County title is a first for Quakers and their program
With fans wildly cheering from the sidelines, the Friends Academy Boys Varsity Lacrosse team kept rival Cold Spring Harbor at bay before ultimately beating them 9-4 to capture their first ever Class C Nassau County Championship.
Coach Brian Crocco credits the team’s offensive balance with their success in the championship game and throughout the 14-2 season. “What we have found all season is that while we do have a few serious impact players who contribute quite a bit to our offensive success, what has been most remarkable is that we have shared the scoring well, especially in big games. During the championship game, we had seven different goal scorers contribute for the win — two seniors, three juniors, and two sophomores. We have six guys with at least 20 points each this season, so in crucial situations we have found that any number of guys can make a play.”
Friends and Cold Spring Harbor played a tight game until the fourth quarter, with the Quakers leading 3-2 at the half and 5-4 at the end of the third. “In the third quarter we made some key defensive stops and in the fourth scored a few important goals to lengthen the lead,” said Coach Crocco. “Scoring two goals in the last moments of the second and third quarters was key for building momentum,” he added. Senior Chretien Teitelbaum’s (Upper Brookville) performance the whole game in goal helped Friends win the battle, especially in an eight-save third quarter. Junior Will Sands (Locust Valley) finished the game with three goals and four assists and his feeds to senior Liam Kearney (Bayville) and sophomore Pierce DellaFera (Lattingtown) at the end of the third quarter put the Quakers in a great position to win the fourth quarter — and the game.
The strong defense by Quaker midfielders limited Cold Spring Harbor’s ability to score as seniors Kyle Dineen (East Meadow), Will O’Kane (Lattingtown), Garrett Doran (Locust Valley) and juniors Brandon Yaraghi (Mill Neck) and Jon Nierenberg (Sands Point) played hard on Friends’ defensive half of the field. The team of close defensemen — senior Peter Picoli (Locust Valley), junior Austin Rossi (Oyster Bay) and junior Nick Chapman (Oyster Bay) — were asked to handle their individual matchups with little help, and performed admirably. “We have been graced with a terrific senior class, and their play and leadership has set a high standard for Friends’ future lacrosse teams,” said Crocco. “This is a championship for them, and for all the alumni that have helped make this program what it is today.”
