It was quite a start to the season.
To say the least.
Sachem North pulled off one of the biggest upsets imaginable.
The Flaming Arrows stunned the nation’s top-ranked team, West Islip, 13-12 in overtime, in an opening-week shocker last season.
It proved to be the Lions’ first and only loss in a season in which they won their fourth state title in five years.
It’s a win that coach Jay Mauro and his program hope to continue to feed off.
Especially heading into this season — one in which West Islip no longer has the services of stars of Nicky Galasso (North Carolina) and Andrew Hodgson (Towson).
For a look ahead to Sachem North’s prospects this season, we turn to 6-foot-2 senior defenseman George Raum, who is bound for Division II power Adelphi.
Oh by the way, this year’s Sachem North-West Islip game is set for April 12 at WI. But the Flaming Arrows’ have a big one before that – April 1 vs. Syosset.
It’s one of the candidates for No. 1 in our latest poll question – “What early season game to be played on or before April 9 are you most looking forward to?”
Be sure to weigh in with your vote. (On the right panel of this page, just scroll past the “New Comments” and “Popular” tabs and click on “Poll,” and then cast your vote from the choices available, or write in your choice if it’s not listed.)
Now, back to 2011 Sachem North.
Here are George’s thoughts on how the upcoming season shapes up.
What have you been doing to get ready for the season?
Since September, I’ve been doing everything possible to get ready for the season. I train four nights a week at Revolution Athletics. There are no easy nights with the trainers. They push us to be faster and stronger both mentally and physically. We meet the coaches for wall ball on Sundays and do clinics during the week.
How does your schedule look, including scrimmages, and what games are you looking forward to?
This year’s schedule is competitive. We’re scrimmaging Montclair (N.J.) to start the season at Kean University in New Jersey and we are playing a non-league game against Syosset right off the bat. I can’t wait to see how out team looks all together playing against great competition.
What players on your team do you think will surprise some people this season?
I think our younger players are going to surprise people this season. We have a lot of talented underclassmen coming up that have been working hard since the end of the JV season that I am excited to see on varsity.
What do you think the strength of your team will be this year?
Team chemistry is our strength. I have never been on a team as close as our varsity team this year. We are all very close friends and we all have been training hard together as a group all off season. Since we’ve seen how hard each other has worked, we have a lot more trust and respect for each other.
How do you view the race in Section 11 Class A and who do you think the contending teams will be?
Section 11 Class A will be just as competitive as ever this year and will again be the toughest high school conference in the nation. Every week will be a battle. I think every team in the league is loaded with talent. We will take each game one at a time and give it our all.
Sachem North 2011 tentative schedule
Preseason
3/16 3:30 PM @ Eastport South Manor
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3/19 TBA vs. Montclair
@ Kean University
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3/22 4 PM @ Comsewogue
Regular season
3/30 5 PM Middle Country
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4/1 7 PM Syosset
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4/4 TBA @ Half Hollow Hills West
4/6 5 PM Walt Whitman HS
Sachem North High School
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4/12 4:30 PM @ West Islip
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4/14 6:15 PM Smithtown East
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4/16 7 PM @ Sachem East
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4/27 6:15 PM Smithtown West
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4/29 5 PM East Islip
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5/4 4 PM @ West Babylon
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5/6 4:15 PM @ Ward Melville
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5/10 5 PM Lindenhurst
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5/12 4 PM @ Northport
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5/14 10 AM Bay Shore
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5/16 5:00 PM @ Connetquot HS
Connetquot HS
* For schedules for teams from throughout the region, be sure to check out the “Schedules galore” thread, and scroll down to the comments portion for the most recently released schedules.
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Posted In: Long Island lacrosse, Player's perspective, Section 11
Yeh Georgie… Good job kid
Good luck George and Sachem North!
WI was a huge win last year but it was Week 1 atfter that they kind of struggled. This year will be a big test whether they are contenders or pretenders.