Fox Lane's Cameron Stephens makes Empire Lacrosse Team

You might think that the end of the varsity boys lacrosse season might provide players with some down time to kick back and relax after a grueling three months. For graduating seniors, yes. But for those underclassmen who hope to take their skills to the next level, the break is almost non-existent.

Case in point, Fox Lane rising senior Cameron Stephens.

Almost as soon as Stephens helped the Foxes finish 11-6, earning all-section honors for his efforts, the month-long tryout process for the Hudson Valley scholastic Empire State Games team began.

That tryout process ended as the calendar turned from June to July, and it ended happily for Stephens and two of his Fox Lane teammates. Stephens, a 6-foot-5 goaltender, earned a spot on the 20-player roster. Anthony Grasso, a rising junior defenseman, and John Horner, a rising senior midfielder, were among 10 alternates selected.

The lacrosse portion of the Games will be played at Canisius College in Buffalo July 22-24.

"The tryout process was very in-depth and difficult," said Stephens, who hopes to make a decision on his college choice shortly after the Games end. "The coaches made a lot of cuts to make sure they had the time to properly evaluate every player, in order to form the best team possible.  It was a great experience to play against the best players in the Hudson Valley, many of whom I don't see in the regular season."

Tryouts included the second annual Section 1 All-Star Shootout, a showcase event featuring 60 players held at John Jay High School in Cross River on June 18. Stephens excelled in that event as well as practice situations that simulated game conditions.

"I performed well in the game-like situations the coaches set up," he said.  "Players were divided into teams and basically just played games.  It was very fast tempo and provided an opportunity for the coaches to see how one plays live."

Stephens learned he made the team via e-mail on July 3.

"It's a great experience playing with players from different teams," Stephens said.  It really shows the talent and high skill level many players have in the Hudson Valley area.  It also provides an opportunity to get the best players from a bunch of different schools

to make a very solid ESG team."

Stephens said it's also nice to have a little familiarity on the team in the form of Horner and Grasso.

"John Horner and Anthony Grasso are awesome lacrosse players," Stephens said. "They both love the sport and are outstanding athletes. I'm very happy that they made alternate and will still go to the majority of the events the team participates in.  I'm good friends with both of them and look forward to hanging out with them and playing with them throughout the summer."