HIGHLAND — With her left leg elevated and plastic bags serving as a makeshift raincoat to protect the cast, Amelia DelForno sat in a wheelchair on the sideline, paying little mind to the weather and cheering vigorously.
“I really wish I could be out there with them,” the Highland senior said. “I feel like I can’t do enough to help.”
But she’s done plenty, her girls lacrosse teammates insisted.
“She can’t play, but she’s really stepped into that captain role and been a leader,” Quinn Ahrenholz said. “The dedication she has to the team is amazing.”
DelForno has attended practices and every game she can, despite being hobbled by an injury suffered in the preseason. Her spirit and encouragement have helped lift the team, coach Ian Becker said.
And her presence at their May 9 game came just hours after being discharged from the hospital following surgery to repair the torn meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament in her knee.
“There was no way I could miss this,” said DelForno, who was assisted on the field by Franklin D. Roosevelt football star Peyton McFarland. “They’ve got a chance to do something special and I want to be as involved as I can.”
She was delighted as Highland again showed that potential to be special, rolling to an 11-5 victory over Cornwall, a defending Section 9 champion.
Logan VanZandt had six goals and an assist and Ahrenholz had four goals and two assists to lead the Huskies, who dominated in the opening seven minutes and were never threatened.
The game preceded a celebration of their four seniors, DelForno, Rachel Branda, Danica Valente and Kelcey Whalen. It also served as a Stick it to Cancer fundraiser, which collected more than $1,400 to be donated to the American Cancer Society. The cause, Becker said, was partially inspired by Alexandra Carey’s dad, who succumbed to the disease in 2023.
Carey, Raegan DeVall and Sarah Marchena each had an assist, and Whalen added a goal and two caused turnovers for Highland (9-4). Whalen, alongside Valente, Hope Williams and Emily Berean, also anchored a defense that seldom allowed Cornwall to drive off the perimeter and create high-percentage shots.
Garand Cockburn made nine saves, including a point-blank stop to protect an 8-4 lead with 1:22 remaining in the third quarter.
“This was a big win for us because of who they are, and the fact we hadn’t beaten them in a long time,” VanZandt said of Cornwall, which beat Highland in the regular season last spring en route to reaching the Class B regional semifinals. “It makes us believe we’re good enough to compete against good teams.”
Really, it’s further evidence of the Huskies being one of those good teams.
Highland came bitterly close to winning its first section title last year but was nipped in overtime, losing for a second straight season to rival James I. O’Neill in the Class D final. This spring, players said, is their run at redemption.
They’ll be tested next Thursday when they visit O’Neill in a meeting that could determine the No. 1 seed in their playoff bracket. Remembering well the heartbreaks, VanZandt said, “we want this win so bad.”
The Huskies graduated some standouts, including Leah Klotz and Caitlin Becker who now play collegiately, but they were fortunate to return a talented young core.
“I think Logan and I have made a 180-degree rotation,” said Ahrenholz, a freshman midfielder. She and the sophomore VanZandt are prolific offensively. “We’ve gotten so much better with our dodging, ball handling and decision-making. We’ve put in so much extra work, it’s crazy.”
Well, maybe not a full “180,” because those two also starred last season. But they certainly have improved. Both eclipsed 100 career goals in a win over North Salem on Saturday.
“She’s done it all,” Ian Becker said of Ahrenholz, who won six draws and forced two turnovers. “She knows how to read the defense, when to pass, when to drive.”
VanZandt is also a basketball standout and, the coach said, her athleticism and the ability to run the lacrosse equivalent of pick-and-rolls and give-and-go plays enables her to excel as a dual threat. She and Ahrenholz connect well on quick feeds off cuts, often setting up one-timer shots.
They’ve been complimented by a solid cast, including Carey, Annabella Bruschetti and DeVall, along with an experienced defense.
“Our communication and chemistry are good,” VanZandt said. “We work well together.”
Adding to it, the turf field at Highland High School has allowed the team to better utilize its speed. The Huskies played for years on a grass surface at the district middle school, and they were overjoyed when the new field was completed last fall.
“We love the turf; it’s so much better,” Ahrenholz said. “I think it probably makes an impression on opponents, too. Teams come in like, ‘Oh, wow, they have a really nice field. They must be good.’”
The results concur.
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Girls lacrosse: VanZandt, Ahrenholz lead Highland to statement win over Cornwall
Reporting by Stephen Haynes, Poughkeepsie Journal / Poughkeepsie Journal
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