Howell High School’s Ryan King (l) tries to elude Allentown High School defender Trevor Ferrara during a scrimmage between the Rebels and the Redbirds on March 28 in Howell. The Rebels have opened the 2012 lacrosse season and are hoping to contend for Shore Conference A North Division honors. ERIC SUCAR staff I t was the first week of April, but there was no downplaying the importance of an early season boys lacrosse match between the Howell High School Rebels and the Freehold Township High School Patriots.
In addition to the natural rivalry between the schools, these two programs are among the best squads in the Shore Conference A North Division and with teams playing each other only once within the division, the April 4 game in Freehold Township took on added importance.
For the Patriots’ new coach Mike Ferrando, the game was an opportunity to find out what his junior-dominated team was made of.
Ferrando was an assistant coach for the last nine years under Steve Gibb, who stepped down from the position to spend more time with his family.
“I have some big shoes to fill,” Ferrando said. “He left me one of the best classes we have had.”
Ferrando learned plenty about his players and it was all positive as the Patriots rallied from a 6-4 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to defeat Howell, 9-8.
“They kept fighting,” Ferrando said. “The guys never gave up. They never thought it was over. Before the fourth quarter we told them that if we win the ground balls, we’ll win the game.”
That piece of advice and having Dan Bloodgood on their side helped the Patriots overcome the deficit they faced. Bloodgood, a junior attack, scored all five of Freehold Township’s goals in the fourth quarter. The game-winning goal came in the final :30.
“He’s our go-to player,” Ferrando said. “He’s a great player.”
Bloodgood had assists on three of the four goals he did not score, before taking over in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Steve O’Brien scored three goals for the Patriots.
Bloodgood helped offset Ryan King’s three goals for Howell and two goals from Howell frosh Mark Buannic.
Bloodgood (30 goals, 16 assists in 2011) and O’Brien are both strong finishers and they have outstanding midfielders in Justin Albarran, Shane McGhee and Sean Koubek, all of whom are part of the junior class.
“We are looking to spread the ball around to take the pressure off Dan,” said Ferrando, adding that O’Brien’s early scoring has been doing just that.
While Bloodgood amassed eight points in the win over Howell, O’Brien had a hat trick, McGhee added two assists, Koubek tallied a goal and an assist, Albarran added an assist and senior James Shelton assisted on two scores.
Defensively, the Patriots feel confident because of the presence of Todd Bitsko, a junior who is coming into his own and becoming a dependable goalie. Freehold Township has had a tradition of fine goalkeeping and Bitsko is keeping that tradition alive. Senior Greg Gutkin is his backup.
Juniors Kevin Mara, Matt Kuziemski and Luke Ganz, and freshman Collin Bitsko are the defenders in front of Bitsko and they have been solid.
Seniors Joey Spicuzza (midfield), Aaron Powell (midfield) and Bruce Ongsiako (midfield), junior Mike Cunha (attack), sophomores Mike Coppa (midfield) and Mitch Applegate (midfield), and freshman Billy Sasso (midfield) are contributing as substitutes and adding depth to the team.
The Patriots improved to 2-0 overall with their win over Howell, having beaten North Brunswick, 13-0, on March 31. Bloodgood scored eight goals and added two assists in the win over the Raiders and O’Brien handed out six assists.
The Patriots will play Shore Conference A North Division rival Colts Neck High School on April 13. For coach Derek Riechenbecher’s Howell Rebels, who opened their season with a 12-8ANorth win over Ocean Township, the 2012 season still holds a lot of promise.
Replacing Rob Hart, last year’s A North Player of the Year, high-scoring Kevin Scott and keeper Nick Schwarz will not be easy, but the Rebels do have six returning starters from last season’s Shore Conference Tournament and state tournament team.
“We have the chance to be better and more complete” than the 2011 Rebels, Reichenbecher said. “It just depends on how quickly we can get our first midfield line to produce points and how quickly we can come together as a team.”
Howell is loaded up front on the attack with returning starters Alec Dambach, King and Ben Talcott.
In Dambach, a junior, the Rebels have one of the Shore Conference’s premier players. He scored 38 goals and added 37 assists in 2011. Dambach scored six goals and added four assists in the team’s first two games and he should reach 100 career goals this spring. Dambach began the 2012 season with 69 career goals.
