Senior captain Sean Esposito and John F. Kennedy Catholic are getting set for games against Croton and Ossining this week. The Gaels need one more win to clinch a sectional berth. (Photo by Jim Stout/MaxPreps.com)
We’re set to begin the final full week of regular-season action in the Hudson Valley and Long Island regions, gang. (Connecticut has two more weeks to go.)
So let’s get it started, shall we?
Lynbrook, which has won three straight and six of its last seven, plays at Plainedge (6-6). In other 4:30 p.m. games n Nassau, Great Neck North hosts Sewanhaka, Garden City hosts Kennedy Bellmore and LI Lutheran is at Elmont.
In Suffolk, Riverhead hosts Lindenhurst at 4:30 p.m.
Pleasantville, which is 9-1 and has won four straight, plays at Harrison. In other 4:30 p.m. games in the Hudson Valley, Nyack is at Wappingers, North Rockland hosts Scarsdale, Edgemont is at Saunders, Irvington visits Pelham, Sleepy Hollow is at Ardsley and Hastings hosts Bronxville. Pearl RIver plays at Albertus Magnus at 4:15 p.m.
Fairfield Ward hosts Trinity Catholic at Tetreau/Davis Field at 4 p.m. in Connecticut action. Also at 4 p.m., Stamford visits Stratford at the Short Beach Rec Complex. There are a pair of 7 p.m. games of interest. Cheshire hosts Branford and Xavier plays at West Haven. At 6:30 p.m., Notre Dame-Fairfield plays at Bethel at Ralph DeSantis Field at 6:30 p.m. Brunnell visits New Milford at 6 p.m.
Be sure to post your thoughts and predictions on these matchups, and while you’re at your game or games today, be sure to check in here with info on the scores and game details early and often.
MSG Varsity coverage
(Only on Optimum)
* Lombardi on Lacrosse from 5.06.10 “Sports Desk”
* Week 6 Hudson Valley/Connecticut game predictions
* Lombardi: New playoff system to impact Section 1
* Latest Hudson Valley/Connecticut rankings
* Manhasset wins battle of unbeatens vs. Cold Spring Harbor
* Darien’s defense stifles Yorktown
* Darien 10, Yorktown 3 game tape
* Lakeland/Panas 11, Brewster 7 game tape
* Chase 10, Harvey 8 game tape
Lacrosse for Dummies
* Order a copy of the newly released 330-page brand-new edition of the book by Joe Lombardi here.
* Click here to get a $5 rebate
Connect with us
Become a Fan of LaxLessons on Facebook now by clicking here.
LaxLessons.com recruiting coverage
Posted In: Scoreboard Central
Lets go Kennedy Gaels!! Need to beat Croton and Haldane. Ossining will be a learning event.
Kennedy v. Croton today is a playoff game for each of those teams. The winner becomes playoff eligible, while the team that comes up short will have to beat a better team then either are facing today to get themselves in. Good luck to each team.
Go Catholic the improvement has been incredible. If you get into playoffs no one will want to face you.
oops…game is tomorrow, but same idea…
Croton and Kennedy both great coaching stories of 2010
Alex – wondering if you could expand on your thought as to why these are great coaching stories? I thought Kennedy had the same number of wins as they did last year?
Laxit,
Coach of the Year type candidates must show a SPECIAL accomplishment in # of games won or maybe a significant improvement over previous yrs record, etc.
At first glance dont see that for either Croton or JFK??
its not just about wins and loses it is about that it is a real program now not a club team. My teamates work hard and have pride in the program. the coaching staff does it the right way in a classy manor. Film, preparation, disipline etc.
Dan Connolly from Arlington should win Coach of the Year.
Can’t see either coach getting that award this year, while the W-L numbers won’t show improvement (No style points will kill me here) the stats on GB’s, points allowed etc are getting better as well as I’ll quote Joe here “Lax IQ” granted both programs really only had 2 directions to go stay as is (bottom) or get better. Both sets of kids look to be learing a great deal from some good teachers.
Had Arlington made more noise in the games vs. Pac, LP, Connolly would be a natural to be considered. But for now, Schurr is a lock.
who are the class A teams in the sectionals for section 1?
Should be coach of the yr in each Class.
ronny,
Its great what your saying about pride, coaches, classy way of doing things. You’re fortunate to be part of that kind of program. But that’s what good coaches are EXPECTED to bring to the table (not all do). But that doesn’t necessarily = coach of the yr. I feel all the good stuff you’ve mentioned needs to be translated into a record of some real accomplishment on the field.
scooter,
Arlington deserves consideration in that last yr they lost 10 games and this yr, with a new coach they’ve only lost 3 games so far. Something has changed big time!
