Lakeland/Panas Lax Rolls to Victory

Nature may have interrupted the Section 1 Class A semifinal in boys lacrosse on Thursday, but the threat of thunder did nothing to slow No. 1 Lakeland/Panas.

The 15-3 team held a 10-5 lead with 3:25 to go in the third quarter of its Section 1 Class A semifinal against No. 5 Mahopac (11-7).

The stop in play came at 5:45 p.m. and the two teams were confined to inside Lakeland High School until roughly an hour and a half later, when the game resumed.

The Rebels maintained their lead and earned a 14-8 sectional victory. The win means Lakeland/Panas enjoys a berth against No. 2 Yorktown (11-6)  in the Section 1 Class A championship game 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, at White Plains High School.

This will be the second meeting this season between the two rivals, the first being a 10-7 Rebel home victory.

It's not easy to regain top form after sitting during a long delay. That is something that Lakeland/Panas coach Jim Lindsay, a former Rebel player, never experienced as a player.

"We went out, got some granola bars so the players had something to put in their stomachs," Lindsay said. "It's just an awkward thing. You can't really prepare for that. I have a little experience now as a coach. It's awkward but both teams had to go through it. You have to get out there and pick up where you left off."

 Lakeland/Panas' Robert Caffrey, who registered three goals and two assists, said staying relaxed during the break was important.

"We knew we had the lead," Caffrey said. "When we went back out after the thunder delay, we just knew we had to play hard like we did the first two quarters."

 Those first two quarters, particularly the second, is where the Rebels dominated Mahopac.

The Rebels entered the second quarter up 4-3 and outscored the Indians 5-1 in the second for a 9-4 halftime advantage. From there the Rebels were never threatened.

Shawn Honovich, who tallied four goals and an assist for the Rebels, said the key to success in that stretch was staying focused.

"We just came in the huddle at the end of the first quarter and knew we needed to buckle down, do what we have been doing the last week or so and just put this team away," Honovich said.

Joining Honovich and Caffrey in doing the bulk of the scoring for the Rebels was Conor Prunty, who tallied four goals and two assists.

"We have been playing together for a long time so we know where each other is going to be on the field," Prunty said. "Caffrey finds space really well and Shawn can score a goal anytime he wants. We feed off each other and have great chemistry."

Chris Monteferante (two goals, one assist), Will Fallo (one goal, two assists), Zach Zingaro (two assists) and Rob Belger (nine saves) also contributed to the Rebels' victory.