John Brandofino had three goals and two assists as he picked up his first win over Somers during his four-year varsity career. (File photo by Jim Stout/MaxPreps.com)

The Mahopac Indians picked up the kind of signature win that they have been eagerly pursuing for more than three seasons tonight with an 11-9 win against defending Class B sectional champion Somers.

This now firmly re-establishes Mahopac as a sectional title contender and throws the “Who’s No. 1?” question in Section 1 in a wide-open discussion right now.

Mahopac played hard and played as a team. The Indians got balanced scoring, with six players getting goals, but their top offensive weapon, John Brandofino, also came up big with three goals and two assists.

The Indians I spoke to after the game told me they viewed this game as one in which they could earn respect throughout the section, and I think they have now. They also were adamant that they are a better team now than when they lost to Mercer Island 7-3 and East Islip 14-13 at the outset of the season.

I thought a key play in the game occurred right after Somers took an 8-7 lead on a goal by Kieran Donohue. The Tuskers were then whistled for a slashing penalty and Chase Thompson scored on the extra-man to tie it at 8-8 with nine minutes left in regulation.

Mahopac then went up 9-8 on a goal by T.J. Foley with 5:40 to go. Okie Bernabo then scored to make it 10-8. Erik Pfiffner’s fourth of the goal pulled Somers within 10-9 within just over a minute left, but the ‘Pac was able to get an insurance goal in the closing seconds.

This was Mahopac’s first win over Somers in five seasons and the first win against Yorktown, John Jay or Somers in the three years Dave and Mike Haddeland have served as co-coaches.

Penalties have plagued Somers in its first two games. Somers was called for seven penalties compared to one for St. Anthony’s in a 10-7 season-opening loss a week ago. Tonight, the margin was 8-1, and at one point in the game, Somers was three men down.

After trailing 2-1 after one quarter, Somers outscored Mahopac 4-1 in the second period to take a 5-3 lead. Somers’ lead was cut to 8-7 after three.

Donohue and Petre each added two goals and an assist for Somers. A behind-the-back goal by Petre on a fastbreak gave Somers a 6-4 lead early in the third quarter.

Somers now awaits Round 1 against John Jay on Thursday at John Jay. How that one will end up is anyone’s guess at this point.

Be sure to weigh in with your thoughts.

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75 Responses to “Mahopac gets signature win by beating Somers 11-9”

  1. Paclaxer says:

    Huge win for us

  2. TuskerRage says:

    Wow…What a disappointment for Somers ! Even though the D was only scored against on man-up situations and Longo stood tall in goal. Pfiffner had 4 goals on 5 shots with minimal playing time in the second half of the game. The Somers coaching staff really did not have the right midfield lines playing in the second half and lost control of the game ! Mahopac had much better ball control and took full advantage of their opportunities.

  3. lacrosse says:

    someone wrote on the blogs it’d be 11-9 yesterday pac so.. major props to him

  4. Pixie Sick says:

    Surprised the defense held Somers attack in check.hats off to the Mahopac long poles.

  5. lacrosse says:

    Pac 11-9 win over a Jo Jo less Somers. I predict Somers D with 6 penalities (hackers). Brando shows why he is an AA this year with 4 goals 2 asst. If the Pac’s D holds they win the game. Their O has looked good the last two games scoring over 13 goals. Carey, Bernabo, Thompson, Foley, Berardis, and Brando too much to cover with only 5 long poles. McGuigan has a monster game. Go pac

    Some guy named Pac Alum wrote this and it’s ridiculously accurate, more props to him

  6. Just sayin says:

    This is crazy. Impossible to say whose #1 in Section One now… Maybe even Arlington?? I mean theyre unbeaten and have been putting up some big scores and all.

  7. lacrosse says:

    And it was a prediction two days before this game

  8. laxing says:

    somers having 7 penalties, very close to his predicted 6.. and Brando having 3 and 2, and he predicted 4 and 2.. McGuigan having a moster game just like he said.

