John Jay won’t have to wait long to have some big tests this season.
For starters, they will be scrimmaging a couple of tristate powers in Delbarton and Darien. The Indians then open the season on Thursday, March 29 against an Arlington team that won six of its final eight games last season.
Then, two days later, John Jay travels to Charlie Murphy Field in Yorktown for the annual showdown against the Huskers.
If the Indians are to perform well in that rugged stretch, their defense will need to come up big.
To get more on that, we got the perspectives of University at Albany-bound standout Mike Skluth.
What have you been doing to get ready for the season?
I’ve been running and lifting every day to help maintain and improve my strength and endurance. I have been doing speed training at 4D Sports Performance Center in Somers. I also do at least 15 minutes of wall ball a day to keep my stick skills strong.
In addition, our team practices a few days a week to keep our skills sharp and will be starting morning workouts so we go into the season in good shape.
How does your schedule look, what games are you looking forward to most, and who are some of your scrimmages against?
Our schedule looks very well balanced and competitive this year. There are many games that I am looking forward to which include in- and out-of-section games. The in-section games are, of course, Yorktown and Somers. The out-of-section games are Manhasset, Massapequa and Ridgefield. In the preseason we have scrimmages against Darien and Delbarton, who are both great teams and should be very competitive.
What player or players on your team do you think will surprise some people this season?
Our team has many players that will all have great season. One in particular is Tommy Beck, who is a junior midfielder. He was hurt last year but is back this year and looking better than ever. Another great player who has a lot of talent, is Anthony Scapperotti, who is a junior midfielder. I think he is going to make a big impact this year on the team and in the section. I think Matt Lanza, a sophomore defenseman, will have a strong season because he has been working very hard and in addition, looking very good.
What do you think the strength of your team will be this year?
I think that our defense this year is going to be very strong. We have players such as Jack Lambert, Danny Caiola and Matt Lanza who are very athletic and all have very diverse games. I think that our midfield also has a lot of depth and a lot of potential, which is very promising.
How do you view the race in Section 1 Class B and who do you think some of the contending teams will be?
The race in our section this year will be very competitive and exciting. I think Yorktown will be a very good competitor because of their strong season last year and their returning players. Somers always shows up to play so they will be right there. You also have Rye, which is a well-coached team and is always in the mix.
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Posted In: Player's perspective, Section 1
Great analysis Mike! Best of luck this season.
The team will go far if the seniors step up and play their best. Good luck JJ.
This team will go far if the “TEAM” regardless of class step up and play their best. I’m sure there is 15 kids in katonah that can play just not sure how many of them graduate this year.
Sometimes, at John Jay and elsewhere, you get a coaching staff that gets pressured to play juniors and seniors, no matter what the make up and talent of the sophomore (or freshman) class. If Schurr, Nolan and Carozza can get the guys they really want out there to play together, then this team will be better than last year’s injury-laden group. Who knows what they can do? There is definitely talent in that school and as coaches, they have pretty much seen it all by now.
Why wouldn’t they play who they think gives them the best shot to compete?
In general all coaches do. In the helicopter age though, certain players come with a parent who is delivering hype, has a presence at the school, and who becomes vocal about how unfair and cruel the coach is for not giving their kid a starting role. The coach, who is instead opting for a younger, more talented player, faces an attack if the aggressive parent’s needs are not met. An “investigation” can ensue from there.