Three-Horse Race in Class B; Class D Pleasantville Handles Bronxville

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

We may have witnessed a strong Section 1 Class D playoff prelude in Friday’s showdown between host Bronxville and reigning sectional and state semifinalist PLEASANTVILLE, which hunkered down behind M David Hundzynski’s face-off dominance (15 of 21 wins) for a comfortable 12-6 triumph.

His ability to afford the Panthers (5-1) possession was a clear key to victory, enabling All-American Daniel Picart (4G, 1A), Nick Reich (3G), Hank McCourtney (2G, 1A), Aiden Cotter (1G, 1A), Michael Hundzynski (1G, 1A) and Emmet McDermott (1G, 1A) to post multi-point efforts. G Andrew Nessel notched nine saves.

“I thought David Hundzynski played unreal, like he’s been doing the whole season,” said Reich, a junior. “Bronxville was a very competitive team and their goalie played very well, he’s a great player. We’ve been working hard this season with our shooting and sticking our chances, which I thought we could’ve done a couple more times. It was an overall great win and our defense came up huge on 6 vs. 6 defense, they’re awesome.”

The Panther defense was equally awesome in a 13-4 win over Class B BYRAM HILLS earlier in the week when Hammerin’ Hank McCourtney (3G, 3A) totaled six points. Reich (4G, 1A), Picart (2G, 2A), McDermott (2G), Cotter (1G, 1A) and Michael Hundzynski (1G, 1A) were all in on the offensive. Erik Cipriano (2G) led the Bobcats (2-3).

WESTLAKE is battling and squeaking out some close wins en route to a 5-0 start, including a 10-9 win over Clarkstown North and 14-8 over Blind Brook. Junior Cole Barnett has taken kindly to a bigger scoring role.

Against North, Barnett (1G, 3A), Stephen DiNapoli (2G, 1A), Isaiah Rivera (2G, 1A) and Chris Kalle (2G, 1A) triggered the triumph. Against Blind Brook, Barnett notched a career-high five goals while Kalle (3G, 1A); Nicholas DiNapoli (3G, 1A) and Chase Sorby (1G, 3A) had their way.

Westlake, should it continue to improve, could be standing alongside Pleasantville in the end.

“Yeah, Pleasantville is definitely a tough team, but we are playing well and confident right now,” Kalle said. “We need to fix a couple things about our game, but we are going to take it one game at a time.”

HALDANE (2-4) got a much-needed 7-5 win over Wappingers when Frankie DiGiglio went off for three goals and Evan Giachinta added two more for the Blue Devils (2-4). Alex Gaugler and Ryan Van Tassel added solo marks.

PUTNAM VALLEY (3-2) also found some much-needed wins, including a 10-6 win over Irvington and 15-3 over Hastings.

Against Irvington, Andrew Grippo (2G, 1A), Dakota Bourgie (3G, 2A), Chris DeGiorgio (2G, 1A) and Andre Tarrant (2G) were all in synch.

Against Hastings, Bourgie (3G, 3A) went off for a career-high six points. Thomas Cunningham (3G, 2A), Grippo (2G, 3A), DeGiorgio (3G, 1A) and Tarrant (2G, 1A) added to the Yellow Jackets’ misery.

The Tigers opened the week by shelling winless Edgemont, 19-2, behind a four-point effort from freshman Mike Frye (3G, 1A).  Tarrant (3G, 1A), Grippo (2G, 4A), DeGiorgio (2G, 4A) and Bourgie (2G, 3A) all had their way, but the Tigers will see some stiffer competition down the line.

CROTON’s Gavin Cunningham (6G, 1A) had seven points in a 16-8 win over North Salem, which failed to solve Tiger M Sean Grimes (3G, 2A) who won all 21 faceoffs he took. The Tigers are 3-2 at the start of the week.

CLASS B

YORKTOWN (5-1) continued to put up big wins last week, including Saturday’s 8-6 triumph of visiting Scarsdale, which was a lot closer than anticipated on a blustery, wind-swept day at Charlie Murphy Field.

Drew Weissman (3G, 1A) got things started with an unassisted tally at 6:51 of the first quarter. Weissman then fed J.T. Carney for a 2-0 lead at 3:43. Trevor Knopp answered for the Red Raiders at 2:32, trimming the deficit in half. Gianluca Marcini took advantage of a non-call (tripping) when he scored with 4.5 seconds left in the first for a 3-1 lead.

Ryan Vogel opened up the second quarter scoring, his eighth of the season, for a 4-1 lead at 9:46. At 6:35 of the second, Scarsdale trimmed the lead in half again before Weissman snuck one, unassisted, inside the pipes at 4:57 for a 5-2 lead. Anders Burrows kept Scarsdale in position to challenge at 1:14 before the half. Dylan DelVecchio wasted no time in putting some distance between the two clubs, scoring at 51.8 for his second goal of the season, for a 6-3 halftime lead.

A sloppy third quarter ensued with the Huskers taking a 7-3 lead into the fourth after a second tall from Marcini. Scarsdale’s Jared Hoffmann scored his 11th of the season to make it 7-4 at 6:55 of the fourth. Weissman’s hat trick, his second of the year, at 4:44 of the fourth gave the Huskers an 8-4 lead. Hoffmann cut it to 8-5 with just over 3:00 to play. Sensing urgency, Burrows scored high on Hunter Mezzatesta (9 saves) with just over 2:00 to play for an 8-6 game.

The Huskers were clearly not peaking in the second half.

“In the second half we were not playing together,” Vogel admitted. “We had trouble moving the ball and also finishing. We got some good looks in the second half but nowhere near the amount we got the first half. We know we have to play better as a team if we want to make it far. The team will learn from this second half and know it can’t happen again.”

