With fans wildly cheering from the sidelines, the Friends Academy boys varsity lacrosse team kept rival Cold Spring Harbor at bay before ultimately beating them 9-4 to capture their first ever Class C Nassau County Championship.
Coach Brian Crocco credits the team’s success in the championship game and throughout their 14-2 season on their offensive balance. “What we have found all season is that while we do have a few serious impact players who contribute quite a bit to our offensive success, what has been most remarkable is that we have shared the scoring well, especially in big games. During the championship game, we had seven different goal scorers contribute for the win – two seniors, three juniors, and two sophomores. We have six guys with at least 20 points each this season, so in crucial situations we have found that any number of guys can make a play.”
Friends and Cold Spring Harbor played a tight game until the fourth quarter. The Quakers lead 3-2 at the half and 5-4 at the end of the third. “In the third quarter we made some key defensive stops and in the fourth scored a few important goals to lengthen the lead,” said Crocco. “Scoring two goals in the last moments of the 2nd and 3rd quarters was key for building momentum,” he added.
Senior Chretien Teitelbaum’s (Upper Brookville) performance in goal helped Friends win the battle, especially with his eight save effort in the third quarter. Junior Will Sands (Locust Valley) finished the game with three goals and four assists and his feeds to senior Liam Kearney (Bayville) and sophomore Pierce DellaFera (Lattingtown) at the end of the third quarter put the Quakers in a great position to win the game.
The strong defense by Quaker midfielders limited Cold Spring Harbor’s ability to score as seniors Kyle Dineen (East Meadow), Will O’Kane (Lattingtown), Garrett Doran (Locust Valley) and juniors Brandon Yaraghi (Mill Neck) and Jon Nierenberg (Sands Point) played hard on Friends’ defensive half of the field. The team of close defensemen – senior Peter Picoli (Locust Valley), junior Austin Rossi (Oyster Bay) and junior Nick Chapman (Oyster Bay) – were asked to handle their individual matchups with little help, and performed admirably.
“We have been graced with a terrific senior class, and their play and leadership has set a high standard for Friends’ future lacrosse teams,” said Crocco. “This is a championship for them, and for all the alumni that have helped make this program what it is today.”
Friends will face Shoreham-Wading River in the Long Island Championship game at Hofstra Stadium on Saturday, June 1 at 4:30 p.m.
Enrolling 779 students from age 3 through Grade 12, Friends Academy is guided by its Quaker heritage and the principles of integrity, simplicity, patience, moderation and a peaceful resolution of conflict. The school is located on 65 acres at the intersection of Piping Rock and Duck Pond roads in Locust Valley/Glen Cove.
To learn more about the school or to schedule a tour, please visit the Friends Academy website, www.fa.org, their facebook page, www.facebook.com/friendsacademyNY or call (516) 676-0393.
