We will be continuing our preseason “Player’s perspectives” later this week and have a steady stream of them as the new year begins.
Among the players on deck we’ll be hearing from in the days and weeks to come are Kris Alleyne (Clarkstown South), Anthony Berardis (Mahopac), Tony Britton (Darien), Tom Cirillo (Eastchester), Alex Dodge (Smithtown West), Harry Erickson (Brewster), Cody Petillo (Sachem North), Tanner Scales (Salisbury) and plenty more.
So be on the lookout.
As we present the “Player’s perspectives,” we, of course, will continue to follow up on our Twitter updates on recruiting commitments and also profile players from the region who have recently made commitments.
Corey Eppley is one of six seniors on defending FCIAC champion Darien bound for Division I programs.
Eppley, a longstick midfielder/defenseman, will play at Lehigh.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound is coming off a fall season in which he served as a captain on the Blue Wave’s football team.
Eppley’s size, speed and athleticism, which was on display in football, helped him gain recruiting attention in lacrosse.
Though his future at the next level is in lax, Eppley, who played halfback and free safety, said playing football has been nothing but a positive..
“Football has helped me develop as a player because out of any sport I have ever played,” Eppley said. “Football is the most demanding. It taught me to fight hard and continue to work even when the odds are against you. I think out of any sport, football has had the most impact on my attitude toward sports and discipline as a player.”
Now, here’s more from Corey on his college choice:
What were the main factors in your decision?
Lehigh was a perfect match for me both athletically and academically. I intend to take most of my classes in the Business School, which is one of the best schools in the country. Also, playing sports all my life, it would be wrong not to play a sport in college, so Lehigh was undoubtedly my top choice for schools.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
Well, being a backup defender behind an All-America defense, it made it pretty difficult to get recruited. I got a couple looks from RPI, Middlebury and Tufts. I visited all three of them.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
I’m extremely fast and can run with almost any player. I am a big body and can hit hard and am a pretty aggressive player out on the field.
What areas of your game do you think you need to improve on?
I need to work on my stick checks. As a defender I am good at keeping my guy from going to the net but take-away checks are a weakness.
How would you size up Darien’s defense and goaltending heading into the season?
The defense is going to be a little slow getting started this season. We graduated our top four defenders (Eric Parnon, Christian Kolderup, Baylis Treen and Justin Shaw) and this has left us with a very inexperience defense.
However, Coach (Jeff) Brameier is an amazing coach and I have no doubt in my mind that our defense will be just as good as last years.
Goaltending is a little different. We graduated Dylan Torrey last year but this year we have sophomore Phil Huffard who has huge potential and saw a lot of game time last year.
* For more info on Corey, check out his player profile by clicking here.
Darien senior commits
Tony Britton
College, position: Cornell, defense
Corey Eppley
College, position: Lehigh, longstick midfield
Tommy Lyons
College, position: Mount St. Mary’s, defense
Case Matheis
College, position: Duke, attackman
Bobby Weaver
College, position: Princeton, midfield
Henry West
College, position: Cornell, midfield
* Have a recruiting commitment to report? Email us at info@laxlessons.com.
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Posted In: Uncategorized
Great story and great college choice. Look forward to seeing Corey step up as a senior this season!
Darien has done a good job the last few years getting some athletes more into football to get into lax to complement all the kids they have who grew up with the sport and have great stick skills like Mathies.