    Scary close prediction

  9. laxforfun says:

    Mahopac was the better team tonight, Somers was sloppy and very undisciplined. They were not very good. Doesn’t help when the coach gets penalties that cost man down. Longo had 3 defenseman and made 3 saves, cleared the ball and attack turned it over and Mahopac scored. To say which was the better goalie, it is hard as they both played very good. Somers broke down and what seemed amazing was that Mahopac knew every play Somers called. Good for Mahopac, Lew get some new plays. Somers, was not the same team that played St. Anthony’s and shame on them. You cannot have a coach getting penalties that cause man down. Somers had moments of the team they can be, just not enough of them. Defense was not set correctly and got beat many times. Think the next practice should be passing and catching.

  10. fane123 says:

    Mcguigan did not have a monster game. Somers didn’t have monster shots – they played sloppy and every shot not into the stick was a goal

  11. Pac Alum says:

    Thanks for coming out everyone. I knew that Somers would foul and that the pack was clicking on O. The pac has 2 games next week against Hen Hud and Oss. Then The town. Can’t wait. GOOOOO PAC. Where is my friend now who was talking all the junk???? Corace on D and The Haddeland’s on O. Great job.

  12. IndianChief45 says:

    What a wonderful win tonight in Somers. Just goes to show you how far hard work, selfless and disciplined play and good coaching will get you.

  13. ulax says:

    looks like greeley is going to be a good match up for summers, maybe they will break their tough loosing streak

  14. GO PAC says:

    Congrats to Mahopac on a superb win against Somers. You all played with a lot of heart and dedication. Great team work and hustle.

    Pac Alum well said where are all those smack talkers now????

  15. INC says:

    Hey Laxforfun –
    Get Your Facts straight There was NO PENALTIES on the Somers Coach. Mahopac played better. It was simple hustle and stick skills. Mahopac’s seniors and players made plays. Somers did not. This game was not won or lost by the coaches. Give Mahopac Credit. Not to mention Those two Refs were ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE, both ways.

  16. 2010_is_gonna_b_fun says:

    2010 is going to be the most fun to watch in Section 1 in years!

    The game last night was a fun one to watch. Props to Mahopac for doing what they had to do and they’re a great group of kids………Somers too.

    I don;t believe the double penalty on Somers was a bench penalty though. From where I was sitting it sounded like the ref said ‘unsportsmanlike’ maybe that could be a bench job who knows.

    A fun week coming up for Mahopac against HH and Ossining, should not be a problem in either and they do NOT need to score STYLE POINTS. They need to win by one.

    Horse race time:
    Mahopac
    L/P
    Somers
    John Jay
    Yorktown

    Arlington (needs to beat a good team before we put them in the rare air…..and they will.)

    Lots of other schools off to good starts; Eastchester, Ossining, Brewster, TZ, P’ville…

    All good teams with great kids having fun!

    This is what it’s all about!

  17. slacrosse says:

    Congrats to Pac. I was sure wrong in my prediction with Somers winning by 5 + goals.

    I originally had Pac ranked near the top of Sec 1 ( but below Somers) based upon the return of enough good players, inc. goalie but felt that maybe something wasn’t “clicking” up to yest. I had Somers # 1 and predicted their win yest based IMO on them having the MOST experienced/quality players at more key positions then anyone else. I still “feel” that way. Also the close game with St. A’s.

    But Pac won. Period. Great game and that’s all that counts.

    I thought Somers would put some space between themselves and others but I guess not. Top of Section 1 is very tight.

  18. scooter says:

    The refuse to lose attitude of Chase, Okie, Brando and McGuigan propelled Pac to the victory. The midfield production this season is close to outscoring the midfield from last season and it’s only 4 games into the season. This performance shows that this team is for real and they are going to be very dangerous for Town and Lakeland.

    I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, McGuigan is the best goalie in Section 1 and while Longo was very good, Guigs was better. I also have to give the Haddelands and Corace a ton of credit for not letting their team put their heads down when they started off 0-2, and how they rallied back from a halftime deficit to beat one of the best team in the section.

  19. Sect 2 says:

    I was there last night also. Very good game. Mahopac simply won the ground ball war, and caught the ball in big spots. Very uncommon for Somers to not be better on ground balls. Somers also had some key mistakes around both sides of the cage Off, and Def. That penalty was not on the Somers coach. Two men went off sides while they were all ready one man down.

