Putnam Valley is unbeaten, but the Tigers face their sternest test of the season today as they visit John Jay at 4:30 p.m.

Four-time Section 1 Class B champ John Jay is coming off a 13-12 overtime loss to visiting Lakeland/Panas.

• For video highlights of Rye’s 9-8 overtime win over Somers, click here.



Speaking of four-time sectional champs, Rye, which hopes to make it five in a row in Class C, visits Somers at 4:30 p.m.

Hen Hud, which two seasons ago beat Yorktown for the first time in school history,returns to Charlie Murphy Field for the first time since then.

In Fairfield, Staples visits Norwalk for a 4:30 p.m. game.

It’s a quiet day on Long Island, with a 6 p.m. game between host Mount Sinai and East Hampton/Bridgehampton highlighting the slate.
Predictions:

John Jay 9, Putnam Valley 6
Somers 10, Rye 7
Yorktown 14, Hen Hud 5
Staples 9, Norwalk 5
Mount Sinai 9, East Hampton/Bridgehampton 7
Somers Rye Updates
Update 1: Somers leads 3-1 over Rye after one quarter. Greg Petre has two goals. Jordan DeVito started in goal for Somers and played well, making five saves. He is still in goal to start the second quarter.
Update 2: Led by the scoring of Rob Santangelo, Rye has rallied to take a 7-6 halftime lead.
Update 3: 8-7 Rye after 3 quarters.
Update 4: After being held goal-less for 47:59 by Donald Keough, Jo-Jo Marasco scores on dribbler of a shot with 1 second left in regulation to tie the game at 8. Overtime set to begin.
Update 5: Rye wins 9-8. Details to follow …
Update 6: Sophomore Jack O’Callaghan scores winning goal on 15-yard shot 2 minutes into extra session.
John Jay vs Putnam Valley updates
John Jay leads 9-3 at half
Putnam Valley comes back to edge John Jay 13-12 in another heartbreaker for the Indians
Section 1, Long Island, NYC and Connecticut scores
Comsewogue 15, Bellport 5
Deer Park 16, Southampton 4
Fordham Prep 15, Archbishop Stepinac 3
Half Hollow Hills West 9, Kings Park 7
Huntington 14, Babylon 4
Lakeland/Panas 11, Byram Hills 7
Mahopac 12, Clarkstown South 1
Mount Sinai 8, East Hampton 3
Putnam Valley 13, John Jay-Cross River 12
Rocky Point 11, Eastport/South Manor 9
Rye HS 9, Somers 8 (OT)
Sayville 15, John Glenn – Elwood 4
Shoreham-Wading River 10, Hauppauge 6
Smithtown West 11, Bayport-Blue Point 3
Yorktown 13, Hen Hud 3

Be sure to weigh in with your predictions and check back for score updates.
Reach Joe Lombardi at joe@laxlessons.com.

Posted In: Today's Top 5

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83 Responses to “Thursday's Top 5/Predictions/Score updates”

  1. fan says:

    Wow Joe, You don’t have Hen Hud scoring any?!

  2. laxalot says:

    What do you have being the x factors of the put valley jay game today?
    PV offense vs john jay D
    Face off x
    Goalie play
    if you dont mind going down a list like that and saying which team has the edge on each phase of the game

  3. LAX 17 says:

    Pac South today Joe any predictions.Haggerty against Brando and Perrelle

  4. slacrosse says:

    Would like to see PV get a quality win over a good Jay team to continue their stellar season. They need this one in particular to boost them in the rankings but a good game will continue to strengthen them for the playoffs.

    Their O is at least the equal of J but not sure about their D.

    I’d have to say Jay wins in a close game, 10-7–but no surprise if
    PV wins.

  5. syracuse says:

    A PV win today would do wonders for the program and the kids’ confidence going forward, regardless of the fact that Jay isn’t what it has been in past years. It’s still John Jay. It’s still a team that could be playing in June.

    Unfortunately I have not seen PV this year so I can only throw out there a guess:

    John Jay 12, PV 6

    As for the others:

    Yorktown 15, Hen Hud 4
    Somers 12, Rye 5

  6. LAX says:

    I may have underestimated PV as their 6 goal win over Rye was very impressive. They’re undefeated too but JJ will definitely be their hardest test yet, I’m saying JJ in a close one.

  7. update says:

    Lakeland 11- Byram 7

  8. syracuse says:

    WOW! After being held goal-less by Donald Keough for 47:59, JoJo scores with one second left in regulation. Somers and Rye are in OT tied at 8. Check the main body of this post for more.

