Monroe Township High School’s Andy Dooley scored 44 goals and had 31 assists for the boys lacrosse team last season. The Falcons, who were 16-4 in 2012, are the defending Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division champions. ROY DeBOER Last year represented the high watermark for the Monroe Township High School boys lacrosse program. The Falcons won their first regular season Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division title and finished with a 16-4 record.
Even so, head coach Joe Yannone has even higher aspirations for his team this spring.
The reason for that is his group of seniors. The Falcons feature one of the best pure scorers in the state in Matt Siemons, who notched 71 goals last year and assisted on 37 more to finish sixth in the state with 108 points. In three varsity seasons, he has amassed over 200 points and will likely eclipse the 300-point mark before his high school career ends. Siemons’ coaches believe the forward is a bona fide Division I college prospect wherever he ends up.
Another solid senior is Andy Dooley. As a junior, the midfielder finished second in scoring with 44 goals and 31 assists, eclipsing the 100-point mark for his career midway through the season.
While Siemons and Dooley make any lacrosse team a dangerous opponent, the Falcons rely on other seniors as well. Midfielders Joseph Collins and Nick Scardilli, along with attackmen Nick Pace and D.J. Mascalli, have played together for three years. As a unit, Monroe Township will likely be one of the highest scoring teams in the GMC. The nemesis, as it has been for every team with a lacrosse program in the GMC, is well-established St. Joseph High School of Metuchen. St. Joseph has been a perennial power for many years and demonstrated it is a team to be reckoned with by knocking off Monroe Township last year in the GMC Tournament championship game. The fact remains [that] if Monroe Township wants to climb another step up the success ladder, it will have to get past St. Joe’s.
“With our talent, I think we should be in a similar situation to last year,” Yannone said. “As for the state tournament, the teams have been reshuffled, and we will be competing in South Jersey Group IV, which means we will not be included in the North Jersey section, where many of the state’s strongest teams are located.”
The rest of the roster includes senior defensemen Steve Montes, Steve Schoppman, Quincy Charleston and Brandon Caccavale; goaltenders Nick Romano and Sameer Verma; attack Robert Mastrocola; and middles Ryan Fisher and Dominick Parente.
The juniors are attackmen Conner Parke, Joseph Purcell, Kevin Morello and John Casanza; defensemen Ryan Sosnak, Richie Toth and Chris Joblonka and middles Chris Germano, Mike Marcario, and Marc Gallucio.
The sophomore contingent includes Jason Andreadis (middle), Parker Damore (attack), Kyle Lorfing (defense) and Steve Martin (defense). The freshmen are middles Peter Jarosewicz and Chase Santiago, as well as Cole Marini and Bobby Kokal on defense.
“We’re fortunate to have whom I consider the best assistant coaches in the conference,” Yannone said. “Joe Garavente, who played at John Hopkins and comes from Long Island, has volunteered for years and is one of the major reasons why the program has flourished. Ross Schultz coaches the defense, and we’ve been together for seven years, and Joe Romano handles the junior varsity.”
Yannone says he hopes his team will become more competitive this spring by the addition of games against quality opponents. The Falcons will take a trip to Long Island on April 27 to play Lynbrook High School and have scheduled an out-of-conference contest against West Jersey power, Hunterdon Central Regional High School.
“The hope is that playing these teams will get us ready to defend the division title and make a run at the GMC and sectional tournament titles,” he said.