Hungry Huskers Come out Firing, L/P Rebels Upend Rye

Pleasantville, Briarcliff Looking Strong in Class D, C; Mahopac Cops Putnam Bragging Rights

By Ray Gallagher
Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
& Rob DiAntonio @RJD_Photos

Perhaps no team in NYS has been chomping at the bit to play more than 40-time Section 1 champion YORKTOWN. First it was John Jay in 2018-19 that knocked seven-time NYS champion Yorktown from its championship perch, then COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 season and prevented Coach Sean Carney’s CLASS B Huskers from attaining the Section 1 title they have not had their hands on since 2017, the longest such championship drought since we started keeping records.

Then, it was a self-imposed quarantine that delayed the start of Yorktown’s 2021 campaign, so it was only natural that 715 days since the last time the Huskers took the field Wappingers were merely lambs at the slaughter during the visiting Huskers’ 18-1 opening-day win last Wednesday. While some believe the Section 1 Class B field is wide open in 2021, there are others that abide to the notion that the hungry-hungry Huskers (2-0) are the team to beat, and they looked the part against Wappingers and followed that up with Saturday’s 10-4 triumph of SOMERS.

Against Wappingers, the Huskers’ attack unit was unstoppable. Senior A Dylan Beck went off for five goals and four assists to pace the offense. Senior A Will Embury added five goals and two assists and junior A Harry Griff finished with three goals and four assists in a long-awaited and highly-anticipated varsity debut. Junior M Jay Fastiggi won 13-of-16 face-offs.

“We were just glad to get this skilled group of kids back out throwing on a field in a meaningful game,” Carney said.
Against Somers, Griff (3G, 3A), Beck (3G), Evan Makar (1G), Spencer Norris (1G), Jack Duncan (1G) and Will Embury (1G, 1A) all found the back of the net while G Adam Norris notched 11 saves, Justin Meyreles scooped seven GBs and Fastiggi won 13-of-18 face-off.

“We played tight,” Carney admitted. “We forced our passes and didn’t have a lot of flow early. Somers is tough. They fight and are very athletic. We will learn from it. It was good to have some competition as it has been a long time coming. We will need to find more flow on offense as we have the players to do well there.”

Somers got goals from Cole Zampaglione, Lorenzo Sessa, Zach Nyikos and Kieran Gill.

The Tuskers started the week off on the right foot when senior T.J. Deagan bagged five goals and an assist in the Tuskers’ 15-6 win over BREWSTER. Somers had another three goals and an assist from Zampaglione, plus two more goals and three assists from Sessa.

Another outfit that looks the part of a championship contender is LAKELAND/PANAS, which knocked off a pair of perennial powers last week, including John Jay CR, 12-6, and Rye, 12-10.

Against reigning Class B champion John Jay CR, the Rebels saw senior Conor Hufnagel (5G, 1A) — a legit sniper from any angle — and methodical Reed Thompson (4G) explode for nine goals while budding junior A Nick Graap (2G, 3A), sophomore M/A Liam Burke (1G, 1A), senior D Mark Cummins (1A) and sophomore M/A Justin Stabile (1A) all scored or set up scores for an extremely talented and versatile Rebels outfit.

It was Graap’s career-high fifth rip of the game with 1:38 left in the fourth that knotted the Rye game up at 10-all before Thompson scored the game-winning goal with 45 seconds left from Hufnagel (3G, 4A). Thompson (3G) tacked on another at the buzzer for good measure while L/P Coach Jim Lindsay was ready for a pacemaker.

“I’m getting too old for games like this,” he joked. “The boys played hard, never backed down. I’m so proud of them. Graap showed his smooth stroke today. Some of these younger kids are good, tough players. He’s one of them.”

The Rebels, who improved to 4-0, will tune up for Saturday’s much-anticipated Murphy Cup game against rival Yorktown (12;15 p.m.) with a major test against runaway Class A favorite Mamaroneck today. The Rebels, who look like legit Class B title contenders, will know a heck of a lot more about themselves come next Saturday. The winner of the Yorktown vs. Lakeland/Panas game would go a long way toward locking down the No.1 seed in the Class B playoffs, thus potentially avoiding Rye in the semifinals, so this Murphy Cup showdown is as big as it gets this year.

“There’s a long way to go before we start that discussion,” Lindsay said.

MAHOPAC brought home Putnam County bragging rights after a 14-4 win over host PUTNAM VALLEY Saturday. West Point-bound junior A Mike Harney (4G, 2A) was a one-man wrecking ball.

“Harney was really feeling it,” Mahopac Coach Jon Bota said.

Sophomore A Jake Degnan, silky smooth around the cage, added a hat trick and set up two scores for the Indians. Mahopac’s Gavin Vigalucci (2G), Ryan Geoghean (2G), Danny Koch (1G, 1A), Mike Rettberg (1G) and Matt Puckhaber (1G) all tickled twine. Mercy-bound Mahopac G Brett Crecco made eight saves, several point blank.