In Yorktown’s 17-3 win over Wappingers, All-American LSM Chris Constantine went for a career-high four goals.

Weissman (3G, 1A), Carney (2G, 1A), Vogel (1G, 2A), Brady McEnroe (1G, 1A) and Marchini (1G, 1A) all factored in the scoring.

SOMERS put it on MAHOPAC during Friday’s 16-6 Tusker triumph over the visiting Wolf Pac. Notre Dame-bound M Miguel Iglesias put six between the pipes while ‘Big Mac’ Sullivan (7A) dished early and often. Ryan Brush (2G, 2A), Grayden Carr (2G) and Luca Ploger (2G) all scored. Somers G Landon Pepe made 10 saves, but Danny Koch managed to slip five past him for the Wolf Pac.

The undefeated Tuskers (7-0) also secured a 10-3 win over FOX LANE when Sullivan (3G), Matt Mayfield (1G, 2A, 16/17 at the dot), Brush (2G, 1A), Carr (2G) and Iglesias (1G, 1A) got to the cage.

The top three seeds in Class B currently include Somers, Yorktown and HORACE GREELEY, which knocked off Briarcliff, 14-4, behind superb efforts from Connor Lummel (4G, 1A),  Jameson Blakeslee (4G, 1A), Matthew Byrne (8A), Tighe Dolan (3G, 1A), Jack Holub (3G) and Ethan Stogsdill (18 of 24 on faceoffs). Bears Jack Brock (2G) and Shane Dean (1G, 1A) had multi-point games. The Quakers (4-1) will want to keep pace with Somers and Yorktown as the top seed will play a pivotal role in determining who advances to the finals.

Fox Lane bounced back in a 10-2 win over Section 9’s Red Hook who had no answers for Foxes (5-2) Ryan Nathan (hat trick) and Owen Baker (1G, 2A).

LAKELAND/PANAS (2-3) put itself to the test by heading down to Long Island where Massapequa was too hot to handle in a 9-2 Rebel setback. Will Moore (2A), Kyle Gallagher (1G) and CC Savastano (1G) were the only Rebs to crack the scoresheet.

The record may not look good overall, but the Rebels haven’t shied away from anyone in additional losses to perennial powers Rye (6-1) and Section 2’s Shenendehowa (9-8). Against Shen, Bubba Baumeister and Kyle Gallagher each bagged a hat trick against a really good defense while Vinny Savastano (1G), Riley Sand (1G) and Anthony Farroni (1A, 13/21 faceoffs) did additional damage. Don’t sleep on the Rebs if you plan on getting past the Final 4.

CLASS C

In the 15 For Life mental matchup game, HEN HUD hosted FOX LANE with the spirit of former Yorktown and Syracuse All-American Rob Kavovit in mind with mental health awareness raised. Kim Kavovit Valeroti and the Kavovit family are doing so behind the scenes @15forlifeorg, a foundation inspired by one man to save the lives of many.

The Sailors eked out a tough 7-5 win over the Foxes behind the strong offensive efforts from James McManus (1G, 4A), Dean Pastalove (2G), Kevin Ryan (2G), Drew Hiltsley (2G) and Conor Prokopiak (1A) while G Aidan Mazzoni made nine saves.

Fox Lane’s Owen Baker (2G, 2A), John Mains (1G), Kevin New (1G), and Ryan Nathan (1G) were afforded opportunity due to M Will Gilligan (1A) winning 10 of 13 at the dot.

Hen Hud took care of Class D BRIARCLIFF, 9-1, earlier in the week when Ryan (4G), McManus (2G, 2A), Pastalove (1G, 1A), Hiltsley (1G, 1A) and  Ethan Walsh (1G) showed support for Mazzoni (11 saves). Jack Brock was the lone Bear to score for winless Briarcliff (0-6).

BYRAM HILLS locked up OSSINING in a 13-3 Bobcat (2-3) win when Reid DuToit  (4G), 3A), Christian Cipriano  (2A, 1A), Logan Cohen (2G) and Erik Cipriano (1G, 4A) provided plenty of cushion for G Jack Quinn (7 saves). The Pride remained winless.

CLASS A

CARMEL looks to have found its footing after the Rams won three straight last week, including wins over New Fairfield (10-3), Brewster (15-7) and New Rochelle (12-5). In those three games, Salisbury-bound A Matt Risley compiled 17 points, scoring eight goals and dishing nine assists. Thomas Connolly nearly matched that mark with 10 goals and two assists while Ryan Aabel notched five goals and eight assists.

Class B BREWSTER’s Harrison Schmitt (4G), Luke Cunningham (1G, 2A) and Jason Weller (1G, 1A) did all they could to hang, but the surging Rams are on a roll while the Bears sit at 3-3.

“Definitely a big week for us,’ Risley exclaimed after the Rams improved to 4-1. “If you take a look into this year’s team you will find it’s just full of a bunch of guys that love lacrosse and love each other. When you are able to put those two things together the outcomes of the games work themselves out. We’ve learned we play best when we are playing fast so we lean on that. We just make sure we go out and play as hard as we can for four well-played quarters of lacrosse.”

WHITE PLAINS (2-2) took a 9-2 decision over Harrison behind six points from Christian Biondi (3G, 3A) and five more from Rocky Strobel (3G, 2A) as Tyler Tan (13 of 14 faceoff wins) kept the pressure off Tiger G Brendan Kavanagh (8 saves).

 

ANDY JACOBS/DONNA MUELLER/CHRIS SMAJLAJ PHOTOS