There was no shortage of opinion late in the summer when we devoted a thread to an outlook on Section 1 Class B for this coming season.
With two-time finalists John Jay and Somers back, and Yorktown moving down from Class A, and Rye moving up from last C, Class B looks to be stacked in Section 1.
Ditto for Section 8.
So now, let’s take at what could be the most competitive class from sea to shining sea.
After all, there’s 2010 Class B state finalist Garden City, regarded by many readers in a recent thread as the top team in the nation’s No. 1 lacrosse hotbed (Hudson Valleyt/Long Island/Connecticut).
There’s also now Manhasset.
You know, as in the two-time defending Class C state champion Indians.
As we told you here last week, GC and ‘Set will be squaring off in the 120th edition of the nation’s most tradition-rich high school rivalry, the Woodstick Classic, on April 30 at Manhasset.
Will that be just a tuneup for the Nassau Class B title game?
Tell us your thoughts. And be sure to reveal who you think is the more talented team. And why.
Also, our current poll question is, “Who do you think will be Long Island’s best team in 2011?” (Don’t forget to exercise your right to vote. On the right panel of this page, just scroll past the “New Comments” and “Popular” tabs and click on “Poll,” and then click on your choice.)
College committed players for both teams
GARDEN CITY
Patric Berkery, midfield, Penn
J.P. Burnside, defense, Penn State
Brian Coleman, attack/midfield, Penn
Brian Fischer, defense, Harvard
Tom Gordon, attack/midfield, Hopkins
Steve Jahelka, defense, Harvard
Dan Marino, goaltender, Virginia
Jack Spencer, attack, Holy Cross
MANHASSET
Harry Kucharczyk, midfield, Yale
John Maimone-Medwick, defense, Williams
Frank Morelli, goaltender, Bucknell
Ryan Matthews, midfield, Hopkins
* Previous “You make the call” topic threads
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Posted In: Long Island lacrosse, Section 8, You make the call
Oh man I can’t wait for this game, this has the potential to be one of the better editions of this rivalry in recent memory.
It should be really close but if I had to make a prediction I’d say Garden City’s killer defense makes the difference in a low scoring game: Garden City 7, Manhasset 6.
I’d love to hear what others think.
Great topic to chew on. Both teams have great defenses. I just think GC has a bit more on offense. I see GC winning an 8-6 type game at Woodstick. Too early to predict the rematch. Should be great lax.
GC 9, Manhasset 5
I agree a rematch is impossible to predict. Too many variables – injuries, who’s hot, who’s not, etc. I think Woodstick is also a toss up.
Quick note, gang – I just updated the recruit list for Garden City both in this post and in our “Updated Recruiting Review and Commitment Rundown” thread. GC coach Steve Fennell told me two Trojan juniors have committed to Ivy League teams: attackman Devin Dwyer (Harvard) and midfielder Patric Berkery (Penn). “There are a lot of boys from Garden City and Manhasset at Harvard and Penn,” Finnell said. Very true.
GC should have at least a slight edge with the returning talent, but game is at Manhasset and they have the edge in intangibles.
Biggest questions are on Manhasset’s side, if they can get the team to gel and guys to step forward as quickly as they did last year they can win. How good will Maroney, Tompkins and Kucharczyk be? How quickly will Matthews recover from his ACL injury? And maybe most important, how good are the two new defensemen?
GC’s big question might be Marino, who looked pretty good last year in part time play.
Early season edge has to go to GC, but we’ll know more by late April.
Gotta be GC’s year to not only win the county but the state title…
Ryan Lawler is from Manhasset but attends Pomfret. Garden City is incredibly talented and deep. I would be shocked if they did not beat Manhasset rather handily.
Should be a tossup between GC and Set
GC has more experience and depth on defense
Set defense will be equally as strong as GC.
GC is a slight favorite over Set