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Offensive Stars Lead West Islip HS Boys LAX Into 2010 Season
Posted on Mar 22nd, 2010
While Craig said he and his coaching staff have been working to instill in the team that continued hard work and focus will make the 2010 season a success, a repeat of the dominance West Islip showed in winning its third Class A Title in the spring of 2009 in Rochester will be hard to duplicate. Although the offense led by then-junior Attackman Nick Galasso was the focus, it was the defense and goaltending that was the backbone of the squad, often shutting down the opposition's top scorers, especially during last year's playoffs.
This season, Craig told WestIslipTribune that the offense, lead by senior and North Carolina-bound Galasso and fellow senior Midfielder Rob Moore (Jacksonville) is again strong with the likes of Andrew Hodgson, Mike Sagl and Connor Braddish expected to be among the team's top middies.
But maturation of his team's defense will be key as the season progresses. "The challenge for us right now with our defense is that we don't have the game experience like we have had in years past," he said. "That's not an excuse but we do expect to have some growing pains."
With some game experience needed on D, the responsibility of keeping the opposition's offense at bay early on will fall to defenseman including Senior Ed Ryan, Kyle Kerrigan, Kyle Carrick and Liam Byrnes. A missing cog will be Dylan Ilario, a 6' 2'' sophomore who is out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The backbone of the defense will be the team's netminder. Heading into the season Junior Kyle Turri was positioned the replacement for Ryan Zaremba who graduated in 2009. Turri, a member of the 2009 championship team, is joined by Senior Kevin McElroy and sophomore Jack Kelly.
With the season about underway, Craig has targeted several matchups as solid litmus test for his team. Early on, games against Smithtown, Sachem and Catholic League Powerhouse Chaminade will be key, and the May 5 matchup against rival Ward Melville may well prove to be the top Suffolk lacrosse contest of the season.
"We are still very talented, but every year the pack continues to move up closer to us, which will make for an even more competitive season," Craig added.
By Greg Sleter