatement. Really, it was a bigger shock than the Mets taking two of three from the Red Sox at Fenway.

According to lockdown defenseman John Fennessy, the Huskers went into the game a little too overconfident and cocky.

“Going into the playoffs, we can’t let that happen,” Fennessy said. “We need to play each team one at a time like it’s a stepping-stone toward the ultimate goal, which is a state title.”

Yorktown’s quest through the playoffs to achieve Lucky No. 7 will start in the same place it did back in March: the practice field.

Fennessy said they are treating each practice like a game, going full speed instead of mindlessly slogging through plays.

I recall senior captain Ethan Fox voicing poor practice habits as a concern after the Melville loss. Look, Yorktown is a very talented team, but they can’t take the Allen Iverson approach to “practice?!”

“We know what we have to do and what we have to accomplish,” Fennessy said. “We are trying to get up every time we get on the field. We don’t want to be lackadaisical or sluggish, we want to be on top of our game.”

It goes without saying that Yorktown is destined to take a major hit in the Inside Lacrosse national rankings. But who cares, really? The rankings are ego masseuses in disguise. And egos don’t win championships.

Don’t believe me?

Just look at what Yorktown posted on its web site — yorktownlax.com — following the first installment of the IL rankings on April 9: “This is nice, but state championships are our goal.”

And it’s a goal that Fennessy believes can become a reality.

“I think we have the dynamics, the team and the potential to go all the way and win everything,” Fennessy said. “It all depends if we all come together and play as one unit, which we haven’t. But I’m going to take a guess and say that we are gonna. We don’t want to be known as the team that could have done it or should have done it; we want to be known as the team that did it.”

In addition, Fennessy hammered home that Yorktown couldn’t rely on its name to get by. This is continually stressed throughout the ranks of the program as a means to stay on top.

“We need to know that just because teams hear “Yorktown,” they aren’t going to lay down,” Fennessy said. “We need to go out and give them [the opposition] a beating. We have to show them why we are the best.”

And If the Huskers need a reminder about the program’s storied history, they will get one Friday May 29 at the sectional semis. Yorktown’s 1984 squad — which won the school’s first state title by snapping West Genesee’s 91-game winning streak — will be honored at the game.

How’s that for a motivator?

But a real commemoration to that ’84 squad would be taking out West Genny — the favorite to come out of the WNY bracket — in the state finals.

2) Somers (12-4) — The Tuskers have had a stellar regular season, but it will be all for naught if they don’t finish the job and win the Class B sectionals.

Riding a seven-game winning streak into the playoffs, No. 1-seeded Somers has all the momentum in the world to knockoff four-time defending champ John Jay.

Soon-to-be two-time All-American Joe Marasco said a flick switched after the 9-8 overtime loss to Rye.

“We felt we should have beaten Rye and that overtime loss really fueled us,” Marasco said. “We picked it up with that big win over Lakeland/Panas [10-9 in overtime on May 7]. Ever since then, our momentum has been just helping a lot with each team play.”

Despite the fact Somers beat John Jay, 10-7, in the regular season matchup, Marasco realizes it’s still Jay’s title to lose.

“Everyone keeps telling us that they aren’t the same team as that one night,” Marasco said. “They are playing very well together as a team and are very well-coached. If we get the chance to play them, we are looking forward to it and we think it will be a really close game.”

For Somers to win a prospective championship bout against the Indians, midfielder Matt Deiana, who has been hampered with a foot injury, must be at full strength.

Head Coach Lew Janavey admitted they would need better play out of the midfield — “in between the lines and face-offs” — to beat Jay again.

“(Harrison) Silver and (Forrest) Walter do a great job on face-offs with very good wing play,” Janavey said. “That’s going to be a very big part of the game, because every possession is going to be vital.”

Changing topics, there was no bigger Orange fan at Gillette Stadium this weekend than the Syracuse-bound Marasco. I spoke to him following Syracuse’s opening round waxing of Duke.

“Hopefully we can pull out a big “W” tomorrow, because it was really exciting watching them,” he said.

For now, Marasco needs to will Somers to three more wins.

3) Lakeland/Panas (11-4) — On April 14, the Rebels downed Mahopac in a tightly contested battle, 8-6.

With the way the Class A bracket shook out, it looks like the two teams will meet again in the semifinals.

Despite No. 3-seeded Mahopac’s struggles of late, L/P Head Coach Jim Lindsay isn’t about to overlook ’Pac.

“That’s a rivalry game,” Lindsay said. “I don’t expect Mahopac to just keel over. I think it’s going to be a close game. Those kids will be ready to play and we have to be ready to play. There’s no guarantee, especially the way the section is right now. There’s no guarantee we will make the sectional finals, so I think we will have a tough road ahead of us.”

