Comsewogue Sports Notebook: Boys Lacrosse On Top

There doesn’t seem to be any surprise among high school lacrosse experts that the Comsewogue Warriors boys lacrosse team has jumped out to a perfect 6-0 start this year. As defending Suffolk County champions and an overwhelming number one pick in preseason polls, the Warriors have thus far lived up to expectations.

“We were expecting to be good this year especially with 21 seniors,” said head coach Pete Mitchell. “But the kids are staying surprisingly humble about it. They haven’t bought into all the preseason hoopla. I’m kind of happy about that.”

Consider the game last Wednesday against long time rival Mt. Sinai. The Warriors built up a 4-1 first quarter lead and coasted from there ultimately winning decisively 13-4, scoring eight goals in the second half.

Comsewogue has averaged surrendering just 23 total goals thus far for an average of 3.83 goals-per-game while scoring 81 goals for an average of 13.83 goals-per-game. Talk about dominant.

“I’m not surprised about that,” said Mitchell. “Different teams have tried to key on one kid or another and another kid steps up. Some of the kids we brought up from junior varsity have been surprisingly good. In fact, we are playing with nine offensive midfielders and teams will hang with us for a half before we are able to take control of the game.”

True enough, in four of the Warriors six games they’ve outscored opponents 31-5 in the second half alone.

Still the meat of the Comsewogue schedule is coming up. Beginning next Tuesday, April 26 the Warriors have games against Sayville, Kings Park, Shoreham-Wading River, Miller Place and Bayport-Blue Point – all teams with winning records and all potential playoff contenders.

Conversely, no one expected the girl’s lacrosse team to emerge as the force they’ve been thus far. Last Friday the host Lady Warriors knocked off area rival Miller Place 11-8 to run their overall record to an impressive 6-1 and find themselves currently sitting in third place in Division II behind only undefeated Hauppauge and once beaten Sayville and ahead of three-time defending NYS champion Shoreham-Wading River.

The win was the Warriors fifth in a row since losing to Mt. Sinai on April 1. But in high school lacrosse it’s power points that determine if a team qualifies for postseason play and their ultimate seeding, not necessarily a team’s overall won-loss record. Judging by that criteria, the Warriors are situated in sixth place with 119.50 total power points behind Hauppauge, Mt. Sinai, Shoreham-Wading River, Harborfields and Sayville.

Either way the Lady Warriors appear to be headed for their first playoff appearance in since 2007. Not bad for a team who was a 12th seed in preseason polls. Surprised? Not Comsewogue head coach Nicole Kidd.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise,” she said. “We still have more than half of our season to go. But the girls have improved. We were really young last year and we’re still young but they’ve matured as players. We’re a good team and we have some very talented athletes on the team.”

None, perhaps more talented than three-sport senior sensation–soccer, basketball and lacrosse–captain Michelle Rubino, who has already committed to attend Adelphi University next year.

“She is one of the best athletes on Long Island,” said Kidd. “She is just incredible to watch and she plays so hard all the time. People think she’s just an offensive threat but she’s great on defense too. I can’t wait to see her play for Joe [Adelphi and former Rocky Point head coach Joe Spillina]. Joe is really lucky to have her and I think he’ll turn her into an even better player there.”

“I think that we have a really great coach and that’s helped,” said Rubino, who so far has scored 16 times acknowledged. “We’re still young but we’ve been playing together for a awhile in school and on travel teams that I think that’s helped us win. A lot of the young girls have really stepped up on offense too. The communication on the field is really better than it was and that’s helped on our defense.”  

Rubino also cited the addition of new assistant head coach, former C W. Post and Comsewogue standout Stacy Passafiume. A 2007 Comsewogue graduate Passafiume earned All- Suffolk County as a midfielder in her senior year and was a two-time All American attack at Post.

In the recently played game against Mt. Sinai Taylor Fischer and Karie Znaniecki each scored three goals while Rubino netted a pair of goals for the Warriors. Meanwhile, Comsewogue goalie Kim Bolk posted seven saves in the victory.

The Warriors margin of victory was decided in the first half as Comsewogue outscored the Panthers 6-3. The two teams played to an even 5-5 score in the second half giving the Lady Warriors their 11-8 victory.

With still the better part of the schedule remaining watch out for these Lady Warriors.  

In other Comsewogue sports action last week the baseball and softball teams lie at the opposite end of the spectrum as the lacrosse teams. Both squads have struggled thus far in 2011.

The Lady Warriors winless streak was extended to seven games Saturday afternoon as Centereach knocked off Comsewogue 13-1 in a crossover makeup game. Emma Agostini earned the win for the Cougars while Alex Dovicsak took the loss for Comsewogue.

The boy’s baseball team won their first game of the year on Saturday as Nick Calamia struck out six and tossed a four-hit, 6-0 shutout over host North Babylon Riley Shea provided the offensive wallop with his first home run of the season–a two-run bomb in top of the fifth. The win improves the Warriors overall record to 1-4. That game was also a makeup game from a rainout earlier in the week.

In boy’s tennis action, the Warriors beat Bellport 5-2 on Friday to improve their overall record to 4-3. The win was the Warriors fifth in their last six games.