King scored eight goals in Howell’s first two games of the season.
Junior Nick Paolillo and two freshmen, Buannic and Jake Sherman, will see time as the fourth attackmen.
On defense the Rebels have seniors Blase Dellavalle and James Bodecker as the cornerstones; both were starters last year. Senior Rob Leaks starts with them in the back and junior Kevin Campfield, who saw action last year, is the long stick midfielder.
Junior Tyler Ornstein has stepped right in at goalie and has proven that he will be an asset for the Rebels.
Senior Elden Andrews, who has committed to Kean University, anchors a midfield that is new. Junior Tyler Verdoni and Andrew Rivero start besides him, with Will Neyhart, a junior, and sophomore Joe Madaio playing more defensive roles at midfield.
Howell traveled to Marlboro on April 9 and will host Red Bank Catholic on April 13 in a key A North contest. On April 14, Howell will host West Morris Central in a non-conference game.
At Colts Neck, coach Jeff Rosenberg has a young team that has a lot of potential. The Cougars have a strong attack and defense, according to their coach, but they are young and inexperienced.
Of Colts Neck’s four captains, only two are seniors, Stefan Gaszynski and Tyler Trendy. Juniors Zachary Geiger and Ryan Anzalone are the other captains.
Seniors Rein Smit and Kevin Loveland return up front on the attack. Returning midfielders Geiger and John Miller, a sophomore, are proven distributors who can set up their teammates.
Most of the Cougars’ experience is on defense, led by goalie Trendy. Defenders Gaszynski, Anzalone and sophomore Anthony Garguilo are all back to make this unit the team’s most intact.
Newcomers who are expected to contribute include seniors Sebastian Cina (midfield) and Matt Ferrarra (defense), juniors Connor Canonico (midfield), Zwannah Dukuly (midfield), Evan Friedman (midfield), Lucas Lalima (defense), Nicolas Rjedkin (midfield), Rob Hami (attack), Lucas Vhalos (defense), Brandon Martinez (midfield), Nick Papaleo (midfield) and Phil Olson (defense), and sophomores Alex Glickman (midfield), Rob Keller (midfield), Nick Littman (defense) and Mike Veverka (midfield).
Colts Neck did not begin its 2012 season until April 10 when the Cougars traveled toWall Hall School. The Cougars will host Long Branch on April 11 and will travel to Freehold Township on April 13.
Marlboro has a new coach, Guy Lassen, who has 13 years of coaching experience (he started the lacrosse program at Brick Memorial High School) and was an assistant at Marlboro for the last three years.
He said he plans to continue the things the team had been doing to make the adjustment to a new head coach smoother. He said he wants to be more of a player’s coach and leave some decisions to the players so they have more “ownership of the team.”
“We need to play smart, play patient and hold the ball,” Lassen said, adding that the competition for playing time is fierce.
Senior Anthony Kurda is Marlboro’s most dangerous scorer. Lassen has moved Kurda from midfield to attack, where he will team up with junior Sam Sugarman.
Senior Harris Bell and junior Jacob Metzger return at midfield where they can help generate offense.
The core of the Mustangs is their seven returning seniors. In addition to Kurda and Bell, Chandler Nichols and Michael O’Handley bring experience to the defense; Michael Estreicher and Dan Manners help out at midfield; and goalie Austin Grossfeld is a welcome addition to the squad.
Grossfeld played lacrosse as a sophomore, but he did not go out for the team last year. He returned this spring and it turned out to be a key move after the Mustangs lost their expected starter to injury. Instead of having to find a keeper, Grossfeld stepped right in.
Sophomores Jimmy Mazerella and Eric Mallo are starting on defense alongside the veterans, while a third sophomore, Brian Prestigiacomo, is the team’s long stick midfielder.
Marlboro opened its season at home on April 5 against the program Lassen started, Brick Memorial, which is also nicknamed the Mustangs. It was the visiting Mustangs who prevailed, 8-7.
Marlboro will host Brick Township (April 9), Howell (April 11) and Christian Brothers Academy (April 13) this week.