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07/21/2018 12:00 AMIt took a little time for the Guilford boys’ lacrosse team to get centered and play to its potential this spring. However, the Indians found their balance as the campaign unfolded and began to attack the SCC on all cylinders, after which they picked up a couple of victories in the postseason. When all was said and done, Guilford finished the year with a dozen victories to its credit.
Head Coach Brian White’s club notched a mark of 10-6 on the regular season to earn bids to the SCC and Class M State tournaments. In the SCC Tournament, Guilford dispatched No. 6 Shelton, 16-4, in the first round, before taking a 20-9 defeat against eventual champion Fairfield Prep in the semis. Then as the No. 9 seed in states, the Indians earned a 15-4 victory versus No. 8 seed Fitch in the first round, followed by a 13-12 quarterfinal defeat versus top-seeded New Fairfield, which went on to win the Class M title. Coach White’s squad completed its season with an overall record of 12-8.
White said the Indians went through a feeling-out process this season, but he was happy to see them push through it and settle in for a nice stretch run that featured some notable victories along the way.
“We were interesting. We knew going in we had experience on offense, but it took a while to hit our stride, and we lost our season opener,” said Coach White. “We bounced back to beat Glastonbury, which was big. We started a little inconsistent, yet we got better. We lost a close one to a good New Fairfield team in states, but I think we hit our stride at the end of the year.”
The Indians were led by senior captains Sean Russell and Sam Jankura, along with junior captain John DeLucia. Russell switched from attacker to midfielder, while Jankura made the move from midfield to the attack this year. DeLucia, an attacker, was named the first junior captain in program history. Coach White praised his captains, along with all of his seniors, for proving a collection of athletes who never wavered for a second when something was asked of them. The rest of Guilford’s senior class featured midfielders Sean Fitzgerald, Oliver Loyd, Clay Huffman, and Zach Talbot; left-stick midfielders Chance Edwards and Derek Ralston, defenders Matt Barrett, Will Boender, and Ben Mustakos, plus Christion Swan, who played both defense and left-stick midfielder.
“This senior class was the type of group who led by example. They were leaders on and off the field and just quality kids,” White said. “They would always do their jobs the best they could. They would do whatever it took to get things done, which are guys you always want as a coach.”
When examining the highlights of his team’s season, Coach White was quick to point out a big-time win over a non-conference opponent, as well as a key SCC victory, that grabbed some headlines for the Indians. White added that Guilford’s final game of the campaign also demonstrated how far his squad came this spring. After taking a lopsided loss to New Fairfield in the regular season, the Indians gave the Rebels everything they could handle during a one-goal defeat in states.
“That Glastonbury win was huge for us, and I think it opened some eyes to others about us,” he said. “We went to Cheshire, which was a game many expected us to lose, and we came out with a 17-13 win and [junior midfielder] Jack Ring scored a ton of points for us. We were leading New Fairfield in the quarterfinals, which was a team we lost 20-8 to a few weeks prior. We ended up losing there, but that was a great game in a loud atmosphere on the road.”
Ring, who finished his season with 45 goals, 41 assists, and 139 ground balls, earned All-SCC and All-State First Team recognition this season, as did DeLucia, who became the first junior in program history to make the All-America Team. Senior midfielder Sean Fitzgerald was also named to the All-SCC Second Team.
For team awards, Ring was named the Indians’ Most Valuable Player, DeLucia won the Offensive MVP Award, and senior Barrett earned Defensive MVP honors. DeLucia scored 58 goals to go with 44 assists on the year, while Barrett caused 11 turnovers and scooped up 25 ground balls.
“Jack Ring does so many little things and took initiative,” said White. “John was a scoring machine, and Matt was a two-year starter who was a staple on defense.”
DeLucia will lead off a deep and dynamic class of senior athletes for the Indians’ next season. Guilford will also welcome back a pair of goalkeepers in Casey Kesselring, who will be a senior; and Devlin Ahlefeld, who is entering his junior year. Coach White feels that Guilford will enter next year with more balance on both ends of the field, and he’s eager to see how all the pieces fit into place.
“We have a pretty good group coming back, and John is someone you can build around offensively and who opens up that end of the field,” said White. “We have about 20 kids from this year’s junior class and they all contribute. We will look strong on paper and will be more well-rounded. We will lose attackers, but have promising kids coming up. It will be exciting to see next year.”
From the Sidelines
In the regular season, Guilford defeated Glastonbury (8-7), Shelton (7-6), Notre Dame-West Haven (12-10), Branford (20-9), North Haven (15-4), Kennedy Catholic, New York (16-5); Barlow (9-4), Amity (18-7), Cheshire (17-13), and Xavier (12-11).
The Indians’ regular-season losses came against East Lyme (11-8), Simsbury (15-14), Newtown (12-8), Hand (11-5), Fairfield Prep (19-5), and New Fairfield (20-8).
This was Brian White’s 14th campaign as head coach of the Guilford boys’ lacrosse team. Scott Davidson, Jeff Sullivan, and Tom Woods served as the Indians’ assistant coaches this year.