  9. Syracuse says:

    Rye wins 9-8 in OT. Details to follow. …

  10. Syracuse says:

    Sophomore Jack O’Callaghan scores winning goal for Rye on 15-yard shot 2 minutes into extra session. DeVito played whole game in goal for Somers. Marasco finished with just the one goal.

  11. That Dude says:

    PV WINS 13-12 over JJ!!!

  12. LacrosseInsider says:

    Jay lost to Putnam Valley 13 – 12. Jay was up by about 5 or 6 goals early but it all fell apart in the 2nd half. PV played a great game – their defense really stepped it up in the last qtr. Now I know how Town felt a few years ago when they had that so called “down” year. This is tough, although these young players will be a very good team the next two seasons. I am not looking forward to Nisky Saturday night!

  13. PV Wins says:

    PV beats JJ 13 – 12. Huge win for PV.

  14. LAX says:

    JJ was up by 5 at the half, another example of not playing the whole game for JJ as Nick Savastano was talking about? Great win for PV.

  15. lacrosse says:

    who scored for JJ

  16. Fred says:

    Real bad loss for Somers. Why wasn’t their starting goalie playing?

  17. lax45 says:

    Wasnt even a game…Town starters were pulled EXTREMELY early…

    On to Charlies day!!! 😉

  18. Syracuse says:

    Congrats to PV. And don’t listen to the naysayers. Jay may be down but they are still very good.

    Anyone got an actual Yorktown score to share?

  19. slacrosse says:

    Good win for Rye. Even if they had lost, great to see a real intensity that has not been consistently there this season.

    The 2 really strategic keys for Rye were Cole McCormack winning 18 of 21 faceoffs (and scoring 2 goals) and THIS game Rye took advantage of this and did some scoring PLUS Keough shutting down Jo (except for Jo’s game tying goal with 1 second left!) Santangelo was real strong on O. Also Sophs Jack O’Callaghan (Patrick;s younger brother), Matt McReddie , seniors Andy Wood and Mat Foristel played key roles. Tom Kellenbach had a good game at pole.

    Jo JO. Everyone knows about his O power but even on D he goes 200% a game. He is ALWAYS trying to make a play on D if he is anywhere near the ball. Just a tremendous player.

  20. slacrosse says:

    Great win for PV.

    After seeing PV play and beat Rye I knew PV was the real deal and just needed a quality win!

    Lax made a point about Jay having trouble closing off pretty large leads as with LP and PV??

    Good luck to PV rest of the season.

  21. Doid23 says:

    Big win for PV. Not sure what’s going on with Somers. Or did Rye just have a great game? Who knows this year.

    This could get ugly vs. Nisky on Saturday…

  22. Dee-up says:

    I decided to go the JJ game to see if the Valley was going to be a game vs Greeley next week. In the first i was ready to leave as it seemed it was business as usually for JJ, but stayed and more then I bargained for. It should be a good game next week. The Valley is in the true sense a TEAM. Good luck to both next week NIce job Valley

  23. syracuse says:

    CROP,

    I know I can rely on you for a Yorktown score. Not even Joe has one … and he is clairvoyant and has a crystal ball. C’mon now. Hook a brother up.

  24. Joe Lombardi says:

    Yorktown won 13-3. I picked 14-5. Does that count as clairvoyant?

    Questions of the day:

    • When was the last time team lost two 13-12 games in a row?

    • OK, so now, how is the favorite in Section 1 Class B?

    • How about Section 1 Class C?

    Thoughts?

  25. TownLaxRecruiter says:

    Was a great and decisive win for PutVal, and another poor showing by J-Jay in that they gave away a sure WIN,

    The defensive play of J-Jay was extremely poor, sloppy and lackluster in the second half just like the last lost to Lakeland, they show no spark or any sign of improving. This is not the D we are accustomed to seeing J-Jay put on the field for the past seven years. Seems as though they have a collection of LSM’s playing D, good stick skills but no on field leader to take charge back there and give the body and take risks.

    A year ago on this blog, we were all chatting about the John Jay dynasty in Section 1, and now with Nisky coming this weekend, they could be looking at 4 straight losses, ” what a difference a year makes “. This was unthinkable at this time last year.

    The Savastano brothers must be pulling their hair out, I just read the other article and the mention of the “12 sophomores” its time to give up on that, they have 10 games of experience under their belts. This seems to be poetic justice for the rest of HV Lacrosse when “this bunch” played youth ball and would without mecry, trounce lesser skilled younger weaker teams. The Sav Brothers may have to get used of this .,,,

  26. TuskerTown says:

    Somers just didn’t have the ball on offence. With deiana playing sparingly bc of a concussion mccormack dominated.
    Keough did a great job on jojo but the key was somers didn’t have posession like I said. Jordan stepped up in goal with 21 saves.

    On a positive note congrats jojo on winning con ed award.

