2022 HERALD High School Lacrosse Preview
CALHOUN Colts aim for county finals By GARRETT D. URIBE
T
he Calhoun boys’ lacrosse team took matters into its hands this offseason. Feeling a breakthrough had come within reach, Colts players petitioned coach Jim Femminella for extra team workouts through summer, fall and winter. The 11thyear skipper – whose club finished fourth at 6-7 in Nassau Conference B last spring and lost a 12-9 shootout to rival South Side in the Class A quarterfinals – happily obliged. “Since our playoff loss, we
Alex Vieni
8 — April 14, 2022
haven’t stopped training,” said Femminella, whose team resumes Conference B action. “Basically, we had all first-year players last season, who couldn’t get together last offseason. They wanted to work. They feel they can be special this year. And I agree.” The Colts, and their coach, may be on to something. Calhoun had the league’s second-leading offense, averaging 11.2 goals per game, paced by All-County attackman Alex Vieni’s 28 goals and 18 assists. “Alex is our offensive leader,” Femminella said. “We expect big things from him again.” Senior Jonathan Lewis and junior teammate Peter Thomann got All-County nods at midfield. Lewis was fourth in Nassau winning 65 draws, while long pole Thomann led the county with 17 caused turnovers, and was third in Nassau with 50 ground balls. “Jonathan’s great facing off, and just a great player,” Femminella said. “Peter’s able to take the ball away from his opponent.” Defensively Calhoun returns its entire starting unit – save for one rather key piece. Junior Sahrdul Singh, a backup last spring, and sophomore newcomer Mark Restivo will vie to start at goalkeeper – the edge in camp going to Singh, who started between the pipes last postseason. Junior Matt Araneo and seniors Joe Sorok and Anthony Cunha will resume starting duties on Calhoun’s back line. “We’re looking to be aggressive,” Femminella said. “We feel we can be in the county finals, which Calhoun hasn’t done since 1986.”
Tougher tests on tap for Calhoun The Colts basked in the stunning glow of a black-swan breakout last season – bursting from a multi-year sub-.500 funk to claim the Conference 3 crown at 13-1
(14-2 overall), as the league’s best offense carried Calhoun to the Class B semifinals, where the Colts finally fell to eventual Long Island Class B Champion Garden City. In one sense the Colts may have burned too brightly – not as a one-and-done supernova, but because they wound up playing themselves into the super-stacked Conference 2 this spring. Senior scoring leader Maggie Araneo (56 points) – who had three five-goal games and a trio of hat tricks in earning All-County honors last season – returns to start a fifth year at attack as Calhoun brings its act to the next level. “The challenge now is staying grounded, keeping our sights on success in the playoffs,” said fourth-year coach Melissa Rohr. “Last year we won almost every game, some by blowouts. We know this year we won’t have that; we’ll be playing very talented teams. But that’s exactly where we want to be, in more competitive, higher-level games.” Senior Olivia Correa – second on Calhoun with 39 points – and fellow All-Conference selection Sofia Mescolotto (junior, 34 points) round out Calhoun’s attack. An aggressive, athletic lefty, Correa lends Calhoun’s firepower symmetry, and will bounce between attack and midfield, as will Mescolotto, while sophomore Shannon Lewis (33 points) is a rising and potent fourth scorer. At the back end, All-Conference senior Olivia Perrone heads a mostly new Colts defense, with senior goalkeeper Emma Guzowski attaining starter status after backing up All-County goalie Lauren Boldis (Scranton University, PA) for three seasons, and senior defender Isabella Cespedes set to start a first year on varsity. “We ‘ll have new faces,” Rohr said. “But it’s a cohesive group. We’re focusing on playing for May, and getting ready for a playoff run.”
HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE PREVIEW
Maggie Araneo
Conference Schedules March
BOYS
31
Garden City
4:45 p.m.
13 27
@ Mepham Baldwin
4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m.
4 6 11 14 17
@ Herricks Carey @ MacArthur @ Roslyn Long Beach
April May
March
5:00 p.m. 4:45 p.m. 7:00 p.m. 11:00 a.m. 4:45 p.m.
GIRLS
26 30
Farmingdale Carle Place
1 6 11 25 30
@ Oceanside Seaford @ Bethpage @ Port Washington Lynbrook
4 9
@ Locust Valley 4:30 p.m. @ Friends Academy 5:00 p.m.
April
May
10:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:45 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 1:00 p.m.
Photos by Ron Manfredi
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