4) John Jay (8-8) — The No. 3 Indians got shafted in the Class B sectionals seeding (see “The Joe Show” page S3), but Head Coach Nick Savastano isn’t going to stew over a matter that’s already set in stone.

“We kind of felt that in a way, we didn’t know about the rule [all games against NYS teams are counted in determining Section 1 seedings] at all,” Savastano said. “It was a brand new rule and no coaches knew it. But once we got over the initial shock of it, we were kind of like, ‘you know, even though we beat Greeley [20-11 on April 18], there were some games we dropped like against Put Valley and Lakeland. If we won those, we would have had a better record than Greeley.’ We aren’t going to blame it on the seeding committee in anyway; we are going to use it as a positive with our group. Whatever we are dealt, we are going to deal with.”

With middie Will Stewart on its side, John Jay should be just fine. If you recall, Stewart missed the initial game against Greeley after separating his shoulder against Somers.

According to Savastano, the Williams-bound senior has played with a renewed sense of urgency since returning to the field.

“With the injury (Stewart) got, his season could have been over,” Savastano said. “He worked real hard with his rehab and came back three games later. I think he’s playing his best ball right now.”

And how about the boatload of former John Jay players — Chris Daniello and Kevin Drew at Syracuse and Tyler Granelli and Justin Schneidman at SUNY Cortland — winning national championships this past weekend?

That is a direct credit to Savastano, who has morphed the John Jay program into a household name at the national level.

“Unbelievable,” Savastano said of watching Daniello and Drew win the title. “Especially when Chris Daniello scored the first goal of the game [against Cornell], I was real proud of the kid. He has worked really hard and it was the first time a John Jay kid has ever scored in a national championship game. I thought Kevin Drew was very impressive on defense and some of the clears he had. I was real proud of both kids.”

5) Mahopac (9-7) — The Indians ended the regular season in the worst way imaginable, getting shutout 11-0 by Section 2’s Guilderland.

Still, attackman Tyler Perrelle thinks Mahopac has the juice to make a run at the finals.

“We just have to beat Suffern on our field and we already beat them [16-3 back on May 2], but we just can’t take them lightly. Then Lakeland was a good game last time. As long as we come out to play, we should be all right. We can’t come out slow like we have been in other games.”

Suffice it to say, the Indians should be ready for a playoff push. After all, they have been scrimmaging against former ’Pac players and current college players all week. Among those to come back to whip the downtrodden Indians into shape were Faus Bernabo (Siena), Matt Leithead (Siena), Shawn McDonough (Sacred Heart) and Vinny Senatore (Springfield).

Perrelle said it was a challenge to go up against the likes of Bernabo and McDonough, which broke up the monotony of facing teammate Brendan Synan.

“Scrimmaging against them [the alumni] makes all of us better and makes us all want to play,” Perrelle said. “It’s the anticipation of playing a game, it’s just building up. The whole build up makes everything that much better.”

Now, Mahopac hopes the build up can lead to something even better.

6) Putnam Valley (11-4) — The Tigers were tamed over the final stretch of the regular season, losing four straight.

Head Coach Brian Kuczma said the hot start led to over-confidence, which bred the dreaded “C” word: complacency.

Things came to a head over the break, when L/P handled PV in a scrimmage. Kuczma’s solution was simple: place more ownership of the team in the seniors.

“It was about time the seniors stepped up,” Kuczma said. “It’s their team and they are ending their careers at PV. They needed to step up and really take control their own destiny and they’ve responded very well to that.”

The coach said that the renewed focus is similar to what he saw in the preseason.

In order to go on a playoff run, Kuczma said the Tigers would have to limit turnovers. He added that they turned the ball over more in the last four games than the previous 11 games. Lastly, Kuczma said face-offs and goaltending would be key.

“Whoever is hot at the face-off x, has good goaltending, turns the ball over the least, they have the formula to do well in the playoffs,” the coach said.

Also, it’s worth noting that SUNY Cortland’s Joey Morgan won his second D-III national title in four years. Coming from a tiny program like Putnam Valley, it was quite the impressive feat.

“[Morgan] is a special kid whose work ethic is second to none,” Kuczma said. “He’s always tried to be the best at whatever he does. To see him do that [win the title] —coming from a really small program like ours — it gave us a lot of pride.”

7) Hendrick Hudson (6-11) — The Sailors are my upset special to knockoff Brewster in the Class B quarters.

Why?

Well, for starters, they’ve made the semis every year since Head Coach Craig Solomon took over 2000. Also, I think these kids will really respond with the backs against the wall.

Rankings as of Noon, Tuesday

1) Yorktown (14-1) — It appears as though Remy Lieberman is harnessing the potential that made him oh-so-dangerous at times last year.

The coy attackman asserted himself by whistling home four goals in Yorktown’s 13-10 win over John Jay Friday.