  27. Observer says:

    Joe, you’re right no team seems to want it in Class B. I don’t know who the favorite is.

    Class C rematch between Rye and PV should be a classic. I like PV 12-10.

  28. syracuse says:

    Well I did say Yorktown 15, Hen Hud 4. Does that make me clairvoyant too?

  29. sec1 says:

    Hen Hud of what I saw today needs alot of work, the score really does not reflect the game.. Town played their starters about 40% of game and EVERYONE else the rest, Ranagan and Casey only on man up and not even all of them.. If Town had played the Starters the score would have reached 25 plus goals easy..

  30. LAX says:

    TownLaxRecruiter agree with you on some points but JJ this year may be like the Town team that got beat by Greeley a couple years, they’re simply rebuilding but they’re still one of the best teams in the section. I personally am not that surprised that they are losing these games, although I am surprised about the lack of effort for the whole game. But 1 goal losses to strong L/P and PV teams still aren’t horrible for a young JJ team.

    Don’t know what you’re point is about the 13 sophomores, however. In this game, like in almost every other game this year for JJ, they have scored most of the points. Besides the fact that these young kids are currently contributing heavily, they are only SOPHOMORES, I don’t think the JJ program should “give up on them” as you say that would be a very stupid move lol. During youth ball and JV they would often trounce OLDER teams, and it’s good they’re playing varsity now with the upperclassmen.

  31. RefLax says:

    Deiana does not have a concussion he has a injured foot. The problem with Somers is that they do not make any adjustments to things. Time to re-think the fact that they are not being coached. Lou as Lakeland found out really does not have what it takes to relate to kids, and put together X’s and O’s. Need to make a change. Offense even when they had the ball does nothing!!

  32. Fred says:

    Joe….Where was Somers starting goalie??????

  33. Laxfan says:

    was at the somers game and talked to a few parents,deiana had a possibly concussion but was held out due to a fractured foot and wasn’t even supposed to play at all, i belivee he won somers only 3 faceoffs. either way mccormack completely domminated and that was the difference. somers looked flat and had no effort on ground balls and got physically manhandled

  34. TownLaxRecruiter says:

    LAX,… you are totally missing the point on J-Jay , by still labeling this group of 12-13 players ….”the sophomores” you are creating a destructive degree of unnecessary divisity on this or any team.
    As of right now most of this “sophomore group” has as much Section 1 varsity game experience as any the seniors or juniors on the team. So its time to put the “group “sophomore label to bed! I am in no way suggesting that the program give up on them, but rather point out; that now each player has to stand, and be measured on his own individual contribution to the team, not on the sucessses of a past collective group. I do see the Morris middie as a real gamer and like his style a lot.

    Secondly, don’t stretch the truth, as JV players these sophomores got decisively beaten by all the Tier 1 teams they played last year.

    In order for the J-Jay program to overcome the growing pains (rebuilding) they seem currently caught up in, the Sav Brothers need to evaluate whether these players on the current roster fit to the system and style J-Jay is accustomed to playing or do they have to re-tool their game plans to fit the players on the roster. Size and athleticism seem to be missing on this current roster.

    Many of us who have been fans of Section 1 lacrosse for the past 10 years , determined that this would be the year where we gauge just how good the Sav Brothers really were as HS lacrosse coaches (considering the plethora of All Americans they have had throughout these years) . So the jury is still out and your comment on ‘lack of effort for the whole game” can be directly attributed to the coaching staff.

  35. JJLAX says:

    I give it to PV for not letting down and to number 15 on PV he put on a show out there 6G 1A…..JJ we can’t hang our heads on this game we need to move forward and get ready to play this weekend.

  36. franklyscarlett says:

    Seems like maybe the Sat. night showdown between Ridgefield and Somers took a lot out of both teams? Each did not play particularly well in their next contest from the looks of things.

  37. fan says:

    townlaxrecruiter,

    I think there is a lot of truth in your points, although i don’t think that there is a lack of athleticism on the team, just different types of players. it will be interesting to see how or if the savs adjust to different talent levels, styles of play. one of the things that savs has a reputation for, rightly or wrongly, is playing younger players he projects will be better players in future years, even if a younger player is not currently as good a player as an older one. this may be better for program in the long run, but is tough to swallow for a teenager who knows he’s better right now than a younger guy getting more minutes. that’s not to say that if the younger guy is clearly better he shouldn’t play–in sports the best players should play, but in HS sports I think best players now should play, instead of playing for the future. constant touting of jays sophs and claims that this is rebuild year may have created even more resentment among upperclassmen who have been busting their tails for years. I’m not saying there is resentment against teamates, or that my comment re talent level applies to all or even any of the sophs on jays team, as many of them have clearly earned their spurs and should be on the field, but do think this is an issue that affects this team to some degree. hopefully they pull together and play hard as a team for 4 qtrs from here on in.

