Will Bonaparte (right), signs his National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Maryland this past fall, joined by teammate Micky Carbone, who signed with Providence.
During its climb to prominence as one of the premier programs in Connecticut, Ridgefield has benefited from playing a tough out-of-state schedule that has included such tristate powers as Yorktown (N.Y.), Summit (N.J.) and John Jay (N.Y.).
This coming season, the Tigers will once again be facing that trio with one noteworthy addition: namely, two-time New York Class B state champion Garden City.
The Tigers will take on the Trojans on Saturday, April 19 at the Battle of the Sound Tournament hosted by Darien.
That’s among the topics we discussed with University of Maryland-bound Will Bonaparte.
One of the top players in Connecticut, Bonaparte, also a football standout, is an athletic, versatile and physical player with a combination of good speed and skills.
He is one of four team captains, along with Micky Carbone, Kean Quick and Nicholas Esemplare.
Now, here are Will’s perspectives on the upcoming season.
What have you been doing to get ready for the season?
We’ve been taking every opportunity possible to prepare for this season. Our team plays in the indoor league at Chelsea Piers in Stamford every weekend.
We do clinics every Tuesday night at the Danbury Sportsplex Dome. We lift, run, and shoot almost every day of the week. I’d be hard pressed to think of any more we could possibly do.
How does your schedule look, what games are you looking forward to most, and who are some of your scrimmages against?
The Manhasset scrimmage has jump-started our season for years now. We always look forward to the classic FCIAC rivalries like Darien, Greenwich and Wilton.
We also expect great lacrosse from the Section 1 teams like Yorktown and John Jay.
Our newest opponent this year is Garden City. It will be a great game and a great diversification to our schedule. We’re all eager to see what Long Island can do.
What players on your team do you think will surprise some people this season?
In my opinion we have an outstanding senior class. Guys like Dylan Maher and Nick Esemplare have really come out of their shell in the past year.
Our defense is solid and our midfield is deep. It’s hard to name specific guys because everyone on this team understands what it is to be a competitor, and that’s more important than talent to me.
What do you think the strength of your team will be this year?
Our cohesion. This team really knows how to work together. We understand one another’s style of play and we can make adjustments accordingly.
How do you view the race in your league and who do you think some of the contending teams will be?
The FCIAC is always a toss up. You have to go into every game thinking that the team in front of you will give you a real challenge. No team concerns me more than any other team. I just want to win that title.
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Posted In: Connecticut, fciac, Player's perspective