Suffice it to say, much of the Tristate region was invited to Lieberman’s coming out party, as MSG’s “Game of the Week” crew descended on Cross River.

Ironically, it was during last year’s game against Jay — which was also televised on MSG — that Lieberman initially flickered with brilliance, ripping two goals in a fine showing.  As of now, his two clutch MSG performances are two more than Danilo Gallinari will have in his entire career.

On a more serious note, I was kind of surprised Lieberman hadn’t been producing like this all season. After witnessing his shooting ability last year — in both the Murph Cup and the Jay game — I was convinced he was destined for a major boost in numbers. For my money, I’d say this kid has the third best shot on the squad behind Kevin Interlicchio and John Ranagan.

But without an angle to shoot, a howitzer is no more dangerous than a peashooter. And therein in lay the problem.

“Basically, [Lieberman] was taking the extra step,” Ranagan said of what triggered his teammate’s explosion. “Sometimes (in past games) he was almost trying to finish the goal behind goal line extended. He has been working hard in practice and taking that extra step. He showed that all his hard work is paying off under the lights and everything.”

With Lieberman taking the extra step, Yorktown inches a step closer toward lucky No. 7.

According to Ranagan, the key in the playoffs will be to fuse the physical — displayed in a dismembering of St. Anthony’s — and the mental — exhibited in an early season win over hard-hitting Somers — into a single all-powerful entity.

“Down the road, we want to put it all together and have a monster game,” Ranagan said. “Once we put it together, we will be hard to beat.”

With that said, ’Town can’t get caught looking ahead toward a prospective “game of the ages” with West Islip in the state semis.

The first step is not sleeping on L/P in sectionals. If the Huskers win the section, they really can’t sleep on Section 2’s Guilderland, who shutout Mahopac 11-0 Saturday and beat L/P 15-11 earlier in the season. Ranked No. 12 in the state in Class A, the Dutchmen have perhaps their finest team in school history.

“Guilderland is pretty strong,” Mahopac Head Coach Mike Haddeland said. “I think they will give Yorktown a very good game, honestly — if that’s what it came to.”

With Ranagan leading the troops, Yorktown fans have every reason to feel confident.

”It’s definitely not going to be an easy trip,” the Hopkins-bound middie said. “We have some great teams ahead of us. Our coaches have been saying that it’s the little things, which is what we are doing in watching film and at practice. We are trying to get better at those little things.”

Only time will tell if “little things” will lead to “big things.”

2) Somers (12-4) — The Tuskers are 7-0 since the devastating one-goal loss to Rye on April 30. Like good elephants, they haven’t forgotten the painful feeling.

“We gave up against Rye,” Somers star Joe Marasco said. “We weren’t in that game from the start.”

That loss has fueled the winning streak, capped off with a 13-6 win over Brewster in the regular season finale Monday. Marasco (four goals, four assists) notched his 200th goal in the win. Read all about it in “The Joe Show” on page S3.

Despite the milestone, Head Coach Lew Janavey wasn’t exactly satisfied with his squad’s effort, defining it as “ugly.” Somers rallied from an early 3-0 hole to pull off the win, taking over in the decisive fourth quarter.

“We have not put 48 minutes together and I’m really starting to get worried that it will come back to haunt us as the postseason approaches,” Janavey said.

Come the postseason, Somers can bet they will be confronted with an ever-improving John Jay squad.

Janavey watched Jay’s hard-fought game against Yorktown. He concluded his thoughts about the game by saying the same exact thing he did at the beginning of the season: “Class B still goes through John Jay. You have to beat JJ to win the section.”

Janavey added, “We are the No. 1 seed, but I still think they are the favorite. John Jay has improved more since we played them last (a 10-7 Somers win on April 14) than we have.”

Still, all this talk of a distant matchup is, well, more foolish than inserting Jon Gruden into the Monday Night Football booth.

In the now, we do know this: Somers has feasted on goals like an elephant at an all-you-can-eat peanut buffet.

The Tuskers have scored 14 goals a game over the seven-game run, which are four more goals than they averaged in the previous nine games.

Now, back to the future. Anybody smell a high-scoring shootout in the Class B finals between a red team and a purple team?

3) Lakeland/Panas (11-4) — The Rebels ended a three-game skid — forgive them, the losses came by an average of 1.6 goals against powerhouses Yorktown, Somers and Rye — with an 11-5 win over Suffern Thursday and a regular a 15-4 shellacking of Scarsdale Monday.

“It was definitely a big deal to get into the playoffs with some wins,” Head Coach Jim Lindsay said. “The two OT games (Somers and Rye) were tough because they didn’t need to get to OT. There were opportunities to end the games in regulation, which we didn’t. But those were learning experiences and I think we’ve learned our lessons there. It was good for us to point out a couple of areas of where we had to work on some things, which we have done.”