  20. lax123 says:

    Congrats Pac great win .Ride the horse named Brando 3 and 2. Somers had no answer for him.Chase Okie anchoring the middies.Gonna be a tough race in Sec 1.Pac,L/P,Somers ,jay and Town.Good job to all

  21. D-Pac says:

    Fantastic game to watch last night! Hats off to the Mahopac D, both longpoles and middies. Great job by the junior longpoles, Parrillo, Hamilton, Verde and Fetzer, a sophmore. With a young defense, the future looks good for Mahopac.

  22. question says:

    Joe,

    is it safe to say the Mahopac defense is well off enough to have them to compete for a section title? We no the offense is there, and last night against the Tuskers i feel Mahopacs defense made a statement

    Thoughts?

  23. Joe Lombardi says:

    Mahopac did a nice job with its defensive schemes last night, especially sloughing in and applying pressure. Having Johnny McGuigan as the ultimate line of defense, with his experience and talent, is obviously a big plus.

  24. Laximus says:

    Laxpower has Arlington as the #1 ranked team in Section One!!!

    Just sayin you called it last night kid! Here’s the link…

    http://www.laxpower.com/update10/binboy/rating52.php

    What does everyone think? Donny Connolly has to be Coach of the Year so far too!

  25. JayJ says:

    Scooter,

    You are right, McGuigan is a good goalie. However, I see him as a few steps below Longo and Koelsch

  26. scooter says:

    He already outplayed Longo and I don’t expect anything different in about 2 weeks.

  27. slacrosse says:

    Laximus

    Sure. Why not? Just like people wanting to nominate Jay’s coach when they were ranked 7th in country.

    Seriously the less anyone even brings up ratings from Laxppwer or Inside Lacrosse in any manner, the better.

  28. starpower88 says:

    Nice win for Mahopac.

    It’s the fourth game of the year in a marathon not a sprint. 12 more games to play including, WP, Arlington and Yorktown.

    One game at a time and if they are king of the hill at the end they will get their props. Enjoy last night until practice tomorrow and then look forward.

    Somers is still the defending champs and is formidable along with a handful of others schools.

    Laxpower is a sham. Arlington beat three teams with ratings in the 80’s or lower (89, 84 and 62) and are at the top. Ha! Right. Their next FIVE games are against teams all rated in the 80’s then they play Yorktown.

    Laxpower ratings are based largely on goal differential, but you only have to win by one and the way they do it simply awards style points. Nonsense. Just play your schedule, have fun and win.

    The best team in the section will be decided in May.

  29. Sec1 says:

    Arlington is moving in the direction with new coaching, Don Connolly knows his Lacrosse and was a great player (Town/Towson) and Joe Colorusso one of the Best Goalie (Town) ever in Sec1. But they are not ready to beat the best teams yet.

  30. StLacrosse says:

    Scooter-

    Johnny M did notoutplay Longo already! Longo in 2 games has recorded 42 saves…if it wasnt for him his team would be getting blown out

  31. ahslax says:

    Arlington knows the ranking are false, they also know they need to play better skilled teams to see how they are really performing..the next 5 games are certainly not the test of the season, but the 5 games after that are the tough ones…had we had the advantage of having a decent Varsity coach for the last several seasons I think we would be a more formidable team, that will come though in time. Right now the boys need to continue working together as a team, focus on the fundamentals and be ready to play their best against Town, Panas, Mahopac, Don Bosco and Copaige……Coach C has already brought them a long way considering the bad habits that the former coach got them used too, there man up and man down plays were horrible and predictable..I am one of many who are proud to see them continually improving. Coach C for coach of the year!!!!!

  32. scooter says:

    StLacrosse

    It’s the same thing with McGuigan, the game against Mercer Island? He made at least 5 point blank saves, East Islip- made some big saves down the stretch to give his team a chance to win. Had 22 saves against Greeley and then last night held a team with at least 3 D1 players on offense to 9 goals.

    Only way Longo had 22 saves is if they counted whenver Pac missed the cage, which I’m not sure if you saw but that didn’t happen much. Plus the scoreboard doesn’t lie.