If they can prevent a blow-out by Jay then I think their record vs last season + a “reasonable” loss to Jay should put even further consideration on their coach for serious consideration.
Maybe also teams like Byram Hills should be considered IF they get to the play-off finals in Class C (they had a much tougher sched vs some other Class C teams like Bville and Pville)??
If Jay wins Class B having only 1 loss maybe Schurr should get it??
If Mamo were to get to finals, maybe they should??
If Town wins Class A maybe Marr given Town’s incredibly tough schedule and working with major personnel losses from last season?
I would say Schurr is a lock as well. There have been several good stories this season with teams starting to look like they will be mainstays in their respective classes going forward, but teams like Arlington, Mamaroneck, Bronxville kind of lack that signature victory to really convince anyone they truly have something building that everyone should fear.
Meanwhile Schurr has stepped into the pressure cooker (as much as a high school coach can in our area) and has imparted a discipline and work ethic in a bunch of kids that already had talent, but at the same time needed to re-learn so much from a different perspective.
A close second, to me anyway, is Lindsey at L/P. The Rebels are clearly legit and look like they will be the latest Section 1 team to try their luck against the state. If L/P wins the section I think that potential state quarter against Shen will be fascinating. L/P has just one game left to work on whatever it needs to improve upon before sectional. If Yorktown is ever to truly make a statement, closing with St. Anthony’s and Wilton is their opportunity (also have Brewster in there) to get the ball rolling.
But it would be hard to pick against L/P right now. I, for one, would have loved to see a JJ-L/P rematch.
Schurr hands down. JJ was 10-9 last year. Enough said.
this is one of jj top 2 or 3 teams ever.
My thoughts on the coach of the year:
JJ may have been 10-9 but they bring back a very solid core and are doing what was expected of them , so where is the surprise. Town’s got the W’s yet they are not the same powerhouse many are used to seeing.
I give my nods to the L/P , fox lane and Putnam valley
Somehow the Valley gets it done every year and yet in a quite way. After graduating approx half the team they are back again with some very good games.
Fox Lane looks to be playing above everyones expectations, and some nice wins that no one saw coming.
L/P same as valley , they get little attention but are big time winners, this year again ..knocking off some very good teams
Above I did say that given J’s record they should definitely be in the running.
While I strongly disagree with sonny’s “monkey” reference there is something to be said about J being expected to win games with their team.
On the other hand as I said above, IF Town can win Class A and get to LI, then Marr deserves consideration because he did it with a team that had lost substantial talent from last season. Jay was clearly expected to be one of the very best teams in Section 1, in many cases #1 by a lot of people.
Not the same with Town.
sonny
one of Jay’s top 2 or 3 teams ever?
No.
not even one of JJ’s top 2 or 3 teams of the last 5 years.
Agree with Dee-UP is this voting done before sectionals? Would like to see how those teams do in sectionals. Coaches Vazzano (FL), Lindsay (LP) and Kuczma (PV) all good I would also suggest the Bronxville Coach as they have had a very good season.
Talent wise, this year’s Jay team is not in the top 2 or 3 all time, maybe next year when the nucleus is in its senior year. 2004, 06, and 07? However, record wise, they are as good as any team we have had. The season is not over, but Schurr has done an excellent job in winning those close games- it’s a legitimate schedule. If Jay wins the Section, he should get coach of the year.
Lindsay and Vazzano have done very well but we still have to see how the season unfolds to assign the award to any coach.
PVille 5 Harrison 3 half
PVille 11 Harrison 3. End of 3
On the unnoticed game of the day,Mamaroneck beat New Ro 13-3.This score is deceiving as it was 11-0 early in the second when Mamk pulled everyone. Also, their coach doesn’t let them get over a 12 goal lead. They will finish 14-2 and might get the #2 seed in class B, which on paper would put them against JJ for the sectional final.
BEAR!!!!!!!!
Plainedge 11, Lynbrook 10 (OT)
Set 13, Locust Vall 4
GC 10, Bellmore JFK 2
Granted JJ has a great junior squad but they lose 2 premier goalie,. Pickel, Smythe & Waldman. Tough filling those spots. Hopefully they have some kids to step up and get it done next year.
Old Rugger !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wait, I have to make my eye stop twitching before I finish this post…
…okay…no, wait, still twitching…
…kidding. You have a good point and in this situation I have to give some latitude.
