The Blue Wave Lacrosse Club, comprised of eighth-graders who live in Port Washington and Sands Point, won its first tournament championship at the Oyster Bay Fall Brawl Lacrosse Tournament held on Saturday, Nov. 12.
Members of the boys team have played together for the past eight years, but this club team has been around for under a year. One of the coaches, Kenny Shroyer, said, “What was so special about this tournament is that the boys were playing for one of their teammates, Chris Shroyer (also the son of the coach), who is a starting defenseman. Shroyer was recently diagnosed with leukemia and was unable to play. Luckily and through the fervor of his teammates and parents, Shroyer was able to be at the field and witness firsthand this exciting championship game victory. His attendance, along with great fan support, gave the boys all they needed to perform well.”
In the first game facing Hitman Lacrosse, the defense of Matt Morales, Briggs Capobianco, RJ Holt and goalie Sam Schamis, along with four goals from Billy Bryson, helped Blue Wave cruise to a 9-0 victory. The second game was a display of offensive efficiency. Nicky Papagalis and Jensen Weingard each had three goals while Jake Schorr and Teddy Steinberg each put in two goals. Other generators of offense included Sean Cassidy, Elijah Edmonds, Daniel Kates, Tommy Mascia and Sam Sanders, all of whom contributed to the 16-2 win.
The third and final game against E3 (East End Elite) was a nail biter, to say the least. With Nicky Papagalis winning most of his face-offs and some excellent clears from Jared Morales, Blue Wave was able to take the lead on a goal by Jensen Weingard with two minutes remaining in the game. The final score was 2-1 and afterwards the team circled around Chris for a final chant of “Chris Strong,” representing the orange ‘Chris Strong’ T-shirts and his battle against leukemia.
Congratulations coaches Ken Shroyer and David Schamis and the Blue Wave lacrosse team for a well-deserved win. Not only did it boost the team’s confidence and spirits, but helped lift Shroyer’s spirits immensely. The team, friends and family want to extend good thoughts and prayers to Chris for a speedy recovery and return to the field.
