CLASS C
Rye earns another opportunity to make history
MIDDLETOWN – Next!
Rye finished with a flourish and dispatched Highland in a NYSPHSAA Class C regional championship Saturday at Middletown, posting a 19-3 win.
The Garnets got back on the bus with more hardware in hand, knowing what lies ahead.
Rye is one win shy of playing for another state title and will be coming back Thursday for a showdown against Wantagh in the East Semifinal.
Getting past the Long Island champion has been a nagging issue.
“It’s just extra motivation, the opportunity to make history,” senior midfielder Henry Gilroy said. “Obviously, we’ve never made it past that game, so that’s motivating, too. We’re going to get after it this week.”
This game is unique.
Section 1 is typically a heavy favorite and it’s human nature to hold back a little knowing what’s coming next. That explains the choppy start. Luke Weise had the Huskies up 2-1 four minutes in, but Rye answered with a seven-goal run.
It was a 10-3 after Max Niejadlik pushed the pace and found brother Will for a transition goal shortly before halftime.
After giving up the early goals, the Garnets defense wasn’t messing around.
“There might be times when the offense isn’t clicking, so it’s definitely important for us to show up and keep us in games,” said Max Niejadlik, a sophomore long stick midfielder. “It comes down to practice. We take every practice like were in a game. Playing against this offense with a lot of committed players, they get us better and we get them better. That’s iron sharpening iron.”
Rye continued to pull away in the second half. Henry Shoemaker fed Eddie Fernandes with 3:10 to go in the third quarter to make it a 15-3 cushion and keep the clock running.
Box score
Rye (15-5): Henry Shoemaker 1G, 4A; Will Niejadlik 3G, 2A; Charlie Brady 4G, 1A; Carson Miller 2G; Henry Gilroy 1G; Thomas Goldszer 1G; J.P. Treacy 1G; Jack Loguidic 3G, 1A; Eddie Fernandes 2G; Colin Nigro 1A; Nigel Strazzini 1G; Teddy Higgins 1A; Max Nejadlik 1A; Sam Scully 1G; Wilson Redd 1A, 16/20FO; Sam Lamonte 10S; Quinn McGill 1S.
Highland (16-2): Logan Davis 1G; Luke Wiese 2G; Mark Cureton 1A; Justin Caballero 16S.
CLASS B
Yorktown rolls into East Semifinal with routine win over Cornwall
MIDDLETOWN – Yorktown is big on routine.
The early start did not alter the usual approach or change the expectations. Brady Sheriden got the Huskers going with a goal in the opening minutes of a methodical 18-5 win over Cornwall in a NYSPHSAA Class B regional final Saturday at Middletown High School and it was same old, same old from there.
“We always knew we were going to be here,” senior defender Nick D’Andria said. “It’s part of the journey. Everything is the same, honestly, it’s a little different in terms of getting up and getting on a bus but the mentality is the same. We were locked in, listening to the same music, the same speeches. We’re just keeping it going.”
Yorktown is coming back Thursday to play in the NYSPHSAA East Semifinal against Manhasset at 4 p.m.
It’s the second final four appearance in three years for some in this group. The Huskers fell to South Side in 2024 and have not celebrated a state playoff win over the Long Island champion since 2017 when they beat Garden City in a 5-4 overtime thriller.
There were some turnover issues early in this game before the goals began to find the back of the net.
“Yeah, we have to stay more composed,” senior midfielder Gianluca Marchini said. “We can’t get think too highly of ourselves. We have to play lacrosse just like we always do.”
Yorktown was strong on defense and Tommy Carney netted three goals before halftime, building a 9-2 lead at the break. J.T. Carney had four goals after the intermission, pushing the game toward running time.
Pregame hype for next week’s matchup between two if the marquee programs in New York with a state championship berth on the line will not be necessary.
“My sophomore year we were up big (against South Side) and lost the game,” Marchini added. “We had too many penalties. “That’s something we’ve really worked on, being more composed as a team so that if we do get into a situation where a team makes a run on us we’re able to come back from it.”
Box score
Yorktown (16-4): Brady Sheridan 1G, 1A; Aidan Concannon 1G; Danny Weissman 1A; Tommy Carney 4G, 1A; Frankie Ofrias 3G; Vinny Marchini 1G, 1A; Cooper Constantine 1A; Gianluca Marchini 2G, 1A; Jayden Tyndal 1G, 1A; J.T. Carney 4G, 2A; Ryan Fastiggi 1G; Tyler Caricati 1A, 17/27FO; Hunter Mezzatesta 13S; Dom DeBellis 2S.
Cornwall (15-3): Jayden Saraceno 2G, 1A; Brock Suby 1G; Kyle Rose 1G; Danny Sullivan 1A; Matt Argenio 1G; Slav Mishkovski 13S.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Yorktown, Rye cruise into state boys lacrosse semifinals
Reporting by Mike Dougherty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Mike Dougherty, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