  33. StLacrosse says:

    Longo made 26 saves against number 2 ranked St. Ants, lets see McGuigan do that! And yes somers did lose, nothing against them they played better then Somers last night and was out-coached by pac no doubt about it but McGuigan is not better…Longo as well (facing pac) made atleast 4 door stopping saves along cross-crease slide for a save-clear-score….as well as a 3man down play where he made 3 saves and cleared a 50 yard laser to Donahues stick who couldnt come up with it

    McGuigan-great goalie has potential not one of the top

    Longo-THE WALL, 42 saves in 2 games AA canidate

  34. scooter says:

    You failed to mention how Pac then turned that turnover into a goal. I’ve called them the best 2 goalies in the section so don’t get the idea that I think Longo is bad, I just think in terms of playing the position, nobody is better than Guigs

  35. lax says:

    arlington lost to john jay in a scrimmage by at least 15 goals

  36. Bigeasy says:

    Let us not all go crazy here. It is early. Arlington is an up an coming program but lost to Town 21-1 last year and will lose by at least 12 or so this year. Give the season a few weeks and Jay, Town, Somers and LP will all be the best in the section above the rest. Lets see Pac do it again. Im sorry but it has been a while for this team so they need more than one ‘signature’ win. I saw them lose to Mercer and it was not pretty. Somers is also a work in progress who will be much better by seasons end. JJ lost to a great Manhasset team, Town lost to maybe the best team in NYS, and people are now calling Arlington the best team in Section I. I have been around our section a long time and every year people call for White Plains or Pleasantville or Greeley or Brewster and in the end it all rights itself. I would mortgage my retirement it will be Town in A over LP in a close section final, JJ over Somers in a tight one and C is still open to me. Rye over PV as of now. Maybe Arlington in lets say 3 or 4 years but lets not get overexcited. Sorry if I dont sound politically correct but I do believe I am correct.

  37. rytguy says:

    I think there are way too many over eager dads on this site.

  38. Kharas says:

    Arlington is improving but it only beat up Haldane, North Salem, and Kennedy. You can add all 3 of those schools enrollments together and it’s half of Arlington, maybe less, with a combined 7 wins from last season. This doesn’t mean they are a bad program (I think they will be competitive) but putting them at #1 is a stretch. Still, a lot to be excited about for Arlington.

  39. P&G says:

    Arlington is doing this the right way. They know they have a way to go.

    Youth program is in place (but they need to step it up).
    Strong energetic HS coach
    Countless players looking to commit to getting better (Troy, Sunday, Doherty, Doherty, etc)

    It will take time – but if they are serious – they are the 800 pound gorilla. One unintentional provactive question…are their youth coaches qualified? This is the the unspoken reason that many youth teams become good HS teams – and its the quality of their youth coaches. See Yorktown & John Jay for real-life examples. A football coach won’t cut it at the next level.

  40. aceeee says:

    Lets see arlington face Town Somers Jay and Pac and then see if there still “the best” in section 1!

  41. slacrosse says:

    Bigeasy,

    Agree about Arlington.

    I luv Syracuse but I think because of his deserved high credibility, he created IMO a bit of an undeserved positive hysteria about Arlington. Hey in fairness to Cuse I wasn’t there and he was so maybe I’m wrong? I’ve been there before!!

  42. TownLax says:

    Hope some folks will be out at Haverford for the GC game on Saturday to give us score updates!

  43. Lax123 says:

    Its game 4 guys.As a Pac fan the big test comes this week in not having a letdown in playing Hen Hud and Ossining.The good teams beat the teams they should beat and play tough against the best.Boys you enjoyed the win now keep it going.Still have to play Ytown and L/P both great teams. As far as the goalies again I say its only game 4.
    Scooter you are really too much about McGuigan lets play the season out and decide the AAs then.

  44. slacrosse says:

    2010_is_gonna_b_fun,

    I get your point about Pac not being fancy in their next 2 games.

    Sure we agree that PAC needs to CONVINCINGLY continue their great “mo” coming out of somers. Forget 1 goal wins. If that’s the case, would be a setback.