Lindsay called the lopsided win over Scarsdale “vanilla.” But there was at least one juicy morsel: the return of junior attackman Connor Mackay, who was sidelined with a broken thumb suffered during ski season.

Mackay, as I’m sure most of you know, is the younger brother of former standout keeper Mike Mackay, who led the Rebels to the shocking Murphy Cup win in 2007. Unlike Mike, Connor’s sole purpose is to put the ball in the net.

“Mackay has the ability to make a difference in the playoffs, but we have to play that by ear to see how well he does in the upcoming games,” Lindsay said. “I’m definitely going to insert him in certain times in the game. It’s really going to depend on Connor and how quickly he adapts to where we are in the season, which is going to be tough.”

4) John Jay (8-8) — It’s almost like everyone forgot, but senior middie and veteran leader Will Stewart separated his shoulder a mere five games into the regular season against Somers.

That’s not exactly like getting a paper cut. Seriously, just imagine trying to release a crank with a separated shoulder. Welcome to the Chad Pennington zone.

Now, according to WebMD, a separated shoulder can take anywhere from 6-12 weeks to heal. With that said, Stewart returned to form approximately three weeks after suffering the injury, scoring three goals against White Plains May 5.

But he didn’t stop there.

The John Jay star — who is quite possibly the most overlooked name in the whole All-American hysteria — went on to score three-plus goals in games against Mahopac, Syosset and Yorktown.

With Forrest Walter, a burgeoning star, and Stewart, John Jay has the weaponry to hold Class B hostage for yet another year.

5) Mahopac (9-7) — The Indians finally appeared to turn the corner on offense in a 15-10 win over Putnam Valley Thursday.

And then Guilderland happened. The visiting Dutchmen pulled off the rare shutout, 11-0.

“A couple of them (players) are looking forward to the summertime, or something,” Coach Haddeland said of his team’s performance. “It’s hard to explain this team. We go on runs where we look good and things look good, but then it’s just helter skelter. The best way I can explain it is that it has been a rollercoaster. We had some big wins and some stink losses like White Plains and Guilderland. I mean, how do you not score a goal?

”It was almost embarrassing, to be honest.”

If this lopsided defeat doesn’t light a fire under the Indians, I don’t think anything will.

6) Putnam Valley (11-4) — Like Mahopac, PV stumbled down the home stretch, losing its last four games of the regular season. The latest defeat came at the hands of North Rockland in overtime, 13-12, Monday.

Suffice it to say, the bulls eye that used to be tattooed on the Tigers’ chest is worn off. The fury of losses — White Plains, Greeley, Mahopac and North Rockland — has rendered PV into mere mortals.

Honestly, that might not be the worst thing. As Head Coach Brian Kuczma previously stated, the role of “favorite” isn’t exactly a familiar one in The Valley. Heading into the playoffs as ’dogs will probably work in their favor.

“We view this as two different seasons,” Kuczma said of the upcoming playoffs. “It is time to refocus on skills. The X’s and O’s are there, we just have got to keep our sticks.”

7) Hendrick Hudson (5-11) — The Sailors cruised to a .500 record (3-3) over their last six games, which should breed some optimism heading into the playoffs.

One thing is for sure: no one in Class B wants to draw an upset-minded Sailors squad in the first round.

Rankings as of Noon, Tuesday

Here is the condensed version:

1. Yorktown (12-1)
2. Somers (8-4)
3. Lakeland/Panas (9-4)
4. John Jay (7-7)
5. Putnam Valley (11-2)
6. Mahopac (8-5)
7. Hen Hud (3-10)

Read on to get the in-depth angle on each squad.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rankings as of Noon, Tuesday

Here’s the cheat-sheet version:

1. Yorktown (9-1)
2. Lakeland/Panas (9-2)
3. Somers (6-4)
4. Putnam Valley (10-0)
5. John Jay (4-7)
6. Mahopac (6-4)
7. Hen Hud (2-8)

Keep reading for an in-depth look at each team.

Read the rest of this entry »

Rankings as of Noon, Tuesday (4/21)

In my opinion, these are the top seven teams from the North County.  Here is the abridged version — read on for the novel version. Also, I might take a crack at a Top 10 Section 1 rankings later today (sans the novel, of course)

1. Yorktown (5-1)
2. Somers (5-2)
3. Lakeland/Panas (6-0)
4. John Jay (3-3)
5. Mahopac (3-3)
6. Putnam Valley (5-0)
7. Hendrick Hudson (2-4)

1) Yorktown (5-1)

Welcome to life as a Jets fan, Husker faithful.

Seriously, name two other teams that Just. Can’t. Beat. The. Patriots.

