Joey Raniolo is relentless.

Whether it’s hustling after a ground ball, finding an open teammate or setting screens, the Yorktown midfielder is in perpetual motion on the lacrosse field.

It’s those traits that the senior plans on taking with him to the next level.

He’s verbally committed to Springfield College, becoming  Yorktown’s fifth senior commit. (For a team-by-team breakdown of commitments for the classes of 2012, ’13 and ’14, check our “Updated recruiting review and commitment rundown.”)

Now here’s a Q&A with Joey on his commitment:

What were the main factors in your decision?
My focus on strong academics as well as a strong lacrosse program.  Springfield has my intended major of Physical Education and when I visited, I related to the closeness of the lacrosse team which is similar to Yorktown lacrosse and therefore I felt an instant all around fit.

What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
Cortland and Brockport, and I visited both.

What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
My strengths as a player are cutting off ball and setting picks on and off ball.  My style of play can be described as moving a lot off ball and cutting and finishing well.

What areas of your game do you think you need to improve on?
There is always room for improvement in all aspects of the game.  I will be focusing on strength and conditioning in order to improve my overall game.

When did you first realize you had the potential to play at the college level?
When I made the Yorktown varsity team as a sophomore which was a great honor to me to be a part of the program such a young age.  Being surrounded by a top-level coaching staff and some of the best players around helped me improve my game and also made me realize my potential to play at the college level.

What were some of the big summer showcase events you’ve competed in the last couple of years and how did you do?
Before my junior year I went to Peak 200 camp at Springfield and this past summer I went to Top 205 and Battle of the Hotbeds.  I feel all of the camps were great experiences because of the high level of competition and the exposure to some top level college coaches.

* For more info on Joey, check out his player profile by clicking here.

Have a recruiting commitment to report? Be sure to email us at info@laxlessons.com.

Follow Joe Lombardi on Twitter @joe_lombardi or by clicking here. Follow LaxLessons @LaxLessons or by clicking here.

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* Class of 2011 commitment rundown

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Posted In: Recruiting Rundown, Section 1

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5 Responses to “Yorktown’s relentless Raniolo selects Springfield”

  1. goyorktown says:

    Congratulations to Joey, great kid and family….and his gram is a fantastic cook!

  2. Springfield Lax says:

    Saw Joey light it up at HotBeds with The WestRock team. This kids best Lax is ahead of him. We will be hearing more from him this spring and in the future.
    Hope Gramma brings some tasty treats to Mass.

  3. rlaxfamily says:

    Way to go Joe! Best of luck at Springfield.

  4. hvlaxfan says:

    Great get for Springfield, heard they have a bunch of prospects over here in Section 1. Best of luck to our homegrown!

  5. springfield dad says:

    Just want to let you know that they have grandparents day at Springfield lax every year. It is a great day. and some pretty good tailgates. Good luck and see you in 2012

Leave a Reply to rlaxfamily