Huntington JV Boys’ Lacrosse Battles Hard

The Huntington junior varsity boys’ lacrosse team lost more games than either the coaches or players wanted, but everyone has chosen to focus on the positives that surfaced during the season, and there were more than a few things to feel good about.

Coached by Anthony Troffa and Michael Corcoran, the Huntington JV was captained by Connor Fox, Dominick Mattio and Brennan Ackerman.

“One of our best efforts this season was against Smithtown East, who beat us by a wide margin last year,” Troffa said. “This year’s team gave their all only to lose in sudden victory. It was a heartbreaker, but at the same time an excellent game in which we did not take the foot off the gas. It was the best example of how well we can play when everyone works together and communicates on both sides of the ball. Despite the outcome, it was the game I was most proud of because we played as a cohesive unit the whole time.”

Ryan DiVico turned in an outstanding season. “He is a dodger and shooter and scored the most goals on midfield with 20,” Troffa said. “He always battles and gives it his all even when the team is down.”

Christian Luca and Jacob Gusik were splendid at midfield. “They are aggressive on offense and defense and both earned a good amount of points,” Troffa said. “Christian Luca had the most assists with 20 and Jacob was not far behind with 15.”

Walter Kusterbeck stepped up as Huntington’s face-off midfielder. “He is extremely competitive and gritty,” Troffa said.

Connor Fox was spectacular on attack. “He was the playmaker from behind the cage and a threat when he dodged,” Troffa said. “He was tough on rides, ground balls and scored the most goals on attack with 22. He also showed great leadership.”

Bryan Lynch returned from an injury at midseason and immediately made a positive difference on the field. “He was excellent on defense as a midfielder and always had great team spirit,” Troffa said.

James Larsen and Jeremy Gross both performed commendably on attack throughout the season. “They worked hard and helped to push and motivate the offense,” Troffa said. Gross scored seven goals and Larsen found the back of the cage twice.

The Huntington JV’s defensive unit took pride in its play. “The defense was extremely coachable and played their hearts out against our rivals, which led to a pole-goal from Dom Mattio,” Corcoran said. “Leadership on our side of the field shined through with sophomore first-year player Tony Leotta being physical; freshman Chase Northrop having great coordinating skills and freshman Ronan Sosnowski aiding with directing defensive middies to their spots.”

Even the best defense needs a good goalie and the Blue Devil JV had one in sophomore Brennan Ackerman. “He held down the cage, having incredible performances in close games,” Corcoran said.

One of Huntington’s most pivotal players is former attackman turned defenseman turned goalie, Ethan Naima who stepped up as a lock-down close defenseman and excelled as a goalie after Ackerman was injured.

The Blue Devils relied on everyone. “Early in the season, first year player Alvin Luna stepped into the goal, starting a game against Commack and he had double digit saves,” Corcoran said.

The Huntington JV’s middies did a great job protecting the Blue Devils’ goal especially Kusterbeck and Lynch, who had several takeaways and solid clears throughout the year.

“Two games that stick out to me are two wins; early in the season against Half Hollow Hills and mid-season against Riverhead,” Corcoran said. “In the Hills game we were able to hold a reputable program to just two goals on the game and score four to take the win on our home field. The players battled hard and started to realize the power of playing as a team. In the Riverhead game, the players pushed through to out hustle and out compete a team that we were tied against at the half. Winning 9-6, our team had their highest scoring offensive game with hat tricks coming from Connor Fox and Ryan DiVico.”

It was a developmental year for Huntington. “Our season record is not indicative of our ability and talent,” Troffa said. “For most games we battled and gave our all and they are truly a great bunch of kids on and off of the field.”

Getting just a little bit better each day was the goal. “Each game we played we improved whether it was a win or a loss,” Corcoran said. “The team got stronger, more cohesive and celebrated each other until the end of each game and end of the season. I can’t wait to see what the next level brings for each of these players.”

Looking ahead to next spring, the two coaches see good days on the horizon. “We expect this year’s starting team freshmen to return better and stronger and contribute to the program next year, whether it is on JV or varsity,” Troffa said. “Players we expect big things from on offense are Jeremy Gross, Ryan DiVico, Jacob Gusik, Christian Luca and Walter Kusterbeck. We are also expecting some of our other returning players to step up. Some names to look out for on offense include Will Peters, Enrique Mancia, Henry Stein, Warren Daniel and Thomas Nicotra.”

The team leader board includes”

Most goals (midfield): Ryan DiVico 20 goals

Most goals (attack): Connor Fox 22 goals

Most assists: Christian Luca 20 assists

Most ground balls for an offensive player: Ryan DiVico 17 ground balls

Most ground balls for a defensive player: Dominic Mattio 63 ground balls

Most saves in goal: Brennan Ackerman 84 saves

Most face-off wins: Walter Kusterbeck 67 face-off wins