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07/15/2016 12:00 AMDespite the fact that the Hand boys’ lacrosse team lost in the Class M state final for the second-straight year this spring, the Tigers can still take plenty of comfort in the fact that they navigated through the grind to once again play in the last game of the season.
Head Coach Paul Deon’s Tigers went 10-6 for the regular season to earn the No. 4 and 6 seeds, respectively, in the SCC Tournament and Class M State Tournament. After taking an 11-3 loss to eventual conference champion Fairfield Prep in the SCC semis, Hand defeated Berlin, Pomperaug, and New Fairfield to reach a showdown against New Canaan with the Class M state crown on the line for the second year in a row. Deon was disappointed that the Tigers didn’t bring a state title plaque back to Madison as his club took a 13-2 defeat, although the coach marveled at the determination that his boys displayed while returning to the championship game.
“Coming off of last year, we tried to take things one game at a time and not look past any opponent. We wanted to be as successful as we could have during the course of the year and make both tournaments,” said Deon. “I’m proud we got back to the state final, but disappointed we didn’t win one. It’s still a huge testament to the program because this was the first team in the program to ever do that. We will just have to work so much harder next season to get back there and try to win it. Still, there are 33 teams in Class M and 31 of them would’ve loved to be in our position of being in back-to-back state finals.”
Leading the charge for Hand this year were a pair of stellar senior captains in midfielder Reid Sweitzer and face-off specialist Tristan Dowd. Coach Deon praised both leaders for their uncanny ability to be astute observers of the sport, while inspiring their fellow Tigers to always give their all from whistle to whistle.
“Reid was very versatile. He could score goals, play defense, get ground balls, and play in transition. He was a workhorse that competed with every ounce of his being and he expected that from his teammates,” said Deon. “Tristan was a student of the game that studied every nuance of the face-off. When guys needed some encouragement, he would be the guy to give it. He was huge for us.”
Rounding Hand’s senior class were Lucas Mendicino and George McGuirk on attack; Ryan Kaufmann, Mike Bartosic, Luke Brown, Alistair Dunn, and Will Gargone at defense; Eric Lyons in the net, plus Chris Gallagher. Kaufmann was selected as Hand’s Most Valuable Player.
Additionally, the Tigers boasted plenty of representation on the postseason teams. Dowd and Sweitzer were both All-SCC First Team selections, while McGuirk, Mendicino, junior attacker Liam Gottlick, and junior defender John Jibilian made the Second Team. Hand also had five seniors and one junior earn All-State accolades as McGuirk (First Team), Sweitzer (First Team), Kaufmann (First Team), Dowd (First Team), Gottlick (Second Team), and Mendicino (Second Team) were the team’s honorees.
“The seniors are the strength of your team, I feel, and I think that the toughest part of coaching is saying good-bye to the seniors,” said Deon. “You spend an entire spring with team each year and it’s hard to say bye to that. Yet they did a good job of passing the torch to the younger guys and took pride in the program.”
In addition to taking on some of Connecticut’s elite teams, Hand’s student-athletes also had to deal with plenty of demands away from the field. Coach Deon feels that made the Tigers’ achievements in 2016 all the more impressive.
“It’s difficult to narrow things down to one accomplishment this year. The season is seen as a marathon with many ups and downs. Lacrosse is such a fluid game with momentum swings, plus in the spring, you have the guys handling things like prom and graduation, along with the classroom, so it’s like a work week for them,” Coach Deon said. “It amazes me how strong they are to handle it all and be successful in academics and athletics. To get back to the state final two years in a row is a testament to their will and drive. It was great to be a part of that.”
The Tigers will now hit the reset button with an aim to make the third time the charm in their quest to win a state title. Coach Deon feels confident that the group of guys who are returning next year have the heart of a champion and is hopeful that will help Hand reach the state’s summit in 2017.
“There are some guys coming back and others that will have to fill some roles. There are some guys that were on the field this year and will have to fill even bigger roles,” said Deon. “At the end of the day, we believe in the kids and their will. They are young, hungry guys ready to go.”
From the Sidelines
This was Paul Deon’s third year as head coach of the Tigers boys’ lacrosse squad. He was assisted by Steve Filippone, Adam Rand, Nick Warhola, Nick Schroeder, and Mark Feiner.
Hand’s regular season wins came against Branford (13-2), Hall (12-1), Cheshire (13-4), Amity (8-3), North Haven (7-3), East Lyme (10-4), Barlow (10-9), Hamden (15-1), Shelton (12-5), and Guilford (7-6).
Prior to the last two years, Hand’s other state final appearance came in 2006, when the Tigers lost to Darien in the Class M final.