Friends Off The Field, Prunty and Mabus Find Their Stars Rising Together

Conor Prunty and Justin Mabus grew up playing lacrosse together on the grassroots circuit. 

As youngsters, they envisioned playing lacrosse on a big time stage beyond the powerhouse programs of Yorktown and Lakeland-Panas. As 12-year-olds, the thought of authoring college careers and earning scholarships to play fueled their motivation. They talked about it all the time — in the driveway, over constant video games of Madden, and throughout various camps together. 

But the two eventually took separate routes. Prunty to Lakeland and Mabus to Yorktown, longtime blood rivals in Section I lacrosse.

The division didn't stick.

Last summer they renewed their friendship while playing together on a local Nike 17U travel team. Many of their teammates from Lakeland and Yorktown were playing in the Empire State games and Prunty and Mabus fed off of each other's game. 

It's no secret to either player that they're nearly clones of each other, lacrosse-wise. They also understand the intense nature of the rivalry and respectfully refuse to interact before the two teams meet. 

"We text each other all the time," said Mabus. "But we make sure we don't speak during the week before the Murphy Cup or the Section I championship. It's nothing personal."

For Prunty, his buddy's words resonate. "Both of us know, when we're on the field it's business. We know what's at stake. We'll hang out once the season is done." 

That's just a small indication of how serious lacrosse has become in the Yorktown and Shrub Oak area. The two teams shoulder a potent tradition of lacrosse dominance, with both Prunty and Mabus emerging as the latest top-notch prospects. Just as they dreamed about as pre-teens, college coaches have come calling. Prunty committed to Siena College last week. After giving his verbal commitment to Saints coach Brian Brecht, word spread around like wildfire. Mabus was one of the first people to congratulate him. 

Mabus first heard while he was attending Jake Reed's Nike Blue Chip Camp at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County last week. Mabus, who, like Prunty, is an All-Section middie, was plying his trade before a buffet-line of college coaches and scouts. Mabus is receiving interest from Division-I programs such as Fairfield, St. John's, Loyola-Maryland, Towson, and the University of Maryland in College Park. 

Everything seems to be suddenly coming into focus for Mabus and Prunty. Both players are 6-foot-2 with a penchant for shooting on the fly and creating goals in transition. Both players play quarterback for their respective football teams. And, as the class of 2011 players prepare for their senior seasons, both players will be thrust into a leadership role after ceding the spotlight to others as sophomores and juniors. 

Lakeland-Panas recently graduated key scorer Shawn Honovich, who will take his game to Fairfield. Yorktown's go-to-guy Kevin Interlicchio, who will play at Johns Hopkins, was also claimed by 2010 graduation. This opens up the gates for the rising seniors. 

"We play the same style," said Prunty, when asked to evaluate the game of his counterpart. "He's a big kid, he uses his size. He's a good dodger, he's got a great shot on the run. I feel like we're pretty similar. He can use his right hand or his left. He's quick. He plays good defense, so our styles are very similar." 

On the field, the Lakeland-Panas/Yorktown rivalry is akin to bloodsport. The Rebels ended a three-year championship drought against Yorktown this season, capturing an 8-7 thriller overtime in the 2010 Section I/Class A title game. Pre-game bravado was evident everywhere, including one Yorktown defenseman's Facebook page, which had Lakeland-Panas players fuming before the Sectional matchup.

Prunty and Mabus both said they don't really get caught up in the high expectations, hype, and hearsay of the rivalry and it's storied tradition. "We're close in size, we understand the game. And we both love creating in transition," said Mabus. "I mean, he's an unbelievable player — it's hard to describe it." 

The rivalry may get bigger, but for these young men, the mutual respect stays the same.