    Pac should and needs to have DOMINANT wins in next 2 games to continue cementing their confidence that they are a top team. Dont look ahead to Town.

  45. Old Rugger says:

    P&G very good point about the quality of youth coaches, also it is the extras that seem to help. Like playing winter in Brewster or somewhere else, getting more of your teams to do summer ball, specialty skills clinics on shooting, faceoffs etc. They all add up, plus your youth schedules need to add tougher teams as time goes by. Play the Huntingtons, Dariens, Summits, Duxbury’s of the youth leagues it all adds up.

    Congrats to Mahopac did not see this comming, thought Somers the best in Sect 1, Sounded very sloppy for Somers.

    Is there any chance that either JJ Somers game will be moved to an evening time instead of 4:30? I hate burning vaca.

  46. Kharas says:

    Hey Joe, others, I heard that the Kennedy vs. Westlake game this week is going to be aired on MSG Varsity sometime. Can anyone confirm that? Would be interesting to see the Savs work against a school Kennedy’s own size. Kennedy is overmatched against these A schools, with a skilled Wappingers team tomorrow too. I like Wappingers and Arlington to make some moves this year.

  47. BigBadBear says:

    perhaps a little too much analysis going on with these early season games..while fun to talk about, it matters not how you play in April, only how you play in May..many teams have kids taking the field for the first time as varsity athletes,new coashes that havent put their entire systems in, and there will be injuries and other issues to deal with..Lax is such a momentum game, that a team can easily get on a streak with a goalie getting hot and a few other kids finding their stride..remember, we are talking about 16 and 17 year old boys here..they are hardly predictable off the field much less on it

  48. Old Rugger says:

    Kharas confirmed it is on MSG Varsity schedule but don’t know air time.

  49. Old Rugger says:

    Joe you state that the JJ Somers game is at 7pm this Thursday, the JJ and Boces sites still have it at 4:30?

  50. Joe Lombardi says:

    Old Rugger –

    The game is listed as 7 p.m.on Somers’ schedule. I checked with John Jay today and have been told the time is now TBD. I will, of course, pass along the info when it’s finalized.

  51. Kharas says:

    Ok, checked MSGV, Kennedy Westlake is next Tues 800pm and again Wednesday 130pm. Yorktown vs Ward Melville is this Thurs 800pm and again the next day. It’s nice to see games that you can’t always travel to, and MSGV is doing a pretty good job.

  52. Old Rugger says:

    Don’t know why JJ and GC are not signed up for MSGV (holding out for a better offer, LOL)

  53. Joe Lombardi says:

    Thursday’s Somers at John Jay game will be a 7 p.m. start, following up on comment #51 above.

  54. D-PAC says:

    Ashame that Mahopac didn’t get their due in the Journal News. I know it was a late game on Saturday, but the little blurb on Monday was ridiculous. It was a big accomplishment beating last year’s section champs. Instead, the top headline was a win by the Scarsdale baseball team. No offense to them, but you can’t compare the importance of this win. I guess they have to keep on winning to get respect.

  55. Prodigy says:

    Observer,

    Mahopac has not beaten Yorktown since 1999. Couple one goal playoff games..2005 Section final and 2006 Section Semifinals.

  56. humminburd_of says:

    I think it is outrageous that Mahopac has not been named the team of the century yet. Why does everyone disrespect them so much? You would think that their win at Somers would be enough for them to be named the team of the century and sectional champs in April because of it. But the John Jay people have probably masterminded this conspiracy.

    Why have the people who read this blog not named Mahopac the champions? I demand everyone here say something nice about Mahopac everytime they post something. I also demand all the Mahopac players be named the best at their position for all time.

    Mahopac is 2-2, but they are really 4-0 and better than John Jay, Yorktown, L/P, Team Canada and every other team in North America. So why can’t people just admit it?

    If anybody can fix this it’s Obama.

  57. GO PAC says:

    Pac Man & D- Pac

    If it were Yorktown or JJ they would have published a special nightly edition…..

