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07/20/2017 12:00 AMPJ Saracino is a prime example of how an athlete can progress tremendously between seasons if he or she is willing to put in the extra effort. Last spring, PJ had a solid showing in his first year as a varsity starter for the North Haven boys’ lacrosse squad. However, after hitting the weight room and competing throughout the offseason, PJ came back bigger, faster, and stronger, and put together an incredible senior campaign, while helping the Indians have one of their best years in program history.
PJ finished the season with 43 goals and 20 assists for North Haven, which won 15 games and advanced to the semifinals of the Class M State Tournament. PJ’s performance yielded several accolades, including a spot on the Coaches Class M All-State First Team, as well as the All-SCC Second Team. On top of that, Head Coach Eric Bailey presented PJ with the Indians’ Most Improved Player Award for his immense progression on the field.
“No one deserved it more than PJ Saracino,” says Bailey. “It all reverts back to putting in time in the weight room, taking extra shots when we weren’t practicing, and playing in the offseason. He just did all the right things...PJ has grown exponentially as a lacrosse player the last two years.”
PJ started playing lacrosse in the North Haven youth ranks as a 4th grader and instantly fell in love with the fast pace of the game. In the summer before 7th grade, PJ joined Team 203, a Premier program that features top players from the area and competes against elite clubs from around the nation. PJ says being part of that squad played a huge role in his development and, as an added bonus, he also got to work alongside Coach Bailey with Team 203, which later became Team Connecticut.
“It definitely helped me. We pretty much played against the best. We played teams from all over,” PJ says. “In the spring season, you get used to playing kids from Cheshire, Shelton, Xavier, but in these tournaments, we were playing against kids I’ve never seen from throughout the country, and everyone is a good player. So to have to play against the best helped me always stay on my game and try to do as well as I could.”
PJ had always sought a starting position with North Haven, and he capitalized on that chance while primarily playing the crease last season. PJ was unfamiliar with that role, but he fared well when it came to catching and shooting the ball after finding an opening near the net.
This year, PJ moved to a dodging attacker’s position, where his mission was to outmaneuver defenders and then either strike for a goal or dish it off to one of his teammates. While PJ was happy to fill either role, he felt more comfortable dodging the opposition, and his 63 points certainly reinforced that notion, along with his All-Conference, All-State, and Most Improved Player distinctions.
“I am so happy with the way it went. I can only attribute it to the work I put in and the coaches I’ve had over the years, especially Coach Bailey and [North Haven assistant coach John Climie],” says PJ. “I’ve known them for almost all of my lacrosse career, and they always told me how I should practice, hit the wall in the offseason, and do things other kids may not be doing that might help me get better. It feels so good to look back and think that I was able to achieve the goals I set for myself...Without a doubt, that was the way I wanted to go out. I was honored to be given those accolades. It felt great. My senior year was, by far, something that I will never forget. It was awesome. It really was.”
PJ earned another honor in the Whitie Bensen Sportsmanship Award, which went to two boys and two girls from the New Haven and Fairfield areas based on an essay they wrote describing who inspires them the most. PJ picked his parents, Peter and Jenn.
PJ has additionally been inspired by his North Haven teammates and, together, they furthered the Indians’ emergence as one of the best squads in the state by helping the Indians have a year to remember in 2017.
“This year, without a doubt, we believed in ourselves. We knew we would be successful and do well, but honestly, nobody else thought we could...After last year, people thought we would drop off, but we went farther than we ever had in program history, making it to the semifinals and finishing with a 15-4 record,” says PJ. “We knew the talent we had and worked very hard in the season and the offseason, and our coaches worked their butts off to get us prepared for each game and every practice. It was a great effort by all of us.”
Although he’s completed his tenure at North Haven, PJ will continue his lacrosse career at Division II Georgian Court University in New Jersey next year. The men’s lacrosse coach saw PJ play in a summer tournament and, after he visited the school, PJ knew that it was the right place for him.
“I’ve wanted to play in college ever since I started. I love it so much that I wanted to continue in college, and I ended up there,” PJ says. “I really loved the school. The coach was awesome, the guys were really nice, and I felt like a part of the team when I was just there as a recruit. It was something I really enjoyed, and I can see myself playing at a place like that. There was a sense of family that drew me in, and I’m so excited to go there and play.”