In fact, everybody have brought good points here.
You know, it’s not a lot different than MVP in other sports. The winner is usually on a winning or championship team.
The overriding criteria is probably a personal choice by each person who casts a vote. Some will weigh W-L more, while others will give more weight to improvement and such. Finding a sweet balance between the two may prove to be elusive.
For me, it comes down to, which coach succeeded in the most pressurized situation (Tim Schurr), or, which coach far outpaced expectations and won high-level games or even a championship (tbd, but think Doug Lindsey)?
Tim Schurr; Has an improved record in a program that won double digits last year…not easy to do. I don’t worry about the down year last year because every team is entitled to that and graduation is a powerful force. But talk about walking into an atmosphere of high expectations and responding. It’s like Joe Torre walking into Yankee Stadium – yeah, his team was a Cadillac and he was expected to drive it like it was. Sure (pardon the pun), the JJ team is loaded, but their schedule and success so far is legit – and if they win the section they will have had to do it against some fine teams.
Don Connolly is a great candidate for people who lean toward giving the award to a teacher. I know there are problems with their schedule, but the improvement is obvious and the enthusiasm by the community is palpable. That being said, although I see this program building strongly over the next 2-3 years, I lean toward making Coach C wait at least another year and get some more meaningful, high-pressure wins against higher level opponents.
Doug Lindsey; (coaching with Westrock this summer by the way), doesn’t get a tremendous amount of pub, in fact he gets very little considering how good his teams are. The guy is in the mix all the time, turns out All-Americans and D1ers, and is in position to win a section title in a couple of weeks after being in the big game last year. There was no guarantee they would be this good this year, but here they are again. 2-1 vs the state of Washington, wins over Yorktown and Penn Yann are nice. The losses to Somers and JJ hurt a bit, but if coach Lindsey gets back to the big game…that’s a compelling case.
Lew Janavey is the defending champions’ coach. It’s been a tumultuous up and down year for he and his group. Injuries have been a problem, as well as plain old disappointing play. But if they get a middle seed, sneak up on the pack and get back to the dance (and win), hey, that would be huge pressure and exceeding expectations.
Nice stories, but not Coach of the Year:
Fox Lane, Bronxville, White Plains, Brewster, Mahopac, Ossining, Mamaroneck, Scarsdale; would have to win the title.
Kennedy, Croton, Peekskill, Roosevelt, Westlake, Sleepy; Sentimental and good stories, but not a good fit.
I have to keep my powder dry until we know more, but what a terrific thread.
Can you imagine a JJ somers quarters !?nkfdklf haha
Scarsdale 7, North Rockland 6
I would definitely not consider this one of the best Jay squads of all time, not even close. But I’d still say Jay is exceeding expectations this year. There were some doubters at the start of the year, but who expected them to have only one loss (to arguably the best team in the country) at this point? Who during the preseason expected them to beat Somers 12-6? I have to admit their schedule isn’t as tough as it was for the past few years, but they still beat some pretty tough teams like Corning East, Syosset, Yorktown, L/P, and have a much-anticipated game against Ridgefield coming up (I know you picked Ridgefield to win Joe, that’s a big mistake :). I would put Tim Schurr up as one of the leading candidates for coach of the year, he wouldn’t be my top pick however as considering the talent JJ returned they haven’t done anything extraordinary despite exceeding expectations.
Next year I think talent wise JJ will have one of their best squads of all time. Their class of 2011 is arguably the best in the nation, and that’s no exaggeration. They return almost everyone on offense, and on defense I think they will be just fine. They have a returning starter in Jack Lambert who’s going to be an absolute stud. As a freshman he’s already a very big, athletic kid with good stick skills. Lanza and Caviola, both talented juniors, I think will round out the close defense next year, and there’s also other talented junior defenders such as Winter, Mertens, Kass, and Bennett. At goalie there will either be a junior, Duffy, or a sophomore, Branca, who fills in for Franklin/Maher. There are no sophomores on the varsity team this year but JJ has a sophomore-led JV team that is excellent and even beat the Manhasset JV. There are some very talented sophomores (and a few freshmen) on that team who were not needed on varsity but are tearing it up on JV and will certainly contribute on the varsity level next year.
I forgot to add, Garden City will be stacked as well next year. It’s going to tough to beat them this year or next year, but JJ will have to do that if they want to win a state championship.
LAXman – Excellent points.
As far as my Ridgefield/John Jay pick, on the surface, it admittedly may not make much sense. But I have a few reasons.
