This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
05/17/2021 12:00 AMThe Valley Regional boys’ lacrosse squad has put together a strong season and can be counted among the top teams in the Shoreline Conference. The Warriors have put together an 8-4 record after claiming a pair of overtime wins in last week’s action. With only a week left in the regular season, Valley has aspirations to make some noise in the postseason.
The Warriors picked up wins over Haddam-Killingworth and Old Lyme as part of last week’s slate. On May 11, Valley hosted H-K and triumphed over the Cougars 12-11 in an overtime win. Two days later, the Warriors hit the road to face Old Lyme and grabbed another 12-11 overtime victory over the Wildcats.
Coach Ricky Persico has been pleased with the effort that the Valley squad has displayed throughout the season, but these two wins were testaments to the Warriors’ ability to rise to the occasion.
“I’m very proud of them for persevering throughout those games, especially being behind at the half both times,” Persico said. “I think we have a strong team moving forward. Nothing against the other teams in the conference, I think we’re one of the top competitors, and I believe our boys can pull through and take the Shorelines for us.”
Against H-K, the Warriors were down two goals at the end of the first half, but managed to tie the contest 11-11 at the end of regulation. Valley was bolstered by the play of junior captain Duncan Rider, sophomore Ben Costanza, and senior Keenan Pindar in the overtime period to grab the victory.
“H-K had a really strong midfield and attack. They held us to a low amount of goals in the first half, but we were able to come back in the second half, slow down our offense, and prove that we could compete with them,” said Persico. “The last play, Ben Costanza won the face off and moved it to Keenan. He took a few slashes and moved it to Duncan on the wing, and then Duncan scored the fast break goal to win it for us. It was the very first play of overtime. It was incredible.”
Rider grabbed three goals and five assists in the victory, while senior Cormac Kline scored five goals. Freshman Clark Burleson added three goals and two assists, while junior Cooper Strecker supplied three assists. Pindar dished two assists, and senior Jackson Bisson scored a goal and won two face-offs. Costanzo won 12 draws, and senior captain Axel Johnson made nine saves in net.
In the Warriors’ road win over Old Lyme, things looked a bit more dire at halftime. Valley went up 4-1 after the first quarter, but then was down 7-4 by the end of the half. Again, the Warriors were able to come from behind to tie the score 11-11 and force an overtime frame. It took longer for Valley to claim the win in this instance, however.
“Against Old Lyme we came out strong against them in the first quarter. We led by three goals after the first quarter. Then after the second quarter, we were down 7-4, but we rallied back,” Persico said. “It was a great offensive game for both teams. Old Lyme is really strong, and they had the ball for half of the overtime. We held them to no goals. We got the ball down the field, and Cormac Kline scored the goal for us with 1:30 left in overtime.”
Kline came up huge in the overtime period, but he also supplied six goals and an assist in the victory. Rider provided three goals and five assists, while Burleson had a goal and an assist. Bisson won eight draws and added two goals. Strecker had a pair of assists, and Pindar provided one assist. Costanzo won six face offs and supplied and assist, while Weston Belisle added an assist. Johnson made 14 saves at goalie.
In tight games like the Warriors’ had last week, solid leadership can be the difference between triumph and crumbling under the pressure. Luckily, Valley has three capable captains in senior Tommy Burch, Johnson, and Rider to help keep the team even-keeled during those tense moments.
“They’ve been key components. They contribute a lot to the team. They bring us up at practice and they compose us in games when we’re down to help bring us back for the win,” said Persico. “Tommy’s able to bring the team together as one. He’s a friendly kid who’s always there for everyone, he’s one of our best defensive poles. He leads the defense along with Axel in the goal. He’s a great kid who really knows his lacrosse. Duncan is a huge offensive player. He’s been insane as a junior. You don’t see many junior captains. He’s also our assist leader.”
The Warriors’ attack has been impressive this year led by Kline, who leads the team in goals with 43 on the season with Rider behind him at 35 goals and 45 assists. Also logging some minutes up top is surprising freshman Burleson with 16 goals and 12 assists.
“Kline is the leading goal-scorer in the state. He had to miss a few games early, but he’s came back and contributed really well to the team,” said Persico. “Clark Burleson doesn’t have a lot a size, but he manages to fit into his role really well. He scores goals and gets assists. He’s a great team player.”
In the midfield, the Warriors have Pindar, Bisson, and Costanzo. Between Bisson and Costanzo, Valley has its face-offs on lock.
“In the midfield we’ve got Keenan Pindar, who’s a star midfielder for us. Bisson is our main faceoff man, and he’s doing really well,” said Persico. “Ben Costanzo is also a great face off guy. He doesn’t have a ton of goals, but face-off wise, he’s killing it. Face-offs are very important. They determine who has the fast break and possession. They have been determining the games for us.”
The Warriors also have a capable group of defenders. Of course, defense extends beyond just those in the backfield. Possession can be wrested from an opponent anywhere on the field.
“They figure out what we need to work on so that we can stop the opposing offense. One of our biggest leaders in the backfield is Tommy Burch. We also have Reese Whitney. He’s a great kid and great defenseman that can hang with anyone in the Shoreline,” Persico said. “Tate Ingram can really run and pokes the ball free of people’s sticks. Weston’s also a great long pole for us. He goes into the game in tight situations force the best players to move the ball because he has a big check. Another senior is Jack Daley, who’s a first-year defensive player. He has a loud voice on the defense surprisingly, and he has one of the loudest voices on the sideline.”
Coach Persico has championship experience as he was part of the Valley’s 2017 Shoreline Conference Championship winning squad. Persico sees some similarities between that team and the current iteration of the Warriors.
“I think we’re very well-rounded. We have a few flaws, but both sides work with each other and bring each other up. It’s amazing to see as a coach. They really motivate each other to do the best that they can,” said Persico. “I see the defense and offense working together as a winning squad similarly to our team in 2017. Offensively, they are moving the ball, and the defense is talking and getting the ball away from the other team’s scorers. The captains are very positive and always there for the team. The kids are doing a great job, especially the first year players finding their roles. It’s really just a great group of kids. I couldn’t be more fortunate as a coach.”