It was a race that went right down to the wire.
We just wrapped up our latest poll question in our latest “You make the call” feature which asked who you thought would win the always heated race in Section 11 (Suffolk County) Class A.
Your choice – defending New York State Class A champion West Islip.
But it was thisclose.
The Lions edged out Smithtown West by just five votes. West Islip had 26 percent of the vote to the Bulls’ 22 percent. Ward Melville (20 percent) placed third.
We continue our preseason coverage of Section 11 by getting more thoughts on how Smithtown West looks heading into the season.
For more on the Bulls, we turn to Pat O’Brien.
An attackman headed to Army, the 5-foot-9, 155-pound senior is an strong dodger who is equally effective as a finisher or a feeder.
Now, here are Pat’s perspectives on the upcoming season.
What have you been doing to get ready for the season?
Personally, I’ve been at the gym five days a week, weightlifting and getting my cardio up. Our team has intramural practices every Sunday at our high school field and indoor practices one to two times during the week.
How does your schedule look, what games are you looking forward to most, and who are some of your scrimmages against?
There is never an easy schedule for the Suffolk County Class A. We are obviously looking forward to each game and will not take any team for granted.
We will scrimmage Sayville and Shoreham-Wading River to start off the season.
The two games that stick out the most to me are on April 15 at Ward Melville and when we play West Islip at home on April 23.
What player or players on your team do you think will surprise some people this season?
I think that seniors Brian Masi and Frankie Brier are going to have standout seasons and surprise some people. They have been working hard this past offseason and are looking forward to achieving success this season.
I also feel that our top faceoff man, Joe Varello, will have an outstanding season. He was our backup FOGO last year, but this is his year to shine and there is no doubt in my mind he will take advantage of it.
What do you think the strength of your team will be this year?
The strength of our team overall is going to be in the amount of talent and depth that we have as a team. We can play many different players at different positions and they are able to continue to perform well in each spot.”
How do you view the race in your league and who do you think some of the contending teams will be?
I view the race in the end to be very similar to most years, which includes teams such as Ward Melville and West Islip. The group we have together has been playing together for many years and has such great chemistry.
* LaxLessons.com story on Pat’s commitment to Army
* For more info on Pat, check out his player profile by clicking here
If you’re a player from the NY/NJ/CT region and would like to share your perspectives on the 2012 season, send an email to info@laxlessons.com.
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Posted In: Long Island lacrosse, Player's perspective, Section 11
All Winter we’vw read about preparations for this season and all refer to team workouts and get togethers/practices; isn’t there a state restriction regarding the beginning of team practices for lacrosse as there is in football?
Thanks.
No there isn’t. The rules about offseason workouts were revised and largely eliminated about 4-5 years ago. The only stipulation by the state athletic association is that offseason workouts must be voluntary and a team can’t penalize a player for missing them.
Thank you.
SW will definitely be a fun team to watch this year.
Good luck this season Pat!