For starters, the game has no bearing on John Jay’s sectional seeding because it is an out-of-state game. For another, Ridgefield may have lost a lot of key players from last year’s FCIAC champion, but it still has three Division I-bound players, including defenseman Matt Shannon (North Carolina) and midfielders Kurt Mueller (Towson) and Mike Galione (Lafayette).
I also feel Ridgefield is due for a statement win and John Jay, which has indeed overachieved, is probably due for a loss. (Yes, John Jay beat Somers 12-6, but the Indians are coming off a three-goal win vs. Greeley, a team Somers led 13-3 after three quarters.) I realize John Jay beat Yorktown and Yorktown beat Ridgefield with relative ease (the final score was not indicative of the game). So again, I’m probably the only person on the planet picking Ridgefield to beat the nation’s 11th-ranked team.
Call me crazy. Call it a hunch. It will be interesting to see what happens. Game-time is Saturday at 3 p.m. at John Jay.
Laxman — let’s go real slow about next year’s team being one of the best in the nation. On offense agreed but thankfully they have Coach Schurr to help with the defense. Unproven goalies and defense big question marks. Both juniors and freshman need a lot of work. My guess JV kids coming up with the goalies will help with speed on the defensive end as the group you mentioned are quite slow and lack experience that a team that is “arguably the best in the nation”. Should be solid but let’s get back down to earth.
Laxman ~
Let’s slow down a bit here, let’s try to keep our posts, passions and team spirit to this year’s team , after all JJ’s 2010 squad is amazingly 12 -1.(and should be favored to win their remaining 3 games.. unless they beat themselves) Let’s see how the remainder of the season and the playoffs fair for this bunch.
Tim Shurr has done a magnificant job and has keeping this team in check, taught them valuable “lax lessons” that enable them to play smart and healthy lacrosse, and we seen a remarkable turnaround and great output from the players.
This group is a very talented , lacrosse smart and athletic team and with the exception of their starting defense….. they lacks team speed. So if they are to “improve” for 2011, they will need to add a number of extremely fast “LI type” middies. I am not hearing they have any of those on their JV team.
So lets enjoy the rest of this season and see how far this squad can go in 2010 before we start looking and/or prophetizing on what next year might bring.
Joe if I remember correctly I think it was 2006 JJ’s Chris Daniello’s senior year when they beat GC at home and looked real tough and the last game of the regular season was a so so team from Ridgefield, I believe that game endded poorly for JJ. (So poorly I believe this is the first time since then that they are playing). Hopefully for JJ history does not repeat itself. It will be J fest as well.
Here is a “feel good story” about SHHS lax player LJ Garrant:
http://thehudsonindependent.com/node/1987
Agree with LaxItUp2010 to go slow on what Jay’s offense will be like next yr. At least for these blogs, It does nothing but put added pressure and expectations on Jay!
Also there is no way Jethrow can say J will have the best O in the nation!! Assume he has no clue about who is coming back for the Baltimore MIAA teams or any other traditional “elite” teams around the nation. Will their O be better then Setts, GC, WI, Darien???
Every top program in section 1 loses their goalie after the season. Pac, Town, Somers, JJ, Lakeland
LAXman,
You said: “Their class of 2011 is arguably the best in the nation, and thats no exaggeration.
As “LaxItUp2010” said to “jethrow”, slow down with these extreme comments.
There’s no way you can objectively say that at this point w/o knowing the personnel on all the other elite teams in the nation (Baltimore MIAA, Phi, LI, Upper NYS, Darien, etc, etc.) and also how J will fare versus elite teams they will play next yr.
Jay has really strong personnel and should be very strong next yr but not sure the hype is accurate or helps the team.
Jay 12-7 over Field.
I am hoping that the Ridgefield game is where JJ finally puts it all together for four quarters … and trounces Ridgefield …. just in time for the start of the playoffs. To make a statement!
GO JAY
I’ve picked Ridgefield to win this game since the pre-season, no reason to change now. The Tigers will use their emotions properly in this contest, rather than being too amped up as in the Yorktown game to execute properly.
Let’s go with Ridgefield 10 – John Jay 8.
I never said JJ will be one of the best in the nation next year. They may, but I said they have arguably the best class of 2011 in the nation which is in fact arguable. I admit it was a very bold comment, and perhaps slightly exaggerated, but I’d say that JJ has ONE OF the best classes of 2011 in the nation, perhaps top 10 or maybe even top 5, agreed?