  38. LacrosseInsider says:

    TownLaxRecruiter –

    I agree on some of your points, especially your comments on Jay’s defense. They seem to have a new defensive gameplan which clearly is not working, will they go back to what has worked in the past? I also think that this team will be much better next year and the year after.

    On a second note – Town had a down year a few years ago when they lost to many of the Section 1 teams that have never beaten them before. Let’s talk about Town next year, losing a 4 year starter in goal, their entire close D, Ranagan, Casey, etc. No doubt others will step up, however, next year will be very different. I for one think that this is the year Town has as good a chance as any on winning a state title. Jay’s was last year and they blew it but I think the next two years for Jay will be very good.

  39. Old Timer says:

    LAX

    I’ve only seen a couple of games, but it seems to me, only Walter, Weil and Danielo seem to “get it”.

    There are some small slow sophs getting PT who seem to prefer to pass to each other, when they do pass to the seniors, can’t hit them in stride, and most of all want to go to goal without being able beat anyone of any quality which at best results in repeated soft tosses into the goalie’s stick. They also seem to think six moves are better than one and as a result allow defenders they do beat to recover before they ever release the ball.

    There would seem to be some larger, faster, more athletic players with varsity experience watching the game from the bench, so it is difficult to figure out what exactly Sav is doing. Perhaps he is using these games as object lessons – but at some point, its got to grow old.

    Townlaxrecruiter has a very valid point – these guys have 10 games of solid experience under their belt. If this year is the first time they have had to deal with players who can match them or overmatch them physically, they should by now have figured out how to adjust when facing such a foe.

  40. slacrosse says:

    fan,

    Absolutely agree that best players should play or at least get the majority of playing time over younger “good/very good potential” players. Would be particularly egregious if the clearly better player is a senior who may very well not play anymore after high school (talking in theory as i don’t know what Sav’s philosophy is, what’s happening there, etc.)

  41. LAX says:

    Townlaxrecruiter I am no way am trying to create “a destructive degree of unnecessary divisity” you are the one who starting talking about this “bunch” of sophomores I just didn’t know what point you are trying to make as many seem to be adjusting well to varsity. You seem to be insulting these kids saying that the loss is poetic justice for this “bunch” after they trounced younger teams in years past, which is totally untrue.

    Secondly, I am not stretching the truth. The JJ JV team last year only lost decisively to St. Anthony’s. They had a close game against Chaminade JV (who doesn’t let underclassmen onto varsity and hasn’t lost in years before they played St. Anthony’s last year) in which they were winning entering the 4th, and had a close game with Manhasset. By saying the JJ JV last year would often trounce older teams is in no way false, and this team crushed every section 1 opponent last year.

    Also, if you watch the interview after JJ played L/P, Sav said he was having talks with the team about “playing the whole game.” Don’t know what’s up with JJ’s consistency throughout the game, however. It’s true that JJ is not as big or athletic as in years past, but part of it is due to the fact that they are very young and they still have some great athletes such as Pickel, Stewart, and Silver. I don’t think it’s the Savs fault that they lost, PV is still very strong this year while JJ is inexperienced.

    But overall agree with most of your points and hope JJ can really get it together before playoffs.

    Old Timer, I agree with you as well, as Weil, Walter, and Daniello seem to be the 3 who all have the size, skills, and athleticism to create for themselves and not be overmatched physically. Stewart, Weil, and Walter create a very imposing and athletic middie line, while Daniello quarterbacks the attack with Beck (one of the captains of JJs football team this year – strong finisher) and Masterson (he’s very short for a senior but quick and skilled). But you can expect for many of the young kids to make mistakes, you heard Ranagan and Interlicchio, they couldn’t believe how they played when they were underclassmen.

  42. alloutlax says:

    TownLaxRecruiter, i think your points are very true, and just out of curiosity were you at the PV game? I’m not speculating that you weren’t just wondering if you opinion is from indeed watching the game.

    Also, Old Timer, your point about Walter Weil and Daniello the only sophs that “get it” is true, but I think it is starting to be false. If you look at the past few games, St. A’s L/P and PV more sophs are starting to “get it”. J. Morris has posted 6 goals in those games combine, they are more comfortable when he has the ball now, and same with a guy like Pray. He was shaky in the beginning but past few games is starting to play real well. I don’t know if you’ve been to the games recently but these sophs are starting to “get it”, they just need to put it all together.

