Yorktown 9, Chaminade 8, OT.
John Jay 11, Syosset 10, OT.
There were no league championships at stake in those two games today.
No sectional seedings were on the line either.
But both games had a playoff feel to them.
And for good reason. After all, this is why they play these games.
Though they may not have any tangible importance in terms of league standings or seeds, they are, in effect, playoff primers.
“This is the type of game you’re going to play in the playoffs,” Yorktown coach Dave Marr said after the ‘Huskers pulled out their dramatic win on Kevin Interlicchio’s unassisted goal 1:42 into overtime “To have a chance to play in the kind of pressure situations you’re going to see then I think really helps.”
So too does a schedule that features as many of the type of games as possible.
I have to admit. When I first saw John Jay’s schedule for this season back in the dead of winter, I had to wonder if it was a bit overly ambitious for a team that had 13 sophomores.
Maybe so. But that doesn’t mean coach Nick Savastano and the Indians didn’t make the a wise decision.
“I think we’re a better team because of the teams we played,” Savastano said.
After what I saw today, who could argue?
Check back for video highlights from both the Yorktown-Chaminade and John Jay-Syosset games and post-game video interviews.
Reach Joe Lombardi at joe@laxlessons.com.
GET YOUR LAXLESSONS.COM PLAYER PROFILE NOW…
Upload your profile by clicking here.
Register below for the LaxLessons.com/
Velocity Sports Performance Combine/Showcase …
Posted In: Long Island lacrosse
Great wins by the Hudson Valley teams today vs. their Long Island counterparts.
In a battle of two flawless defenses, Chaminade made a point to go after and pressure Yorktown’s big guns in Interlicchio and Ranagan- and it was obvious. The duo got started off to a slow start, but the 4th quarter and OT showed why the two are the best and around and are inevitable All-Americans. From Ranagan struggling at faceoffs, to him winning them at the end; and even scoring a fantastic unassisted goal to get Yorktown’s momentum back. Interlicchio too was doubled all day, but he scores his 4 late goals to show why he is going to be a Blue Jay. The kid wants big game shots, and he’s not afraid to take them.
As for John Jay, Mike Daniello scoring that overtime goal vs Syosset is unbelieveable, a sophomore took the game into his hands, and that pressure is undeniable. Nobody thought John Jay would be having as successful as a year as they are having with such a youthful team, but Coach Savastano knew that his team would flourish. Even if they don’t be Yorktown (who quite honestly seems unbeatable at the moment) next weekend on MSG, the future of that Indian squad seems quite scary, because they are bound for wild success.
Great analysis Joe and Tubbs. Looking forward to hearing Interliccio and Daniello describe the winning goals and seeing them on the upcoming videos here. Joe and staff keep up the truly outstanding work. Your coverage is unbelievable and at another level.
Joe, it was great to see you before the Yorktown-Chaminade game, I’ll never forget all the help you gave me back in the days of the Patent Trader and Star. I was a good writer before I worked for you but became an even better one because of you.
Thanks.
As for yesterday, you’re right, it was a special day. Yorktown’s win is the type of game where if someone who has never watched lax before sees it, they will fall in love with it instantly.
Or even someone like me, who’s been a baseball guy since the days of the late 70’s Yanks but has always enjoyed watching lax, it makes you want to watch it more and after seeing the performances put on by KI and Ranagan, I always will be a fan of their’s for life.
For those that have watched a lot more lax than I have, and I know it’s just regular season, but where would you place Yorktown’s win yesterday and how do KI and Ranagan compare to Husker stars of the past?
Wild, wild week! So who’s #1 in the region now?
YanksJets SJU,
I don’t think this Chaminade win ranks that high historically for Yorktown, but it’s definitely a big win. Especially when you consider that many people in the region were rejoicing in the “Yorktown demise” a couple years ago. How foolish was that whole line of thinking.
