Coach Craig's Expectations Drive Lions

No matter what the score, after a West Islip Lions' victory, head coach Scott Craig can usually find something his team can do better. It's the coach's high expectations that drive his players towards excellence on the playing field.

"As a coach, I'm never happy. That's just not me," Craig said following the Lions' 13-1 win over Farmingdale that gave West Islip the Long Island Class A championship. 

In the last two games, the win over Farmingdale and a 20-10 win over Lakeland/Panas in the state Class A semifinals, he told his team to shoot low and was not pleased to see some of the shots high. "I had a timeout. I told my guys this goalie is playing high. We have to shoot low. The next four shots were all high, all over the top of the cage by four different players. So, was I happy? The scores was 8-0 at the time, but I was very unhappy," Craig said after the game against Farmingdale.

In the game against Lakeland/Panas, Craig said he though the team was a little flat-footed defensively. "We rode hard. They were catching a lot of heat from me and they responded by riding much harder and playing hard and getting a lot of turnovers in that respect because they knew I was irritated," he said of his team.

Credit coach Craig. He knows how to get the most out of his team. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that he is the Vince Lombardi of high school lacrosse. It's no coincidence that the Lions are playing today for their fourth state title in the last five years. 

One constant over the past five years besides Craig has been senior Nicky Galasso, Long Island's leading scorer. Galasso and fellow seniors and big scorers Andrew Hodgson and Rob Moore want badly to win the state title in their senior year.

What to Look For?

Everyone who has followed West Islip knows the Lions can score in bunches. But, a truer indication of how the Lions are playing lies in the defense. If West Islip is keeping Fairport shooters to the outside and giving goaltender Kyle Turri a good look at shots, then we know the Lions are at their best. 

The Fairport High School Red Raiders are led by the school's all-time leading scorer, Brendan Saylor. West Islip must also keep an eye on midfielder Chris Button. The team's defense is solid, led by James Cunningham and Ted Knowles. In the net for Fairport is sophomore Blaze Riorden. 

The Red Raiders are 19-2 this season. The Lions are 20-1 and have won 20 straight games.

The state Class A championship is today at Stony Brook University at 4 p.m.