For the Huskers and the Jets, Ward Melville and New England represent mission almost impossible. Since 2003, the Jets have only beaten the Patsies twice, going a dismal 2-11 during the stretch. Since 1996, the Huskers have only bested the Pats twice, going 2-12.

But that’s where the similarities between the two end.

The Jets are immune to winning Super Bowls like Doug Brien is to kicking field goals (sorry, Doug, that loss to Pittsburgh still stings). With six state titles, the Huskers are more comparable to the Steelers, who just won their sixth Super Bowl.

So then why do the Huskers morph into the Jets when faced with Ward Melville?

Basing it solely on Saturday’s loss — Melville’s 29th win in the last 36 games of the rivalry — I think the problem is pretty obvious: teamwork.

Melville displayed it. Yorktown did not.

“What we concentrate on is an entire team effort,” Melville stopper Zach Quinn said. “[Yorktown] has a great bunch of guys, but we seem to come out on top every single time.”

Both Head Coach Dave Marr and captain Ethan Fox pointed toward too much individual play on offense.

Here are some other items I noticed.

• Melville had the athletes to minimize ’Town’s transition game and stifle its clears. That up-and-down style of play — generally triggered by precise clearing — is ’Town’s green light to success. And middie John Ranagan has played like a human traffic violation, only seeing green as he shifts into overdrive.

• Now, moving onto Yorktown’s 6-on-6 offense, which has been fronted by goal-scoring maestro Kevin Interlicchio. I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Tom Casey, who is having a stellar season. But if ’Town’s offense was the band My Morning Jacket, Interlicchio would be Jim James. By normal standards, Melville didn’t exactly shutdown Interlicchio (two goals). Then again, normal players don’t average 5.2 goals a game, meaning Melville succeeded. In turn, ’Town didn’t have much to answer back with.

The aforementioned elements — Ranagan-fueled transition, an entrée of Interlicchio and an appetizer of Casey — have driven a seemingly invincible Yorktown offense. The Huskers averaged 13.4 goals a game over the first five.

But as Melville displayed, a team without a fully diversified offense can be shutdown.

While it is worth noting that ’Town hit more pipes than Willie Nelson, the overall unsavory outcome wasn’t a hallucination.

“It was just gross and poorly played,” Marr said. “It’s only the regular season, so we can learn this stuff now and do better in our next couple of games.”

After leaving Charlie Murphy Field Saturday, a saying that was written on one of my ratty Yorktown lax shirts came to mind: “unity over self.”

Because that is what will truly lead toward taking care of “unfinished business.”

Read the rest of this entry »

1) Yorktown (4-0) — There were a handful of North County coaches at the Huskers’ game against St. Anthony’s. L/P Head Coach Jim Lindsay was one of them. This is what he had to say.

“I watched Kevin Interlicchio dominate a St Anthony’s team like I haven’t seen anybody dominate a St. Anthony’s team before — and I’ve seen quite a few good players come through my program and Yorktown.”

That quote precisely defines what Interlicchio did against the No. 8 ranked team in the nation by Inside Lacrosse.

After talking to Interlicchio following the game, I’ve come to the final conclusion: he’s a goal-scoring savant.

“I just go,” he said. “I don’t really think about it. Nothing is going through my head. I’m just trying to play the game.”

Essentially, Interlicchio is “in the zone.” His descriptions surrounding the epic performances — calm, effortless and lucent — all fall in line with the buzz words psychologists use to define the feelings of athletes that are “in the zone.”

Now, it’s kind of ridiculous to bring up — yet impossible to ignore — that Interlicchio is zoning in on Yorktown’s record for goals in a single season. Rob Betchley, who scored 94 goals in 1983, currently holds that title. Betchley averaged roughly four goals a game that year, as Yorktown finished 23-1, falling to West Genesee, 11-8, in the state finals.

Heading into Yorktown’s game against Greeley Tuesday, Interlicchio is averaging 6.5 goals a game and has a total of 26 goals. It’s doubtful he will keep this pace up the entire season, but breaking the record is still more realistic than someone dropping 100 points in an NBA game.

OK, let’s get out the calculators. If the Huskers reach the state finals, he would have a total of 18 games left to break it. That means Interlicchio needs to score 3.83 goals a game to finish the year with at least 95 goals.

There are two things that might hinder Interlicchio’s path toward making history: the state tournament schedule and the economy.

First, Yorktown will not play a first round state playoff game. Instead, Section 9 and Section 2 will square off, while the Huskers will await the winner in the state quarters. Secondly, there is the whole issue with Uncle Sam’s lack of Benjamin’s. The poor economy forced Section 1 to scale back the amount of allotted games from 18 to 16.

Those two factors eliminated a possible three games from Yorktown’s schedule. Still, I’m pretty sure K.I. would rather raise a state plaque with his teammates than pad his ego with an individual honor.