  43. freelaxer says:

    If people are thinking that the Sav’s are playing not as good sophs over better upperclassmen then you are completely false. If you look, Jay really doesn’t have and upper-classmen to play. The only ones are Tom Cylenica and Will O’donnell and they are not as good as the 2 starting sophomores. So this is not a valid discussion.

  44. ripo says:

    24 goals in the last two games for JJ not to bad for running 9 sophmores. this team is one of the closest knit teams i have been a part of in my last 3 years of playing on the jj team. this team will be dangerous when playoffs come. remember in class B top teams are

    Does anyone think JJ cant win the sectional finals.

    1. somers loss 10-7
    2. JJ
    3. Greeley win 20-11
    4. Hen Hud win 10-2
    5. Brewster win 11-6

  45. Dee-up says:

    The finger pointing has started at JJ . Oh my let the games begin. JJ fans finger pointing is the last thing you need.

  46. Indian J says:

    Obviously the PV and L/P losses hurt and are difficult to deal with. With a schedule that would rival any program, and a line-up that is inexperienced, everyone knew that this year would not be like 2004-2008 for JJ. Being that we have plenty of lacrosse to play and we are not the only team in Sec 1 to have lost to someone we should not have, I say … patience. I will agree with anyone who says Jay should, or could have beat L/P and PV-and that falling apart and losing those games is not the characteristic of a high caliber team. I don’t see how finger pointing could come into play at this point. The mighty Somers, who beat JJ by three early this year, just got killed by Ridgefield ( while the world anticipated it mind you) and just dropped a game to Rye, another team who knows about expectations not fulfilled as of yet. “As of yet” is just the point. Putnam Valley played a great game and so did Lakeland/Panas. As it stands right now, I have no reason to believe that Yorktown, John Jay and Rye could not win their respective championships in 2009. If they do, what will all of this negative talk have accomplished?

    You leave these coaches alone. All of the coaches of the teams that we are talking about here have done a great job this year. The Savs, The Dooleys, Lew, Maher-Lodewick-Carney- all of them. As a JJ fan, I have nothing to complain about. Hang in there guys. You can do it.

  47. Bring Back Kear says:

    Wow. Wait till after they lose to Nisky 12-3 tomorrow for what I think will be their fourth straight loss but I’ve stopped counting.

  48. PurpleReigns says:

    Guys let’s relax. Ripo is right. We are gonna kill Somers in the final. It’s a fluke they even won the first game bc we outshot them by a 3 to 1 margin. Yeh the team is young but they will finish strong, be better bc of the tough, tough schedule and win sectional title #5 in a row!

  49. Indian J says:

    Nisky will be tough but that is fine. Nisky is an honor to have on your schedule every year. If we “Brought Back Kear” we would be playing Clarkstown North tomorrow.

  50. Jaybird says:

    Ha tru or “North Clarkstown” as Kear used to call Clarkstown North.

  51. Todd Road says:

    LOL – yes!

    Seriously though I’m fine with losing to St. Anthony’s, Corning East, Manhasset and Nisky in a rebuilding year. But when we’re losing to Put Valley then I gotta say, Houston we have a problem.

  52. syracuse says:

    Purple Reign brings up an interesting point. Jay did statistically dominate Somers. But if you’ve noticed of late, Jay’s problem has been 100 percent on the defensive end. Sure, you could talk about their injuries, but they do have capable players at every position.

    Right now, Class B is shaping up as an absolutely bloodbath because you really don’t know what’s going to happen. Any of the big teams can beat the others on any given day.

    Let’s be honest here. At the end of the day the Section 1 Class B and Class C championships have more value this year than maybe ever before, and that’s because for the first time ever the Section 2 representative in the B state quarters will be an overwhelming favorite against Section 1, and because I cannot under any circumstances envision Putnam Valley or Rye beating Manhasset or Cold Spring Harbor up in Middletown.

    The reality is, barring an absolute miracle, the season will likely end for the Section 1 B rep, whomever that ends up being, when they meet Nisky in June.

    So if I’m Jay, Somers, Greeley, I make these next few weeks count.

  53. Doid23 says:

    “The finger pointing has started at Jay”? Really? It looks like some non-Jay fans making some reasonable comments regarding this years team, and Jay fans agreeing for the most part. I don’t see any Jay fans overreacting. Just some honest assessment. Big difference.

  54. slacrosse says:

    Indian j,

    Seriously J is a great program with super fans like you and others.

    But I do think what frustrates some people is hearing after almost each game a different twist as to whether J is “young”, “inexperienced”, “not that young”, “has a core group of good seniors”, etc. etc.

    I actually agree with some who have called all these “youth” comments as somewhat of a dig to the upperclassmen who have been, and continue to be what I think are the key foundations of the team??