As far as Ranagan and Interlicchio go, I’d say they rank pretty high on Town’s all-time list. My frame of reference goes back to the 80’s, and I’d put Ranagan into Yorktown’s top 10 midfielders with his awesome combo of size, speed, and aggression. Nowhere near Colsey, and I wouldn’t put him up there with Caione or Fin either, but he’s outstanding nonetheless. Interlicchio is probably a top 10 attackmen already with his unbelievable finishing skills. As a junior, he has a definite chance to crack the top five by the time he’s done. It’s a very tough top five to crack with names like Nelson (x2), Rob Kavovit, Brian Crockett, Dave Marr and a few others still in front of him. Plus Carcaterra, the McCalls, and Tommy Dooley…this list could go on and on.
Watching Syosset dismantle Pequa on MSG now this win becomes even more impressive. Joe what are your overall thoughts on both teams right now and the young Syosset players like Ryan Hunter and Ryan Luckovic?
YanksJetsSJU –
Enjoyed seeing you yesterday at Murphy Field. I appreciate your comments very much and thanks for sharing your thoughts on the game too.
By the way, it was also great seeing our prized blog poster LTL at the game too, and many thanks for the cup of joe. It was a long day and it hit really helped me recharge my batteries.
I think Interlicchio and Ranagan are one of the best to ever play at Yorktown. Their second halfs versus a very good Chaminade team are exactly why. Held to zero points combined in the first half, they came out firing. Ranagan woke up and started winning some face-offs, and Interlicchio netted 4 goals. Congrats to Ranagan on scoring his 100th goal as well (can you double check if I’m right Joe?) Both of their games will improve greatly at Hopkins and they are going to be very exciting to follow. I wish them the best of luck this year and when they become Blue Jays!
LIGuy –
Luckovic, who had three assists vs. John Jay, is an eighth-grader. Hunter, who scored a goal, is a freshman. Just the fact they are starting for the 2008 Class A state finalists at that age tells you all you need to know about them. They both have an amazing amount of potential. Luckovic has real good hands and field vision. Hunter has a very quick release and a nose for the net.
Syosset lost eight senior starters from last year, but the seniors they do have are very good. Eddie Loftus, who was shut off by John Jay, is headed to Duke. He’s as talented an offensive player as you’ll find. Cornell-bound defender Thomas Keith has tremendous stick skills and is a tough, hard-nosed player. He left the game with a shoulder injury in the second half that looked like it could be very serious. Moments later, he was right back on the field. Jonathan Guzman, an athletic midfielder who is also an excellent football player, had five goals last night and will play both sports at Wesleyan.
As for John Jay, this team may not have any all-Americans, but it has a lot of all-section caliber players. It’s really hard for other teams to decide who to key on defensively. Increasingly though, that player appears to be Mike Daniello. Syosset coach John Calabria put Keith on him and Daniello still had three goals and three assists, and of course, scored the winner in OT.
Daniello, who was an impact player as a freshman last year, is a very strong and skilled player who is becoming more polished with each game. I wrote about him before he even played a varsity game saying he was on the fast track to stardom and now he’s arrived there. I think he has the potential to be a heavily recruited player who could wind up committing to a major Division I program by the end of this year.
Check back for video highlights of the Syosset-John Jay game as well as video interviews with Eddie Loftus, Jonathan Guzman, Mike Daniello and fellow John Jay sophomore Forrest Walter, who had four goals and one assist vs. Syosset.
Yeah what a great win for JJ and a fantastic game. Daniello rose up under pressure and scored the game winner, he finished with 3 and 3. Walter also had 4 and 1, Beck added 3, and Weil had one. It would’ve been heartbreaking to lose another one-goal game but this win is a sure confidence-booster before the playoffs. Syosset isn’t the same team they were last year but of course they’re still a LI powerhouse, they beat Garden City 6-3 and were coming off dominating performances against pequa and oceanside.
The Nade-Town game was a pleasure to be at yesterday. Great action, two proud programs and down to the wire finish. Only one can win in the end but both showed why they are in the national rankings.
you’re welcome Joe. It was an incredible game, then one more for you to end your day of lax – another OT win for section one! Friday night should be a great game – you’ll be there? Prediction…? (If you pick JJ, no more coffee for you) :o)
Will Joe be at Town-Jay game? Are you kidding? They should call the game the Joe Lombardi Cup!
Very true Townie. Joe has done just an unbelievable job covering and promoting the game in the papers, blogs and on TV through the years. I know he is equally admired and respected by fans, players and coaches of both schools. They really should call the game the Lombardi Cup.
