The J. Taylor Finley Middle School boys’ lacrosse team displayed significant improvement during the course of its shortened season this past spring.
Coached by district physical education teachers Travis Smith and Eric Triolo, the 32 player team was captained by Tom Kline, Timmy McDonald, Colin Lennon and Thomas Smith.
Finley went 3-2 during the campaign, which was shortened by Section XI as part of a reorganization of seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We had a great overall team effort,” Coach Smith said. “It was a hardworking team that showed great improvement in such a short season.”
Finley’s top attackmen included Thomas Smith, Joe Boeckman, Keegan Malone, Connor Fox, Ethan Naima, Thomas Nicotra, Ronan Sosnowski, Austin Krywak, Thomas Paris and Peter Williams.
The team’s top midfielders included Tom Kline, Timmy McDonald, Colin Lennon, Zach Schnitzer, Chase Gadaire, Brian Lynch, James Larson, Jayden Schneider, Frank Algieri, Jeremy Gross, Jack Kamenstein, Walter Kusterbeck and Chase Northrup.
Finley’s leading defenders included James Vohs, Parker Wands, Dominic Mattio, Braid Martin, Gavin Deegan, Jakeem Casey and Luca Triolo.
Goalies William Fallon and Brennan Ackerman were sensational in the cage.
“Coming back from a three goal deficit to defeat Candlewood, 5-4,” was the highlight of the season,” Coach Smith said.
Finley won its first two games, turning back Bay Shore (9-6) and Stimson (12-1) before dropping contests to Oldfield (9-6) and Commack (10-6). The victory over Candlewood allowed the year to end on a high note.