    I dont follow Jay but have supported them in their quests to be state champs over the last few years. You know the players better then me so excuse my errors but how is Jay”inexperienced” with the following players and grade(injuries aside):
    Stewart-12
    Stearns-12
    Silver-12
    DeRueter-12
    Masterson-12
    Beck-12
    Pickel (Hopkins)-11
    Beck-12
    Cylencia-12
    Daneillo-10 BUT the kid has been on the varsity for last yr (and yr before?)–so I dont consider him “young”, “inexperienced” like Walter, etc.

    Yeah I know you’re playing Walter and other sophs (and they’re good)

    This doesn’t look ANYTHING like a young or inexperienced team to me??

    Seems like you have MORE then your share of experienced upperclassmen who have made, and continue to make major contributions to J’s team. In fact I’ve noticed a few comments from fans saying that maybe J isn’t using enough experienced upperclassmen??

    Continued good luck to Jay this season.

  55. slacrosse says:

    Indian j/jaybird,

    Hey I bet the parents, coaches and kids at Clarkstown North have as much pride in their program and efforts as you have in yours.

  56. ripo says:

    Stewart-12 starter last year
    Stearns-12 did not start
    Silver-12 fogo
    DeRueter-12 starter
    Masterson-12 did not sniff the field
    Beck-12 injured all year
    Pickel (Hopkins)-11 first year playing D
    Cylencia-12 did not sniff the field and still doesnt

  57. OldTimer says:

    ripo

    to play devils advocate:

    “24 goals in the last two games for JJ not to bad for running 9 sophmores.”

    except they lost both games

    “this team is one of the closest knit teams i have been a part of in my last 3 years of playing on the jj team.”

    except that only Stewart, Silver, or Stearns have been on the last three JJ teams – and none of them would have written #57

    “Silver – 12 fogo”

    thought he was a short stick defensive middie, but don’t really know. Do know Granelli took most of the face offs last year and that Silver received Hon Men All League so it must have been for something other than fogo.

    “Masterson-12 did not sniff the field”

    He had to at least sniff the field to get 6 goals and 6 assists last year

    “Cylencia-12 did not sniff the field and still doesnt”

    had 5 goals and an assist last year. Has 2G/2A in Jay’s last two games. Perhaps he should get some more sniffs. 🙂

  58. CluckinRussian says:

    Good point about Cylenica.

    I mean c’mon he’s QB of the football team. A great athlete with good size/skills.

    I dunno the Sav’s just must have there reasons for not playing him more? I dunno what they are though.

  59. TownLaxRecruiter says:

    oW ~~~ some real spirited discussions and comments! What blogging is all about. J-Jay fans my comments and observations are not intended to be mean spirited or derogatory!

    If you look back to the Town Spring 2007 season; when we went 12-10 there are many similarities. Wow!!! We won our first 4 games by good margins and though we had something; then after some up and downs against the Tier 1’s we went 2-8 in our last 10 games going into the sectionals. We had graduated a large talented class in 2006,(similar to J-Jay’s class of 2008) had a lot of players without real game experience and Yes we also employed a stall offense that year (in our game against J-Jay) The local reporters and bloggers had us written off : “The Lax Dynasty is over”; “J-Jay dethrones Y-Town” etc, etc.

    Our coaches had to re-evaluate what they had and what they were running, with the players they had and made the adjustment in time for a decent Sectional Title run.

    This is similar to what the Savastano Brothers are now facing, and I am sure they are breaking down film, identifying their deficiencies, and planning on making the adjustments and/or changes to rotations, to fix the gaps in their current game strategy. And I am sure they will be successful.

    I think the Nisky game will be a close one.

    Note to J-Jay Fans/Parents: Thick skin is required for everyone in winning program. Everyone will want to beat you or rip you, insult you and drive wedges when they think you are on the downturn …… the strength of the program is its fans and parents. Its not personal.

  60. OldTimer says:

    … and assuming the point of 57 was to try to show how inexperienced the team really is, it looks like the team returned three starters this year (Stewart, Silver, DeRuiter), the same number as last year (Bocklet, Drew, Latino)

