Six Teams Being Fit for Glass Slipper that Three will Wear

This could indeed be the year that some of the usual suspects are not invited back to the big dance at White Plains High – site of the Section 1 lacrosse championships – on Wednesday, May 30th. You know the usual suspects: Lakeland/Panas in Class A is almost always on hand, and reigning champion Mahopac has won more sectional titles than any program in Section 1 besides Yorktown. In Class B, Yorktown and either John Jay or Somers will serve as belle of the ball.

Lakeland/Panas has been to the Class A finals five years in a row and gone 1-4 in those title tilts, 2-8 in the 10 championships the Rebels have competed in since 2000. The Lakeland district has been to 22 championships, going is 9-15 overall (Panas going 1-1 in the ‘70s), but the top-seeded Rebels are no guarantee to reach the finals this season, let alone wear the glass slipper. The Rebels are youthful and prone to late-quarter scoring droughts that have cost them dearly. Plus, a recent loss to No.2 Suffern has placed an additional chink in the armor. Still, they have the top face-off man in Class A in Chris Monteferante if he’s healthy, so the Rebels should have the ball last, with first crack, in a close game.

Coach Jim Lindsay’s Rebels (10-6) will likely host fourth-seeded Mahopac in the semis this Thursday, provided Coach Mike Haddeland’s streaky Indians can oust fifth-seeded North Rockland. Mahopac (9-7) has had some lean times since 2005, having gone five years without reaching the finals (2006-2010), but prior to that the Indians were a fixture at the dance, having gone 9-5 in championship games since 1989 (9-2 vs. Lakeland), including one state title in 1996. The Indians suffered an overtime loss to Lakeland/Panas over a month ago, but defeated both No.3 Arlington (in OT) and Suffern, and they should have two of the top three players on the field – M Anthony Berardis and LSM Brendan Hynes – at any point in the tournament.

So based on its body of work, Lakeland/Panas gets the slight nod as favorites, but this is anybody’s baby to win and Mahopac has owned the Rebels in the tournament. Arlington just recently destroyed Suffern, but can anyone actually envision a scenario where the Admirals (10-6) defeat the Mounties (12-4) in the semis and are then fitted for their first glass slipper come next Wednesday? Admirals Coach Don Connolly can, but he’ll need former Yorktown All-American Joe Colarusso’s kid, JD, to stand on his head throughout the tourney. Arlington has taken the lead among Dutchess County schools, but there just aren’t enough quality wins to go out on a limb and predict it can reign supreme in Class A this season.

Worse yet, state pollsters are showing no respect to any of the four Class A teams hailing from Section 1; which can’t crack the state’s Top 25 and are expected to struggle with Section 2’s Niskayuna just the same in the state tourney.

In CLASS B, top-seeded  and state-ranked (No.7) Yorktown won’t ease its way into the state tournament like some expect, but Coach Dave Marr’s Huskers (12-4) should find their way back to the NYSPHSAA Final 4, if all goes according to plan. Beyond that, state-ranked (No.1) Garden City (Section 8) or Comsewogue (Section 11) should pose a substantial roadblock between Yorktown and a seventh state nugget, much less a trip to Middletown (site of the NYS finals).

The 34-time sectional champion and six-time NYS titlists Cornhuskers have delighted “The Crop” with another vintage regular season, but that won’t matter one bit if second-seeded John Jay were to somehow find a way to win its eighth sectional title under guru Tim Schurr. The Indians (10-6) are no strangers to the dance, having appeared in 21 championship games (7-14), and if they can find a way past Somers (10-7) in Thursday’s semifinals, it is widely believed that Jay matches up best with Yorktown, having suffered an 8-6 loss on opening day. But the day Yorktown moved A-A hopeful Frank Fusco to midfield was the day it provided two-way balance and matchup mayhem for Section 1 foes. Fusco and A-A hopeful Conor Gately will make the necessary plays and the Huskers should be representing.

But since Jay lost to Somers, 9-6, back in early April, the Indians may not get a whiff of White Plains if Coach Janavey’s Tuskers can give a similar performance to the one they gave that day. Somers has had significant success in the tournament, going 6-3 since winnings its first title in 2000 (and four in a row in Class C). Fourth-seeded Brewster (11-6) got a raw draw and has the slightest shot of advancing to its sixth championship where the Bears have gone 1-4 since 1997.

In Class C, eight-seeded Putnam Valley has been to six championship games since 2004, going an admirable 3-3 at the dance for a program that only took flight at the turn of the century. Coach Brian Kuczma’s Tigers (10-7) may have received an impossible draw, facing top-seeded, reigning champion Bronxville, ranked No.7 in NYS, in the today’s quarters. The Broncos just put an 18-spot on Somers, so it’s hard to imagine a scenario where PV goalie Kyle Christopher isn’t besieged. Bronxville is just one of two Section 1 teams ranked among the 55 ranked teams in three classifications, which should tell us something about the state of the game right now. It’s unlikely Bronxville won’t advance, and if Hen Hud isn’t there alongside the Broncos, then the Sailors won’t have taken advantage of the best draw in Class C history. Expect to see Coach Solly’s 11th-seeded Sailors making their first trip to the sectional final since 2003 and fifth venture overall.

 

Tournament Dates

Class A

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, May 22 at higher seeds

No. 8 Wappingers at No. 1 Lakeland/Panas

No. 5 North Rockland at  No. 4 Mahopac

No. 6 Clarkstown South at No. 3 Arlington

No. 10 Mamaroneck at No. 2 Suffern

Semifinals

Thursday, May 24 at higher seeds

Finals

Wednesday, May 30 at White Plains High School, 5:30 p.m.

 

Class B

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, May 22 at higher seeds

No. 9 Greeley at No. 1 Yorktown

No. 5 Rye at No. 4 Brewster

No. 6 Tappan Zee at No. 3 Somers

No. 10 Harrison at No. 2 John Jay-CR

Semifinals

Thursday, May 24 at higher seeds

Finals

Wednesday, May 30 at White Plains High School, 8 p.m.

 

Class C

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, May 22 at higher seeds

No. 8 Putnam Valley at No. 1 Bronxville

No. 5 Pelham at No. 4 Byram Hills

No. 11 Hen Hud vs. No. 3 Croton

No. 18 Pleasantville at No. 7 Kennedy Catholic

Semifinals

Thursday, May 24 at higher seeds

Finals

Wednesday, May 30 at White Plains High School, 3 p.m.