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05/21/2017 12:00 AMJust three years removed from consecutive winless campaigns, the Haddam-Killingworth boys’ lacrosse team put together its best regular season record in program history this spring. Now, the Cougars are ready to embark on what they hope is an even more memorable playoff push.
Last season, Head Coach Mark Richard’s squad finished 10-9 overall, including a 12-7 win over Valley Regional in the Class S State Tournament qualifying round. In their fifth varsity campaign this spring, the Cougars stood at 11-2 entering the final week of the regular season, with their lone losses coming against Morgan and Valley Regional. H-K started last week with a 9-6 loss to Old Saybrook on May 16 before bouncing back with a 6-5 triumph over Valley Regional the next day to avenge its previous loss against the Warriors. H-K finished its excellent regular season at 13-3 after posting an 18-5 win over Hall on May 19, and now the Cougars have the Shoreline Conference and Class S State tournaments on the horizon.
While the Cougars have notched several key victories during their 2017 run, Coach Richard feels that H-K’s defeats have proven even more pivotal to their progression.
“The losses have been more crucial to us. After the Morgan game, we realized we had to do and change a few things. The Valley loss refocused us and made us realize that we had to start preparing for things differently,” said Richard. “It’s been great to play teams in the Shoreline that we’ve played to close games in the past seasons and have them not be as close now, but those losses resonated strongly on the bus ride back.”
The Cougars are guided by two co-captains in senior Eli Griswold and junior Jared Gibbons, the latter who is the first junior captain in program history. Coach Richard said that both athletes have traveled different paths throughout their high school careers, but added that one constant between the two is a loyalty to their team.
“Eli has played every game except for a few his freshman year before he became a starter. He is very dedicated. He is heading for the University of New Haven, and then the army afterwards. He’s just a down-to-business type guy and a really good kid,” Richard said. “Jared grew up with the entire team. He came onto the team as a sophomore after his family moved back from Florida. He’s a close defender, and I usually put him up against the other team’s best attacker, and he’s been extraordinarily successful.”
The Cougars feature tremendous talent scattered among all grades on their roster, including senior Markus Trahan (73-percent success race on draws) and sophomore Kyle Nelson, who share the face-off duties with Griswold; in addition to first-year senior Noah Vinci, fellow seniors Dan Civiello and Tyler Rettberg, senior goalies Jeremy Fleig and Andrew Burley; juniors Brad Rakowski, Sam Purdy (53 goals on the year), and Finn Miller; plus sophomores Nick Burger (18 goals), Devin Civiello, Nolan Serbent, and Zach Marciniec.
“Sam is up there with state leaders in goals, and it’s great to see an H-K guy in the conversation. Finn has done some good things in the crease and has also played attack. Jeremy and Andrew have been great goalies and have been letting in very few goals for us,” said Richard. “Markus has been varsity all four years and has helped us lock down on defense. He’s one of the best defensive midis in the Shoreline. Kyle’s also been great with face-offs. Noah has progressed well and has been tremendously helpful. Nick Burger is a talented sophomore and is a good offensive player. Brad is a slick dodger and has stepped up in the varsity lineup. Devin has played a big role on attack. Tyler was a defensive [midfielder] last year and is a long-stick midfielder this year. Zach has been contributing on defense. Our defense has been our strength this season, but our offense is playing well.”
The Cougars are competing in the Shoreline Conference Tournament and will host Morgan for a semifinal on Tuesday, May 23. The winner moves on to the final at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 25 at Indian River Complex in Clinton. Coach Richard remembers the humble beginnings of his program, which began as a club team in 2011. The 2013 and 2014 seasons were difficult for the Cougars to endure, but for many athletes on those squads, those years simply fueled the fire for Haddam-Killingworth’s subsequent success.
“We started to mature as a program after our [6-10 season in 2015]. We made Shorelines and states last year, which was a big goal of the team. Our seniors this year suffered through that 0-16 year in 2014, so they decided they wanted to do well and work on their own skills,” said Richard. “We still need to do some things on defense, but the guys know what we are trying to accomplish, so we are just fine-tuning things.”
From the Sidelines
Mark Richard is the only head coach in Haddam-Killingworth boys’ lacrosse history. The Cougars competed as a club in their first two seasons and then became a varsity team in 2013.
Darren Myers is H-K’s assistant coach this year.
The Class S State Tournament begins with first round action on Wednesday, May 31. The quarterfinals follow on Saturday, June 3, the semifinals are on Wednesday, June 7, and the final takes place on Saturday, June 10 at McMahon High School in Norwalk.