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WI boys lacrosse team wins second state title
After beating perennial power West Genesee (Section III) in the Class A New York State title game for the second straight season, the Lions, who won their fourth Suffolk County and Long Island titles this year, showed the entire state that they had one of the best teams in the nation this year. "They were dominant all year," said Lions' coach Scott Craig of West Genesee. "Some said they had their best team in the last 10 to 20 years. Going in we felt we'd have to fight tooth and nail, but they tried to play us straight up and couldn't stop us." "It's pretty amazing," said Justin Turri, a senior headed to Duke to play lacrosse. "We were hearing all season this is West Genee's year. They're back with their best team in years. We were expecting a high powered really good team, so we were all surprised we could dominate the them that easily." The Lions, who won, 9-4, broke the game open in the second half, leading 6-2 at one point. Craig said the only thing they spoke about during the game was shooting, to make adjustments and penetrate a little differently. Turri hit the post three times in the game. "We weren't forcing their goalie to stop hard shots," he said. "We were shooting stick side." Adjusting and capitalizing on the other team's weaknesses has been a key element to the Lions' success all season long. This season, however, was a bit different than last. Aside from winning the school's first state title in boys' lacrosse, it didn't play with the same confidence as a champion like this season. "Our confidence allowed us to take control of games this year," Craig said. "This year we exploded against Ward Melville and Syosset at certain points of the playoff games." Turri said the, 7-6, loss against Chaminade early in the season was a real eye opener for the team. "We knew we could be good, but that game woke everyone up," he said. "After that we knew we couldn't go into every game thinking you can win easily." Long Island will miss Turri, who is one of purest athletes you'll ever see. He started as the quarterback for the football team, point guard for the basketball team and has been recognized for his lacrosse abilities nationally. "He's our No. 1 guy as far as being prepared to play," Craig said. He finished the season with 64 goals and 45 assists. What's in store for next season? Don't expect the same physical team you've seen the last few years. It's not often high school teams have four or more players over 6-feet-1 in the starting lineup. "We'll have to be a little more protective of the ball," Craig said. "We won't have that same physical prowess." Expect Nicky Galasso, who had 103 points as a freshman this year, and junior Ed Plompen, who scored 38 goals off the bench this season, to be major contributors for a team looking to three-peat. This year's winning team includes: Included in the team are Brian Badalato, Mike Bloom, Ian Braddish, Andrew Busweiler, Steve Campbell, Brian Caufield, Cory Clifford, D.J. Coleman, Shane Craig, Terry Culkin, Drew DiCiccio, Ted Finnegan, Mike Finnegan, Ryan Flanagan, Devin Fouhy, Nick Galasso, Vinny Galasso, Joe Giusto, John Goonan, Tom Gordon, Andrew Hodgson, Eddie Hodgson, Brian Hogan, Chris Kissane, Corey Luquer, Mike McCallan, Joe McCormack, Mike McCormack, Chris Messina, Anthony Monfredo, Brandon Murtha, Ed Plompen, John Ruston, Stephen Ryan, Alex Sequeira, John Sharrot, Derek Speziale, Ken Srubinski, Tom Srubinski, Justin Turri, Tyler Turri, Ryan Waibel and Ryan Zaremba. The team is coached by Scott Craig and Bill Turri.
In photo, elated team following victory.
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