Boys’ Lax Notebook
Yorktown’s 2-2 Start: A Concern or Just Part of Grueling Schedule
There are whispers out there already: Folks taking aim at Yorktown’s almost unblemished image. With so much promise and so many players returning from a NYS Class B championship loss to Jamesville DeWitt, Coach Sean Carney’s Huskers were supposed to come ripping out of the gates. Instead, the Huskers were 2-2 following Saturday’s 11-8 setback at the hands of NJ power Bridgewater-Raritan (4-0). Then, like the proverbial bolt from the sky, the Huskers went north and avenged, well, sort of, the J-D loss, toppling their Syracuse-region rival, 15-11, last Tuesday. And all was well in the land of the Huskers.
Okay, so before we go ahead and put the cart before the horse, let’s remember Yorktown’s schedule, which is what we need to bear in mind every time we think: Wow, maybe this is the year John Jay CR knocks off six-time defending Section 1 champ Yorktown for the Class B title; or wow, Lakeland/Panas should win the coveted Murphy Cup this year for just the fourth time since 1990.
We’ll remind you in this particular Lax Notebook that Yorktown has owned John Jay and Lakeland/Panas to tunes nobody else can sing. And, yes, the Huskers would prefer to be 3-1 or 4-0 after the first 10 days of the season, but it is what it is when you put Darien, ranked No.15 in the country (USA Today poll), and B-R, fresh off a 19-1 season in NJ, on the docket. Husker M Dom Cioffi had three goals against B-R. Them Embury boys, Jamison and Hunter, had two goals apiece and senior Kyle Casey set up four tallies, but the whispers continued into Sunday.
Here’s the rub. John Jay is fresh off a 17-16 overtime win against perennial LI power Smithtown East, once ranked No.16 in the country (USA Lax); the country, dude, not the county or the state. Additionally, John Jay went toe-to-toe with LI power Manhasset, ranked No.25 in the country (USA Today), in an 11-10 OT loss. Simply put, Tim Schurr’s Indians cannot be overlooked, not that Yorktown, which is still waiting for Notre Dame-bound All-American D Jose Boyer (back strain) to get healthy, would ever do so.
And Lakeland/Panas has been nothing short of magnificent in wins over Section 2 power Shenendehowa and a 15-12 win over visiting CHSAA power Iona Prep last Saturday. Both Jay and L/P have been impressive in the early going.
Here’s the point: While Yorktown is still Yorktown; the team that should – on paper – waste the rest of Section 1, it’s doesn’t appear, at least in early April, to be the foregone conclusion we anticipated in our preview issues. Still, there’s a panic button out there, but no one in Yorktown is remotely close to pushing it, while the naysayers are ready to pounce.
The beautiful part about all of this is we’ll get a better idea of the future this Saturday when the Huskers host John Jay at the Murph
News & Notes
LAKELAND/PANAS worked a calm, cool and collected win over a quality Iona Prep club. Lakeland senior Tim Fallo had four goals and one assist for the undefeated Rebels (4-0). Junior A Jo-Jo Janavey sniped and dished, going for three goals and two assists while senior Sean Makar had three extremely huge goals.
No matter what happens across town, the reigning Class A champion Rebels are a competent bunch.
“I believe we have gotten off to a very good start,” Makar admitted. “I think this is due to the hard work and dedication from our off-season and practice every day. Also, our experienced coaching and knowledge of the game helps. We are all fired up to get back to the section championship and the sideline energy and competitiveness is going to get us there.”
The Rebs will see Mamaroneck this Thursday in a game that should go a long way in determining everything from the Class A pecking order to who walks in with the most swag in late May…
Don’t look now but CARMEL is 5-1 after an 18-6 win over Clarkstown North, a 10-7 win over New Rochelle, and 13-3 win over Haldane and a feisty triumph of Putnam Valley last week.
Against New Rochelle, Jaden Pellino notched a hat trick and John Melito scored twice for the suddenly-surging Rams, who are noticeably better but still got waxed by Tappan Zee, 16-4, so let’s keep it in perspective.
Mike Telesco scored a career-best eight goals against North and Richie Duffelmeyer added a hat trick. Joe Meyers scored five goals for the Rams in the win over Haldane. What the keen eye notices is the fact that Carmel’s scoring is way balanced…
Little known Reese Andrews made a name for himself last week, bagging his first career hat trick and adding an assist to lead YORKTOWN to a 14-2 win over Suffern. Jamison Embury had a goal and two assists. Burly Justin Cavallo added two goals and one assist. Hunter Embury (5 of 6 on draws) and Anthony Altimari each scored twice for the Huskers while Kyle Casey added a goal and two assists…
MAHOPAC suffered and 11-9 loss to Mamaroneck as the pecking order began to develop in Class A, which shows an impressive defending champion – Lakeland/Panas – leading the way; though the Indians (2-2) proved early on they will be among the prime-time players for the crown. Mamaroneck, though, has had Mahopac’s number since 2011…
SOMERS is probably the best 1-4 team we’ve seen in quite some time. Don’t be fooled by the losses. The Tuskers are better than the record would indicate…
PUTNAM VALLEY saw Brian Conti bag a career-high four goals to lead the Tigers to an 11-7 win over OSSINING. PV middie Mike Nolan added three goals and an assist in the Tigers’ first win of the year. Liam O’Connor had five goals for the Pride.
Ray has 33 years experience covering and photographing local sports in Westchester and Putnam counties, including everything from Little League/Travel Baseball to varsity high school prep sports and collegiate coverage. He has been a sports editor at Examiner Media since its inception in 2007.
Visit Ray’s author bio page for more details. Also read Ray’s archived work here and his Direct Rays column here.
