Boys’ Lacrosse Had Stellar Spring Behind 10 Seniors
The Valley boys’ lacrosse squad has had years of success and 2014 was a year that could be included in that group as the Warriors boasted an 11-5 record and qualification into the Class S State Tournament. Though the Warriors lost in the first round of states to St. Joseph, Coach Paul Ferrucci still considers this spring to be a successful one.
“Our goal was to get back to the state tournament and be competitive against the better teams on our schedule,” said Ferrucci, who was assisted by Jeff Woods and Graham Rider. “We played well against a very good Somers team [Class S semifinalist] and beat Morgan after losing to them in the first game we faced them. We played one of our best games of the season, winning in a very hard-fought game.”
The Warriors had plenty of talent, particularly from their 10 seniors. Captains Holden King (midfield), Jake Luster (midfield), Iestyn Norton (defense), and Eric Rannestad (midfield) were all leaders. King had 13 goals and three assists on the season while earning the Warrior Award, Luster scored seven goals with three assists and earned the Coaches’ Award, Norton had five ground balls and was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Rannestad had two goals and five assists and earned the Warrior Award. Also contributing were seniors Jake Cuccaro (attack, 33 goals and 13 assists), Dash Krempel (midfield, 6 goals and 2 assists), Jack Forsythe (defense, 7 ground balls), Tyler Jaynes (defense, 37 ground balls), Matt Cole (midfield, 1 goal, Coaches’ Award), and Cole Magee (midfield).
It wasn’t just the seniors who were a presence as some of the team’s top players came in the form of junior attack Ben Ferrucci, who led the team in scoring with 79 goals and 21 assists and was named First Team All-State and team Offensive Player of the Year. Junior attack Kevin Cole was the team leader in assists with 24 while he also scored 39 goals, and junior goalie Spencer Russo had 238 saves on the year.
With so many seniors graduating, Coach Ferrucci can be comforted by the fact that two of his top offensive players will be returning, along with his goalkeeper.
“We want the Class S Tournament to be a regular occurrence,” said Ferrucci. “We are losing a lot of seniors, but have plenty of freshmen who with some offseason work, should be able to fill the holes.”