The Class C Tigers played closer than the score would indicate, according to PV Coach Tim Weir. Ryan Denike (1G, 1A), Ethan Mounier (2G, 1A) and Hayden Gumbrecht (1G) all scored for the Tigers.

“Ground balls were the difference and the Mahopac kids kicked our tails in this aspect of the game,” Weir admitted. “If you don’t pick up the ball off the ground, then you will not be successful. Credit to the Mahopac kids, they did a great job.”

The Class C Tigers were much smoother in their 14-5 win over Class A CARMEL when junior A Ryan Denike lit the Rams up for a career-high nine points (6G, 3A). Fellow A Jack Murphy bagged a hat trick for the Tigers.

“I thought we really executed our game plan and played to our ability in this one,” Weir said. “Our scorers scored, our mids possessed and our poles were excellent.”

CLASS C/D

PLEASANTVILLE and FOX LANE locked horns in a down-to-the-wire battle and the Class D Panthers were able to grind out a 9-6 victory last Thursday on the road over a Class A club.

With Pleasantville clinging to a 7-5 lead in the fourth quarter, freshman Daniel Picart scored two goals in less than a minute to stretch the advantage to 9-5 with 7:37 to play. The first tally was an EMO goal.

“The extra-man goal I thought was a nice turning point for us offensively,” Panthers coach Chris Kear said. “It gave us a little breathing room. We had a few good stands on defense which led to burning off some time on the clock. I thought our defense played really well today and it kind of helped out our offense, who played a little sloppy in the first half.”

With the Panthers leading 6-3 at halftime, Fox Lane came out firing to start the second half with goals from Dan Leader and Everett Banks in just over a minute. The Foxes, however, didn’t score again until there was 1:32 left in the game when Jack Cicchelli found the back of the net.

“Our guys were tired. We have a small squad here and that certainly plays into it,” Fox Lane coach Craig Henley said when asked what changed after the Foxes scored the first two goals of the second half. “But at the same time, it’s a credit to Pleasantville’s defense. Our guys are not bad athletes and they’re not bad scorers but that Pleasantville defense is stout.”

The Panthers’ defense, led by goalie Ryan Raeski (10 saves), stood tall in the second half, allowing just one goal over the final 23 minutes.

“We paid really close attention to their midfield shooters and we tried to limit their touches as much as possible,” Kear said.

“We just played sound defense. We were forcing them down the alleys and preventing good shots. Ryan made some tremendous saves and we were forcing those low angle shots.”

Pleasantville’s Ryan Challice scored three of his four goals in the second quarter to send the Panthers into halftime with a 6-3 lead. Challice, a junior, has 28 goals through six games.

“At some point,” Kear said when asked if he expected underclassmen like Challice to have a big impact right away. “I didn’t know this would happen so soon but I knew what their potential was. I felt like at some point they would start to do it but I’m glad they’re doing it this early.”

Senior Brennan McDermott led the Panthers with three goals and three assists.

Henley was proud of the Foxes’ defensive effort against a Pleasantville team that had scored 65 goals in its first four games.

“There’s not one ounce of varsity experience on the defensive end,” Henley said. “We have seniors but obviously no one played last year. So, as far as defense goes, we try to simplify some things for them. They are very intelligent, hardworking and athletic kids who are clearly doing probably better than expected at this point.”

Banks paced the Foxes with three goals. Matt Magidson also had a goal.

The Panthers cruised past HORACE GREELEY 14-2 last Tuesday behind five goals and four assists from McDermott. Challice added two goals and two assists while Picart and Nick Bates had two goals apiece. Raefski made 12 saves. Greeley’s Sam Rosenberg stopped 15 shots.

Pleasantville (6-0) stayed unbeaten with a 9-5 win over host HENDRICK HUDSON on Saturday. Emmet McDermott and Challice totaled three goals and an assist each. Brennan McDermott had a goal and three assists while Bates added a pair of goals. Raefski made six saves. Dean Hiltsley had two goals for Hen Hud while Ryan Clark tallied a goal and an assist.

The Panthers face some stiff tests this week with John Jay-Cross River (Tuesday), Somers (Thursday) and Pelham (Saturday).

“I think we’ve made good progress,” Kear said when asked to evaluate the early portion of the season. “Obviously, based on how sloppy we passed and caught the ball today (against Fox Lane), our clears need to be cleaned up. We’re in a good spot but I think there’s a lot of room for growth.”

Leader (2G, 1A) and Will Shepherd (2G) led Fox Lane to an 8-5 win over Hen Hud last Tuesday. Fox Lane then rebounded from the loss to Pleasantville with a 10-4 victory over Brewster on Saturday behind four goals from Banks. Jake Wollman added two goals and an assist while Leader, Magidson, Christian Horvath and Cicchelli had a goal each for the Foxes, who improved to 5-1.

“It seems like we’ve been getting better every game but at the same time we’ve been playing better teams as we go,” Henley said. “I’m just happy that the kids believe in themselves after a very short preseason and no experience last year. We’ve had to put a lot in in a short amount of time and they’ve been totally on board and bought into the systems. They practice hard and they challenge each other. I would say that’s the biggest reason they’re looking as good as they are.”