LTL – I’m going to hold off on predicting the game until later in the week. But that’s good to know there’s a cup of coffee at stake if I go with John Jay. Haha.
Speaking of cups, Townie and Jaybird, I appreciate the comments. I’m a bit speechless. It’s definitely been a fun time being involved with the game, especially the last six years or so when the rivalry has been at its height.
Let me throw out the first Lombardi Cuo pick everybody:
Town 12, Jay 5
Thoughts?
JJ 9, Town 8
I have a feeling Town will be overconfident. JJ playing at home pulls out a shocker.
How about picks for the other huge game this week? Darien is really playing well and Ridgefield is banged up and mistakenly thinks this game is a foregone conclusion. Bringing down a dynasty never is.
Darien 10, Ridgefield 8
Jay 11, Yorktown 8
Daniello 3-1
Walter 3-0
Stewart 2-2
OK. The alarm just went off and your dream’s over …
Jo Lo Cup:
Town 16, John Jay 4
Ranagan 5-2
KI 4-0
Casey 3-2
Anyone who thinks Darien is gonna beat Ridgefield is dreaming too. Haha.
Who does JJ play next
Home vs. Clarkstown South. Senior Night. 7 pm. Be there.
Tuesday …
Going to be nice to lite up a team on senior night for a little confidence booster.
JJCue that’s what I’m talkin bout!
Poor Luke is gonna be shell shocked.
When I heard about the Jay win last night, thought it was a good win and a good sign for Jay moving forward. Then I saw the Pequa-Syosset game on MSG today, and now I consider it a bigger win. That being said, the way teams performance fluctuates from game to game this year, I don’t know what it means going forward.
As to Town-Jay, it doesn’t seem that Jay will have the horses this year, they seem to struggle with high powered teams, but at least it may not be the blowout I thought it would be earlier in the year.
As for Ridgefield fans, I’d be careful counting out Darien, this year or any other for that matter. You should be the favorite, but not sure I would bet the ranch on the game.
Joe-you’re welcome, least I could do.
Wasabi-Thanks for the knowledge and you’re right, those that thought Yorktown was in demise a couple of years back were sadly mistaken.
Good wins for Section 1. An expected but nonetheless tough good win by Town.
An unexpected and impressive win for Jay over a good LI team!!
Got to go with Town over Jay 13-6
Townie – American Heritage definition of rhetorical: A question to which no answer is expected….! But….LTL loves the Jo Lo Cup suggestion!
Go ‘Town!
Somers and L/P gave Town pretty close games, I’m expecting Jay to do the same although I have to go with Town 10-7.
Theres as much chance as JJ beating town as South beating JJ.
Jo Lo Cup –
Town 6, JJ 2
(JJ plays stall ball but Town wins a yawner)
It’s not stall ball, it is an excellent strategy against a team with Beasts like Ranagan to play a controlled, patient offense. (Nisky being one of the kings of this) Still Town 9 JJ 6
Call me crazy, but I like watching Jay’s “stall ball.” I know it may not satisfy the lax purists that like the up-and-down game (which I do to), but that weave is fun to watch and it leads to some defensive breakdowns. If you know you can’t match a team goal for goal running & gunning, you gotta go with whatever style gives your team the best shot to win. I’m all for it. Plus with the way Yorktown is pressuring out this season, they could run into some trouble if Sav does break it out on Friday.
JJ will have trouble stalling with the way Town pressures all over the field. They dont let you just throw it around without sticks all over. They also shut shorties, etc from time to time to lock on their poles. Should be a fun game. I see it a 11-6 game similar to Somers game for Town. If that happens I also say that is good for JJ as they would have played better against the top competition. Vs St Anthonys, C East, etc they struggled to stay with them but lets see how much better they have gotten.
theres no such thing as stalling when theres yorktown D, and ranagan involved..yorktown D will come out, contest and shutoff the john jay O if john jays taking their time..and if theres ever a ground ball..bet the house that ranagan picks it up..and doesnt stop running until the ball is in the opposite cage..with ATLEAST 1 play from jay on the ground b/c he ran through them..while its funny, the stat about ranagan running through people when he has the ball is completly true.