  61. Springlax says:

    The story line above about JJ’s 2009 season to date has a number of good posts and points, and because most people on this blog are not experienced lacrosse coaches, there is more passion and frustration than facts.
    Some comments are ridiculous. Like “Old Timer” saying that the sophs only pass to sophs. I really don’t think that Coach Savastano would go for that. The coaches do watch film. When 4-5 of the 6 offensive players are sophomores, who else are they supposed to pass to?
    Another gem. “Townlaxrecruiter” says that this is poetic justice for the Sophs who trounced Section 1 teams when they were in youth lacrosse. What are you talking about? Their coach at the youth level was and is a class act and never ran up a score or took pleasure in trouncing anyone. The fact is that there were very few Sec 1 teams who would play this group and most games were in CONNY not Hudson Valley. Let’s stick to Varsity and let the youth days go.
    Not sure who said it but the notion that the Savs (offense and defense) play younger less skilled players over older players with equal skill is just wrong. The Savastanos play the best lacrosse players from the 40 man roster. If a player has size, age, or expereince but does not get to the right spot on the field or has trouble handling the ball under pressure, that player will find themselves on the bench. There is no question that the JJ coaches can spot lacrosse talent at any age. Their track record here is strong.
    The 2009 JJ Indians are indeed a close knit team. They enjoy each other and like playing for JJ lacrosse with all its proud tradition. The coaching staff is demanding and this too adds to the player camaraderie. The only ones referring to players on this team as sophs and upperclassman are the folks in this forum.
    Finally, JJ is experiencing the exact same season as Yorktown did a few years back. Many of posts now versus then are almost identical. Yorktown lived through the frustration of a down year and they have come roaring back to national prominence and universal respect. JJ will too. And sooner than you think.

  62. Dee-up says:

    good programs are such for a reason, they will be back. Never kick when down , you never know .

  63. LAX says:

    Oldtimer it was Daniello who had the 1 g 2 a in the L/P game not Cylenica the stats page must’ve got messed up, correct me if I’m wrong. But Tom did have a goal last game and gets solid playing time. He had a few goals last year and you can’t say he doesn’t sniff the field.

    Silver is on faceoffs and plays defensive middie. As a sophomore he had playing time covering the Brattons, that should tell you enough about him.

    There’s lots of upperclassmen who are stepping up after they got little playing time last year, especially with guys like Beck (injured last year, one of JJ’s top scorers this year) and Masterson, who both start at attack. Also there’s lots of kids who were on the successful JV team last year who are having surprising success at the varsity level, especially Walter, who’s JJ’s leading scorer, and Weil, who both start at offensive midfield.

  64. LAX says:

    Also, it’s pretty ridiculous saying that Sav doesn’t start the best players! People are saying sophomores shouldn’t start over upperclassmen but JJ only starts 3 sophomores who definitely deserve to start. Daniello is the leader of the attack and leads JJ in points, Walter is a big, physical middie who can create by himself and leads JJ and goals, and Weil is a tall, athletic middie who starts at offensive middie and is 4th in points at JJ. Upperclassmen Stewart, Silver (d middie, faceoffs), Deruiter (LSM), Pickel, Maher, Stearns, Deruiter, Beck, and Masterson all start!

    The best players do start at JJ, and subs such as sophomore J. Morris (3 goals 1 assist against L/P) definitely deserve playing time as well.

  65. laxoffan says:

    You keep saying JJ didn’t finish against somers, it doesn’t matter how many shots you take boys, it’s how many go in. So if; you ask me, Somers made theirs count.

  66. TownLaxRecruiter says:

    Lax …… You seem to be a J-Jay insider, There is one thing I do not quite understand and have never seen the likes of having been aroung HS sports for over 20 years. We all except the fact that J-Jay is in a rebuilding year, but why has the coaching staff completely written of the entire Junior Class?

    With the exception of Pickel on D, and whoever is in goal, and the minute a game from Merlino and O’Donnell I don’t recall any of the others even touching the field.

  67. nitro says:

    I guess because they are not good

  68. OldTimer says:

    LAX

    Only saw the 2nd qtr of the LP game and the last 15 minutes of the PV game (perhaps Jay’s two worst periods of the season) so I was relying on the stat book. In any event, I didn’t say he didn’t sniff the field, but rather was trying to point out that the statement did not appear to be true.

    As for the rest – exactly. This is a team of 30 something Seniors, Juniors and Sophomores – not 13 Sophomores. And it is a pretty good team at that. So are LP and PV. Thus its gets a little irksome forever hearing about how great the 13 sophomores are when they win and how young the 13 sophomores are when they lose and on the other blog how there are no “winning” players in the Junior and Senior classes. Now Springlax may be right and this may only exist on these blogs and not in fact on the field – let’s hope so.

    Springlax

    If you are going to quote me, then quote me correctly.I’m sure I can still sound ridiculous if quoted accurately :). I said “some” not “all” and “seem to prefer” not “only pass to” and further qualified that I had only been to a couple of games to base these observations on. Even that may have been a bit harsh upon reading it back. Specifically it was a reference to a lot of one on one play at the end of the PV game when a lot of sophs were getting runs and neither Silver nor Stewart, the only two Jay players able to beat their men in the last 15 minutes of the game, were seeing the ball much.