2) Somers (2-1) — Joe Marasco is Somers lax. There’s really no denying that. With that said, it’s easy to forget the litany of other players that compose the roster. So, let’s shine the spotlight on a few of them.

Greg Petre had a career game in the Tuskers’ 16-5 win over Hen Hud, registering five goals. Petre is the silent assassin, quietly reaping the benefits of playing alongside Marasco. Head Coach Lew Janavey said Petre gives them a one-two punch on offense, which forces teams to respect both sides of the field.

Then there’s goalie Chris Longo, who has quietly recorded double-digit saves in the first two games of the season.

“A lot of people don’t even know about [Longo] — or whatever they think about him,” Janavey said. “Chris Longo is that kind of goalie that has the potential to be real steady in there and do a great job for us.”

Also, don’t forget about middie Matt Deiana — the Pete Rose of lacrosse. “I’ve never seen anybody hustle like [Deiana],” Marasco said. “He changes the game so much for us.”

All of these pieces working together are the reason Somers looks like the second best team in Section 1. Thus far, the credit goes to Javaney. He took over a program that was in a constant state of chaos, as they went through numerous changes up top. Coming into the season, the coach was ready to come out firing.

“I think with the new changes and the new personnel, it was important for us to start strong,” Janavey said. “What has helped us do that is our real competitive preseason. We worked really hard in practice and in scrimmages to be ready for the beginning of the season.”

Now, you knew it had to eventually come back to Marasco. Here’s how he feels about the current climate of Somers lax.

“It’s a good feeling with the coaches and everything,” Marasco said. “We listen to coach real well and we respect him.”

With each win, Somers is starting to earn some more respect from the rest of the state, too. But just how far have they come? We will find out for real in the coming days, as they battle Cold Spring Harbor (4/11) and John Jay (4/14).

3) Lakeland/Panas (3-0) — Face-off guru Johnny Hittman labored through last season, missing a ton of games due to nagging stress fractures in his shins.

The lost time almost pushed him off the Section 1 lax map, which seemed inconceivable after his excellent sophomore season. Remember when L/P won the Murphy Cup in ’07, snapping a losing streak that was longer than Joaquim Phoenix’s beard? Hittman was a beast at the face-off X, showcasing skills that put him amongst Section 1’s elite.

Then, like Bobby Fisher, he vanished.

Well, he’s back.

And Johnny still B. Goode at the draw.

Head Coach Jim Lindsay credited Hittman’s strong face-off play in wins over Montgomery (NJ), 10-7, and Mercer Island (WA), 10-3.

“The nice thing about Johnny is that he’s an excellent face-off man, but he’s not a liability if he loses the draw,” Lindsay said. “He can play great defense and is one of our better offensive midfielders. He’s a strong kid. It gives us possessions and keeps the ball out of the defensive end.”

According to Lindsay, controlling the ball will be pertinent against high-powered offenses like Mahopac and Yorktown.

“We have been able to score a goal and Johnny pops a quick face-off and we score again,” Lindsay said. “It really helps with momentum.”

Are you wondering whom this Will Fallo character that keeps showing up in the box scores is? He’s a rookie attackman that scored three goals in both the Mercer and Montgomery wins. Lindsay said Fallo is simply doing what he does well: shooting the ball.

Jack Doherty, who hasn’t gotten nearly enough ink, is the driving force behind Fallo’s emergence. With players swarming his every move, Doherty is handing out assists to Fallo on the doorstep like they are Snickers on Halloween. He registered three helpers against Mercer and two against Montgomery.

With the exotic schedule, not many people are paying attention to the Rebels. But Lindsay wouldn’t have it any other way.

“We are just going to keep doing what we are doing and we will let the chips fall where they may when we get there,” the coach said.

4) John Jay (2-1) — For all his faults as an NFL head coach, Herm Edwards was a master of the microphone. I mean, who could ever forget his classic “you play to win the game” rant?

Well, one person who didn’t was John Jay Head Coach Nick Savastano. Heading into Saturday’s clash against Manhasset — the No. 10 ranked team in the nation by Inside Lacrosse — Savastano knew exactly what he was up against.

“In the eight years we have been playing them, this is the best Manhasset team we have seen,” the coach said.

With a core of inexperienced and undersized underclassmen, Savastano did what any smart coach would have done: created a game plan to win the game.

“First, we tired to play real patient offensively,” Savastano said. “We knew the best defense was going to be a good offense. We wanted to keep the ball away form them as much as possible.”

The Indians offense methodically rocked the superior Long Islanders to sleep, working the ball obsessively from stick to stick. For a while, the plan worked to perfection. Jay trailed by only two, 6-4, heading into the fourth quarter.