Town-13
Jay-6
Looking forward to the J-Lo Cup like everyone else. Lol.
Take away Ranagan and Interliccio and JJ wins by 5 goals. But can they? Or at least shut down one of them?
I give Yorktown a big edge on experience.
Let’s say Yorktown 10, John Jay 5.
And if the Savs run a stall offence MSG will never do this game again which would be a shame.
Guys stop talking about stalling. Jay hasn’t stalled since the SECOND game of the season against a far better manhasset team. It is now the SIXTEENTH game of the season and Jay is a much much better team. They didn’t stall against Nisky, St. A’s, they will not stall the ball.
When I say a far better manhasset team, I don’t mean better than Town, I meant far better than the Jay team.
Freelaxer, you must be a young buck. When it comes to stalling and lacrosse, it’s like biology. Once is enough. That is simply not the way the game is meant to be played. It should be the fastest game on two feet. The Savastano brothers made it into a chess match versus Manhasset. Shame on them!
Exactly, St. A’s has one of the best attacks in the region and JJ had no intention of stalling. It was over a month ago when JJ played that stall ball and yet everyone is still hung up on it. it was one game! and a good strategy keeping it a 2 goal game in the 4th quarter against a way better ‘set team.
in all i will go with Ytown 12 JJ 7
Observer, your missing my point. I’m not saying i liked the stall at all. I’m just saying that it’s their last game of the season and they are a much better team than they were in the Manhasset game. There not going to stall.
Town-11
Jay-6
I agree with Freelaxer on both points in his last comment.
Here is a comment I posted here on April 23 in response to a reader comment:
“Your point that it was early in the season and JJ is a young team is a good one. I also think Nick Savastano felt Manhasset was just that good. St. Anthonys and Yorktown certainly are, but I think now that were at the midway point of the season and those young players have more confidence and frankly have improved since then John Jay will not run a ‘stall’ offense again.
“Its funny. A week or so ago, I was asked if JJ would ever hold the ball vs. Yorktown. I just dont see it ever happening. Theres too much pride in this rivalry for that to ever happen on either side.”
Red Crosse –
It will be interesting to see what defense Vinny Savastano devises for Yorktown. It should be noted the Indians have been very effective in shutting down a few premier scorers of late Lakeland/Panas’ Jack Doherty (who is headed to Binghamton) and Syosset’s Eddie Loftus (who is bound for Duke). Senior Geoff Stearns, who is headed to Lafayette, effectively shut off Doherty and Loftus in those games.
Red Crosse – take away Daniello and Stewart and what does ‘Town win by? what’s the point of your question? the teams are the teams…. (and ‘Towns D is just the crew to do it!)
LTL I think red crosse might be saying that if you shut down KI and Ranagan then Jay will win by a lot, but there is just no way of shutting those 2 down, its not happening.
My prediction
KI 5
Ranagan 4
John Jay 3
This one could get ugly if JJ’s defense doesnt show up with a great game plan…Shutting down Interlicchio and Ranagan just isnt going to happen…They are going to get their points but I think JJ needs to concentrate on containing the Towns other players as well bc they are def more than capable of putting the ball in the back of the net…JJ should pack in a zone and just DONT LET INTERLICCHIO OR RANAGAN SHOOT!!!!!!
As for JJ putting the ball in the freezer, I dont think thats gunna happen… Lodewick is just going to send his horses out on who ever is handling the ball, have a slide man ready and pressure JJ’s offense, a lot…
If Ytown gets runnin up and down the floor, this one is over, quick…
Ytown-14
JJ-6
yeah, freelaxer, I know, I was just pointing out that you could propose that about shutting down any team’s big guns, right? but ‘Town has a “few” more boys that can find the net… so I’m not so sure he’s right! we’ll see Friday night!
lovetownlax-
your point about shutting down daniello and stewart really has no meaning considering stewart had 0 goals against syosset and instead kids like walter had 4, weil 1, beck 3
okay solid D, I was just listing two of the good players on Jay (of which I know there are many) so, feel free to replace the name Stewart with Walters, it’s okay with me. All that matters is how the boys play on Friday night – should be a great game!