    But you are correct, there would seem to be a lot to look forward to. Like their chances in a rematch against Somers. Much better game today against Nisky. Nisky got two on man up, one in a scrum and only two off their set offense. Jay did not allow any transition goals and Jay’s keeper looked pretty good today.

    ‘CUSE

    Based on today’s game, while Nisky should be favored against Section 1, they aren’t guaranteed a win. Jay and Somers both have a shot at beating them.

  69. Springlax says:

    Townlaxrescruiter

    You seem to be more interested in stirring the JJ pot with inane posts like #67 then adding constructive insights to an otherwise solid lacrosse blog. Move on with your fascination with who plays and who does not play at JJ. Let the coaches make the decision and live with the results. If Town is your team then talk about their great season and opportunity to play for a state title, a far more interesting topic.

  70. solidD says:

    townlaxrecruiter-
    did you ever think that none of the juniors are playing because they aren’t any good? Because thats most likely the case. Other than pickel, their goalie and the occasional merlino and O’donnel, they have no other talented players.

  71. LAX says:

    Pickel is JJ’s best defender, junior. Merlino and O’donnell are two good junior midfielders but are not seeing as much playing time as I expected coming into the year although they are still in the rotation. Franklin and Maher are both good junior goalies. Smyth and Waldman (LSM) are good junior defenders, besides Pickel, I believe they get some solid playing time, they both started on a JV team last year that was dominated by freshmen. Other than that I think Newman, Saldutti, and Schrier have talent at offense, I don’t think they see much playing time though, although I know Schrier scored a goal in one game. I think this class has more talent at defense than at offense.

    But that really doesn’t matter, when you’re a team like this it doesn’t matter which class you are in. JJ has around the same number of seniors, juniors, and sophomores on the team and they’re all unified.

  72. solidD says:

    LAX-
    i’ve been to a lot of jj games and im not really sure the last time smyth or waldman stepped on the field when it wasn’t a blowoout

  73. LAX says:

    Perhaps, I haven’t been to many games, but I know they’re good. Who are JJ’s 2nd string defenders anyway? Do Caviola, Lanza, and Winter get good playing time?

    Btw – was it Franklin who was in the goal today against Nisky instead of Maher? Because Franklin has all the saves in the stat sheet, with Silver and Walter having goals. A lot closer but a lot more low-scoring game than I expected. I wouldn’t have been surprised if it was a blowout because Nisky is very strong this year, so this is a good sign for JJ.

  74. GoalieDad says:

    I saw both Smyth and Waldman at Cornell’s camp last summer, both were impressive.

  75. ripo says:

    They are good at camps when there is no pressure. When its a big game they get tight. both have subpar stickskills.

  76. GoalieDad says:

    ripo ~

    If I am correctly following this thread and your logic here , ” when its a big game they get tight. both have subpar stickskills’, how could that be true if as stated in a couple of posts here they have not been on the field in a ” big game”.

  77. GoalieDad says:

    ripo~

    I do not understand your post in the context of the other posts on the topic. “When its a big game they get tight. both have subpar stickskills.” if I read correctly the thread started as a discussion of not seeing many of the JJ juniors on the field .. So where did this come from, from what I have read they haven’t been seen in a big game?

  78. solidD says:

    Yeah neither of them play, big or small game. Waldman is a LSM behind De Ruiter, and Smyth is a double backup on defense.

  79. freelaxer says:

    Winter, Lanza and Caviola (3 sophomores) are the 3 backups for Jay. Lanza gets good playing time when Pickel plays LSM which he sometimes does to give De Ruiter a break. Caviola backs up Dunworth, and he goes in almost every game. He was in for majority of the second half against Nisky. Winter backs up Jays best defender Stearns and doesn’t get much PT. They are all better than Smyth and Waldman, so thats why they don’t play. Yes Lax, Franklin was in net instead of Maher, and did extremely well.

  80. slacrosse says:

    Lax,

    Agree with your comment about the Nisky/Jay game which could imply a positive for J going forward. Never know whether implications of score results will “hold” in future games. I had picked Nisky by many more goals.

  81. laxdaddy says:

    Hi joe, recently saw former pleasantville coach greg cavaluzzi at PV game. Do you know if he is coaching somewhere in westchester.

  82. JJAlum'03 says:

    ripo, solidD and freelaxer, I sure hope you are not current players on the JJ roster, since you have violated Nick and Vinny’s one major rule; that of being openlt critical of your teammates! The rath of the Sav brothers is not something that is easily overcome or forgotten.

  83. Parent says:

    laxdaddy-
    Gregg Cavaluzzi is out of coaching. He started a private one on one and group instruction lacrosse business “One on One Lacrosse” to work with kids in the Hudson Valley area. He has been working with my son for the last 2 years and it’s been great. Spread the word. They guy is a good coach.

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