  58. D-PAC says:

    Funny Humminburd. They have a lot of the season left and not claiming anything by any means. Still have an enormous amount to grow. Just saying they should have got some press for that win against last year’s champs. Especially with a young D

  59. Old Rugger says:

    Quality win for Pac (there something nice). Agree would like to see more Lax coverage in local papers but at least I can get my Lax fix from Joe & co.

  60. Coach says:

    Just a few comments regarding Arlington before there is a snowball effect of negative posts like in previous years. The coaching staff and players are well aware of our early schedule and our “actual” place within the realm of section one lacrosse. There are no misconcepetions in regards to lax powers early rankings as flattering as it may be. As I’m sure Most of you know, that will change in the coming weeks as the year unfolds. Historically, it always does. The early schedule was given to us from section one and as it turns out is exactly what was needed. We are a work in progress and who knows when or if we will reach our potential. The schedule does a 180 in the 2nd half and the staff is working hard to have the kids prepared for when it counts in late May, not in early April. There will be bumps along the road, but that is what high school sports are all about. This year, our kids will be playing sec 2, long Island and New Jersey teams to expose them to lax outside section one and prepare them for our tough in conference games. Programs are not built in one or two months, they are built over many many years. Good luck to all!

  61. lax123 says:

    Thats right old rugger .Joe was right on top of it..Saw him interviewing players after game.Like I said only fourth game but a big win for the kids.Gotta keep it up to be included with the top teams.

  62. scooter says:

    I’m glad Arlington is coming around in lacrosse. They have one of the largest enrollments in New York and they certainly have the athletes to be a good team. It’s good for Section 1, when the talk isn’t always JJ,Town, and Somers

  63. laxforfun says:

    Hey INC read my first sentence or was that to much for you to retain

  64. wizard2 says:

    Arlington started with a easy schedule, just saw Putnam Valley Schedule it’s brutal.
    Bronxville last Sat.-won
    Suffern
    Rye
    Yorktown
    Lake/Panas
    Fox Lane

    All in 10 days!

  65. SirLaxalot says:

    It sure looks like between 5-6 or now even 6-7 teams any team can claim to be the best in the section this year on any given day.

  66. just laxin says:

    JJ has not lost a section game. A win is a win. Town has only lost to them. LP has only lost to them. Parity will arrive when we can not say that anymore. Town has GC this weekend, then plays section 1 PV and Pac, and then the week after Somers and Arlington. If they lose to GC and Chaminade but win the rest of the Section 1 games, there will be people on here saying how they are down. JJ, Town, and Rye/PV are the cream till people beat them. If LP wins the Murph Cup then great, they can claim dominance of Class A. If Pac beats Town, same thing. Lets hold the parity discussion until we actually see it at the end of the season, not on April 14th.

  67. Pac Alum says:

    Mahopac 3-0 in the section also. Beat a tough Greeley team, Somers, and HH.

  68. D-Pac says:

    I agree just laxin. You gotta beat the big boys before you can claim anything. At least the games have been close and exciting to watch so far. No team can take anybody for granted. Worried about Pac’s layoff for a week after they play Ossining. Town will be playing some great competition leading up to the game, where Pac will be sitting idle. Should still be an interesting game. Looking forward to it.

  69. Pac Lax says:

    Good luck vs Town next week Pac … Game is Thursday at Town.

  70. PacMan says:

    Let’s keep building off this win boys!

  71. IndianChief45 says:

    The Somers win and today’s victory against a solid well coached Arlington team shows the Pac is Back!!!!

  72. Observer says:

    Mahopac is playing well. You have to give them their due. They have as much chance as winning the section this year as Yorktown or LP. Thoughts?

  73. LI Guy says:

    Mahopac got on my radar after they played East Islip to a 14-13 game. EI’s only losses have been to WI and Sachem North.

  74. Lax HV says:

    Pacs offense starting to click on all cylinders it seems.Brando one of the best attackman I have seen .Can score inside and out and feeds well.Thompson and Bernabo can run all day.D is starting to gel as a unit and goalie is stepping up.Need to finish strong with big game against L/P next week.

  75. laxinupsec1 says:

    cant forget about #3 on the indians. he shoots just as hard and acurate with his left as he does with his right. he is one of the best players for the pac

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