Sports
Dodger Pride Lacrosse Finishes 2nd Season with a Bang
Madison High School's lacrosse club, coached by MHS alumni, grew as a team in its second season.
The Dodger Pride Travel Lacrosse Club recently completed a successful second season. The club fielded a combination 5/6th grade team and a 7/8th grade squad made up exclusively of players from Madison and Harding. The program is run by Madison High School boys lacrosse head coach Mark Sweeney and coached by recent MHS players.
The Pride teams competed in three tournaments and posted impressive results playing against all-star teams from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. In only its second year, the team made enormous strides from last season when it struggled through its inaugural season.
The 5/6th grade team, coached by Matt Langan (MHS 07, Loyola 11) and Grant Foulsham (MHS 08, RPI 12) compiled a 10-3 overall record and placed third in two of three tournaments. The team defeated every other NJ team it played, and also notched victories against teams from New York and Pennsylvania.
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The team's strength was its defense comprising of Dominic Luppino, Will Ryan, Gus Haralampoudis, Michael Kearney and Will Andersen playing in front of the team's two goaltenders, Jack Spagnoletti and Ryan Weck. Offensively the team excelled in transition.
Midfielders Sean Hurley, Luke Artiglere, Stephen Decker, Justin Dalena, and Kyle Hipple frequently turned loose balls into scoring opportunities with quick feet and quicker passing. Attackmen Michael "Cool Breeze" Gleason, Grant Wasik and Matt Boyd made opposing defenses pay in the offensive end with outstanding off ball movement and timely cuts.
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The hustle of Patrick Grahling and Tyler Harting forced numerous turnovers on clears, as the two attackmen pestered opposing defenses into numerous mistakes while attempting to clear the ball out of their end.
The Pride enjoyed an important edge in face-off as well, as Jack Rutter and Charlie Cleaves took the bulk of the faceoff work. Jack Thompson proved a valuable asset patrolling the midfield with both long and short sticks. Matt Jackson's big outside shot proved invaluable for the Pride as he consistently scored from up top in the midfield.
This year's team of local talent, coached by Madison High School alumni, showed it can compete against all-star teams from other states. More importantly, the players grew closer as a team, had fun, and developed their lacrosse skills.
