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Hey guys, Syracuse here.

Well, this much is known: Through a handful of games, Yorktown is very much for real. St. Anthony’s may be more hype than actual substance. Manhasset appears to be one of the top teams on Long Island and probably the state and rebuilding John Jay will do whatever is necessary to stay relevant.

But what’s not known — or at least not talked about all that much on this site — is the fact that Ridgefield appears to be for real. Need proof? Its fine showing at the Hand tournament not enough for you? Try the following on for size:

Ridgefield went down to Northport on Long Island this weekend for a four-team jamboree against the likes of Ward Melville, Mount Sinai and the host school and came away more confident than ever.

This is a senior-laden squad that appears to have its sights set on unseating Darien as the class of the FCIAC and winning a Connecticut Division 1 state crown.

Playing two 25-minute running-time halves against established Long Island programs, Ridgefield dominated both Northport and Mount Sinai. Ridgefield led both teams by eight or nine goals at the half of each game, with each squad sticking with starters and not beginning religious substitutions until into the third quarter.

The usual cast of suspects — Virginia-bound attackman Matt White, attackman Colin Scott (heading to Denver), middie Matt Baker (Colgate), middie Brendan Walsh (Fairfield) and junior close defenseman John Mirra — carried the load as Ridgefield put itself in position for Wednesday’s season opener against Bridgeport Central.

Against perennial power Ward Melville, the starters played the Patriots to a 3-3 tie in the first half and then pulled away once the benches were emptied in the second half, winning 9- or 10-6.

Junior middie Kurt Mueller, junior attackman Mike Galione and sophomore pole Michael McKnight, a converted short stick enjoyed strong outings.

Ridgefield, coached by former Yorktown star and Syracuse All-American Roy Colsey, appears to be a serious threat to Darien’s reign atop the FCIAC. This is no joke everyone. See Ridgefield if you get a chance. This is one of the premier teams in our area and maybe anywhere.

But you’ll get a lot more on that and a sneak peek at Greenwich, Darien, Wilton and New Canaan, among others, in Wednesday’s edition of “A View from the Dome,” so please check back with us here at LaxLessons.com.

This past week’s scores and thoughts:

Port Washington 15, Syosset 6 — If there is to be a team that can be this year’s version of what Syosset was last year, it appears to be coach Ken Case’s Vikings. Port Washington is 4-0 and has to be considered the frontrunner to win the Section 8 Class A crown.

Garden City 5, MacArthur-Levittown 2 — The Trojans are a very shaky 4-1, but since Class B on the Island appears to be wide open they will remain on the short list of teams with the potential to get to Rochester, though many believe their rebuilding process will eventually be exploited.

Somers 16, Hen Hud 5 — I know I covered them and I know a lot has been said about the Tuskers early on this season, but we’ll learn a lot more about them Tuesday when they take on the Goliath that is Yorktown. The Marasco Show is a lot more than a one-man band.

Horace Greeley 15, Scarsdale 4 — In new coach Vin DeGregorio’s debut, the Quakers opened strong, but will need to continue their quick start with impressive showings against Brewster (0-2) and Fordham Prep (2-1) this week before anyone will begin to take them seriously as a real threat to John Jay and Somers in Class B in Section 1.

Iona Prep 10, St. John The Baptist 5: The Gaels are 3-0, but havent really played anyone yet. That will change Wednesday when they take on Rye, the reigning Section 1 Class C champs. Iona Prep also plays Fordham Prep (2-1) on Monday and a showdown with a very underrated Lakeland/Panas team is just 10 days away.

Also, please keep in mind … not only does IP play L/P on April 18, but also an intriguing matchup between Chaminade (3-0) and perennial Connecticut power Fairfield Prep will take place the same day.

That’s about it for now. Most of the other games have been discussed or at least mentioned. Joe will have more in the coming days on another big week for teams in our area, including the Battle at the Shore next weekend between Darien and Manhasset, and Garden City and New Canaan. I will be at both games and will have full recaps sometime Saturday evening. Joe will be attending Yorktown-Somers on Tuesday and Somers-Cold Spring Harbor on Saturday. I’m sure he’ll get to other games during the week and will, as always, have plenty of other goodies on the site in the coming days.

Remember, the LaxLessons Top 25 regional rankings will be released Tuesday (there have been some major changes) and my “A View from the Dome” column will appear Wednesday. I’ll be focusing on the rough and tumble world of the FCIAC, so please stay with us for the latest news and information on your team and the marquee matchups to come.

Thanks — ‘CUSE