Eventually, however, Manhasset’s pressure became too much. They forced numerous John Jay turnovers on the ride, outscoring the Indians 6-1 in the fourth.

I don’t care if Savastano’s approach was more boring than taking an online basket-weaving course — it was the best possible route. To completely undermine the coach’s efforts and call it “stalling” — which was a common theme on the interwebs — is shortsighted.
Because, after all, you play to win the game, right?

Even in defeat, Savastano found a silver lining.

“I think our kids, in one game like that, aged tremendously,” he said. “Even our juniors and seniors, that’s why we schedule those games. People say you don’t get much out of a loss, but I think you do. You get a lot out of a loss. You don’t want to lose a lot, but you can’t take a lot of things away from it and build on it.”

Here are a few positives:

*Jeff Dunworth and Trevor Caviola held UVA-bound Connor English to two goals and an assist. Coming into the game, English had been averaging four goals and an assist per game. “We tried to slide to him real early and make him more of a feeder than a scorer,” Savastano said.

*In only his second varsity game, Rob Maher saved 17 shots, standing on his head on more than once occasion. “He had tremendous poise in the cage and got stronger as the game went on,” Savastano said.

(Update: Jay pulled off a stellar 11-6 win over Rye last night, which obviously bodes well for upward mobility in these rankings)

5) Mahopac (2-1) — Don’t expect the attack to stall out again like it did against Somers on Thursday. With Tyler Perrelle and John Brandofino, this unit have has entirely too much talent to be scoring a paltry four goals a game.

The Indians took care of the Sailors April 7, which sets up a re-match of last year’s 11-10 OT classic against Northport. Trust me, ’Pac won’t be on the losing end of it this time.

If everything goes according to plan, the Indians will have plenty of momentum heading into an April 14 matchup against undefeated Lakeland /Panas.

Commence goose bumps.

6) Hen Hud (1-3) — The Sailors have seen the opposition flood their cage, letting up an average of 12.6 goals a game over their first three. They will need to board up that defense before thinking about cruising to another win.

7) Putnam Valley (2-0) — With scrimmages against Lakeland and Yorktown in the preseason, the Tigers’ defense was forced to mature at the rate of Teen Wolf.

Head Coach Brian Kuczma planned it that way on purpose, figuring the stiff competition would activate the urgency button.

It worked, as the Tigers pulled off a mild 12-10 upset over Suffern.

Kuczma added that before the game he preached to the seniors, asking them to be the leaders and play the way they are “expected” to play. Senior Jimmy van de Veerdonk heeded Kuczma’s message, having a breakout game with four goals and an assist.

Ryan Fitzgerald, who is the equivalent of a bowling ball with butcher knives, also scored four goals and notched an assist.

Look for this Putnam Valley team to grow over the next five games and be ready to give Rye all it can handle on April 25.

1) Yorktown (1-0) — The Huskers were shutout 5-0 in the final 15 minutes of last year’s Class A state semifinals, virtually handing over the game to Syosset. Following the collapse, the players looked shell-shocked.

The harsh realization was obvious: they let a chance at state title No. 7 slip away.

But that memory hasn’t faded into the abyss.

And therein lies the theme behind Yorktown’s 2009 season: unfinished business.

“On our shirts it says that,” senior captain John Ranagan said. “I’ve watched the game [Syosset] countless times and have been talking to Kevin [Interlicchio] about it and all the captains. From the guy that played the most, to our coaches, to the guy on the end of the bench, every person feels the pain when they think about that game.”

Both senior captains Ethan Fox and Ranagan said the key to avoiding another semifinal collapse semifinal would be increased stamina and “buckling down” in the third and fourth quarters.

While the post-season offers Thanksgiving-sized portion of redemption, the Huskers will have a chance to nibble on some revenge throughout the regular season, too. Ward Melville (4/18) and Darien (4/25) — two teams that whipped Yorktown last year — are prime choices.

“Those two teams killed us and let us know about it,” Ranagan said. “I think we are ready to let them know what’s coming this year.”

If Kanye’s swagger is at one hundred thousand, it’s safe to say the Huskers’ is at one hundred million. But they will be the first to admit it.

“We are a pretty cocky bunch of kids,” goalie Michael Bonitatibus said. “We have a few goals in mind and we hope to accomplish them at the end of the year.”

Not surprisingly, West Islip — the Class A favorite from Long Island — isn’t exactly being introverted about their season goals In Newsday’s lacrosse preview, the Lions let it be known they were gearing up for a state title run.

Is it really only April 1?

2) Mahopac (1-0) — Joe Corace, who coached the Mahopac girls’ lax squad the past handful of years, has returned to the land of pockets, body checks and shoulder pads.