Last year’s Section 1 Class D champion BRIARCLIFF, which moved up to C this season, started the campaign with big wins over Pelham and Bronxville.

The Bears made quick work of the visiting Pelicans in a 12-2 rout on Tuesday. Matt Waterhouse sparked the attack with four goals. Elliot Jones added two goals and an assist. Jack Ricciardi dished out four assists. Lucas Proctor, Brandon Rispoli, Anthony Capasso, Nick Santucci, Brett Lachtman and Aidan Murnane had one goal each.

Behind five goals from Rispoli, Briarcliff passed a big road test in a 10-9 win over previously unbeaten Bronxville on the road Saturday.

The Bears jumped out to a 4-0 lead but Bronxville rallied and it was neck and neck the rest of the way. Briarcliff’s defense rose to the challenge down the stretch, holding off a Broncos’ comeback attempt. Jones netted two goals while Ricciardi and Proctor had two assists each.

“It was definitely a big win against a very well-coached team and program,” Briarcliff coach Al Meola said.

The Bears have some enticing showdowns this week with Rye (today) and on the road at Mamaroneck (Saturday, 1 p.m.).

“Overall, our start (to the season) has seen some good stuff and some bad,” Meola admitted. “We need to continue to fine tune what we do and be more consistent.”

WESTLAKE (1-1) won its opener, 12-2, over Hastings on Tuesday but fell to Scarsdale 12-4 on Friday. In the win over Hastings, Matt Sardo led the way with five goals and three assists. Andrew Llamas (3G, 3A) and Connor Cronin (2G, 4A) also had big games.

Hayden Fruhling tallied four goals and an assist in BYRAM HILLS’ 18-9 loss to powerhouse Mamaroneck last Tuesday.
The Bobcats (2-1) bounced back with a 14-6 win over Arlington behind five goals from Benny Rakower and four goals and an assist from Fruhling. Gavin Javorsky added two goals.

CLASS A

CARMEL went 1-1 on the week, knocking off visiting Pawling 13-4 Friday after falling at Class C PUTNAM VALLEY Wednesday. Against Pawling, freakish freshman Matt Risely continued his torrid rookie season by netting five goals to go with one assist for the Rams. Ryan McDonald, Chase Carroll and Ryan Abel scored two apiece for the Rams and Ryan Terwilliger finished with a goal and three assists. McDonald finished with two goals and an assist in the loss to PV.

Carmel concluded the week in a 15-10 win over Class C CROTON-HARMON Saturday when Risely went for a career-high eight points (5G, 3A). Terwilliger and Abel added six points apiece, three goals and three assists. McDonald and Will Myers each had one goal and two assists for Carmel. Ryan Robine had three goals and an assist for the Tigers, who led the game for a good portion. The Tigers saw Michael McCarthy and Noah Bovens each score twice.

It was a three-win week for WHITE PLAINS, which improved to 5-1. The Tigers started the productive week off with a 12-1 victory over Hastings last Monday. Ryan Ortiz (4G, 3A) and Colin Walsh (4G) led the offense. Jesse Formica added two goals while Jack Herman dominated on face-offs.

White Plains won in blowout fashion again on Wednesday, cruising past Eastchester 10-1 behind three goals each from Walsh and Jake Strabel. Nick Armogida (1G, 4A) and Ortiz (2G, 2A) also contributed.

The Tigers won a low-scoring 3-2 nail-biter on Friday at Harrison. Ortiz netted his second goal of the game with three minutes left for the game winner. Walsh added a goal. Herman won 6 of 7 face-offs while Nicolas Spista made 12 saves in net to lead a big defensive effort.

HORACE GREELEY (1-2) picked up its first win in a thrilling 9-8 overtime victory over visiting HALDANE on Wednesday. Boden Bounds scored the game winner with a minute remaining on a feed from Eli Brail.

Sam Rosenberg made 24 saves in net to earn his first varsity win. Jason Lungen and Matt Hutchings had two goals apiece. All seven Greeley goal scorers netted their first varsity goal.

For Haldane, Darrin Santos (5G, 1A), Frankie DiGiglio (2G) and Jordan Henkel (20 saves) led the way.

CHSAA

KENNEDY CATHOLIC scoring leaders (through 7 games): Jack McInerney (32G, 17A), Brendan Sullivan (20G, 22A), Fin McConnell (15G, 15A). PJ Wu tabbed as an outstanding defenseman by Coach Vin Savastano; M Connor Baia 81% faceoff wins dubbed a certified bad man.

Hard to comprehend but some coaches are still not responding to the chance to feature their student athletes in our weekly Boys’ Lax Notebook, so please contact raygallaghersports@gmail.com (N.West & Putnam teams) or Rob DiAntonio robertdiantonio@yahoo.com for inclusion with game-by-game results or a weekly recap due Sundays by 6 p.m.