The defensive guru’s boys’ lax resume isn’t hard to find — it’s on his calf.
Corace, who coached Mahopac to its only state title in ’96, commemorated the accomplishment with a tattoo. It was a championship run worthy of the ink, as the Indians relinquished a mere eight goals in the state tournament, defeating Saratoga, 8-4, Ward Melville, 2-1, and West Genesee, 4-3.

“No one knows defense like Mr. Corace,” said Head Coach Mike Haddeland, who shares the coaching duties with his brother, Dave.

Senior attackman Tyler Perrelle said Corace is the ultimate throwback, bringing his whistle to practice like it’s a lunch pale.

According to Perrelle, Corace is already starting to work his magic. The Indians — thought to be weak on the defensive end — held Greenwich to five goals in a scrimmage Saturday.

“He knows exactly what he’s doing,” Perrelle said of Corace. “You can’t question him if he’s right or wrong — because he’s right every time. No matter what you talk about.”

The Haddeland brothers were midfielders on the ’96 team and have wasted little time stirring up the ghosts of program’s championship past.

Mike said they lined the walls of the locker room with pictures of the state championship squad and photos of past All-Americans.

“We are trying to stress to them that there’s a history here and don’t forget it,” Mike said. “You guys can achieve what you want if you work hard for it.”

Perrelle said the goal is to meet Yorktown in the sectional finals and then take their chances as the underdog.

One thing’s for sure: they will need a historic effort to top the Huskers — one worthy of another tattoo.

3) Somers — All-American attackman Joe Marasco was always the younger kid playing alongside the grizzled vets — until last year.

All of the sudden, Marasco was the elder statesman amongst a sea of rookies. As a result, the Tuskers took their lumps, finishing with the fewest amount of wins (11) in forever.

According to Marasco, the pain will pay off this year.

“For those guys to have the experience really helps,” he said. “They are accustomed to the speed of the varsity level. Now they have an understanding and can apply the knowledge from last year to now. To have that extra year really boosts your confidence. It has improved our team so much this year.”

But can they dethrone mighty John Jay? The Indians have had a python-like strangle hold on Class B, winning the past three Section 1 titles.

Somers was the last team to take the Class B title, winning it Marasco’s freshman year in 2005.

“It’s really big because it’s my senior year and I’ve only won once,” Marasco said. “I haven’t won in three years, so I’m hoping we can get that.”

With Marasco and a plethora of athletes strewn across the lineup, I like Somers’ chances. It would only be fitting for the program’s best player to bookend his career in such a fashion.

4) John Jay — For a program that has challenged Yorktown for the Section 1 spotlight, a lot of people are forecasting a dim year.

Coach Nick Savastano admitted there’s pressure this season to keep the championship flame flickering.

“The seniors might feel some pressure to keep it going, it’s their last year and they want to go out and win a title,” he said.

Looking at the Indians’ schedule, you’d never know they were in quasi-rebuilding mode. That’s right, the schedule is actually harder.

Along with the usual gauntlet of games against Manhasset, Corning East, St. Anthony’s and Niskayuna, the Indians also scheduled Syosset.

It’s a super bold move by Savastano — and one that will keep the bright lights on the program for a long time.

“We didn’t chance anything with this young group,” Savastano said. “We hope the schedule battle tests us for later in the season.”

5) Lakeland/Panas — “It’s no secret that Mahopac has a pretty decent team on paper and so does Yorktown,” Head Coach Jim Lindsay said. “We have to go out and play as hard as we can and hopefully the chips fall in our favor.”

Memo to Section 1: it would be a bad idea to sleep on a team with Jack Doherty and Shawn Honovich.

Both players have the athleticism and competitiveness to completely take over a game.

And, according to Lindsay, L/P also has some no-names that are about to introduce themselves.

“The younger kids are scrappy and want to play,” Lindsay said. “We have more kids that have an aspiration to play at the next level, which helps a lot because it’s a drive later on down the field that helps you work a little bit harder.”

Lindsay added that the crop of younger Rebels also look good, which is a credit to his activity in the youth program.

6) Hen Hud (1-0) — The Sailors always field a solid core of skilled lacrosse players, but it always comes down to the role players. Do they have enough athleticism to make up for the lack of lacrosse experience?

Regardless, look for the Sailors to bounce back in a big way from last year’s 9-11 campaign.

7) Putnam Valley — I was at last year’s season-ending loss to Byram Hills in the Class C sectional semifinals. It was a devastating moment that was extenuated by the obvious: Putnam Valley’s streak of five straight sectional final match-ups against Rye was caput.

At the time, Coach Brian Kuczma said the work to get back would begin immediately.

Now, it’s time to see if the hard work paid off.

PV certainly has the spunk to make it back, but the core of players with a mastery over the fundamentals — throwing and catching — is the reason they are a sexy upset pick to dethrone Rye.