The John Jay varsity lacrosse team couldn’t be any more excited than they are for their 2017 season. This year, they are seeking one thing: beating their biggest cross-town rival: Yorktown High School. In the past 12 years, the Indians are 1-15 against the Corn Huskers. Yorktown is known to be THE powerhouse lacrosse team in Section 1 that everyone is looking to take down. But after decades of close games and an intense rivalry, nobody is more hungry than the Indians.

Last year, the Indians lost twice to the Huskers, once at home along with a heartbreaking loss to end their season in the Section Championship. In order for John Jay to rebound against Yorktown, the hard work starts now. The team has been training together ever since early September. The cravings for winning this historic rivalry doesn’t only run in the player’s blood, but the team as a whole. Like coach Daniello said at the first practice, “Boys, it’s time to dig deep and see who really wants it. I’m tired of losing to these guys. Let’s make a name for ourselves this year.” Hopefully this encouragement will push the team on top of this years matchup.

A large majority of the team will be returning this spring. However, the Indians will be losing two of their top players. Midfielders Hunter Keech (Fairfield University) and Matt Lupinacci (Colgate University) will certainly be missed in the spring. As previous commanders of the offense, there are open spots on the starting lineup. This years senior captains, Jackson Rieger (Binghamton University) and Josh Rubin, are the top contenders for the spots that Keech and Lupinacci left open. They just have to deal with the stacked junior class. Leading the offense are Tommy Beeby (Delaware University) and Jack Gorman (Fairfield University), who are threats to opposing defenses. The “sleepers” in the 2018 offensive class, such as midfielder Patrick Horan and dynamic attack duo Charlie Horan and Matty Lee, are also shifty players around the goal. In addition, the sophomore Ford twins (Dean and Bryce), who had a large impact last year on the varsity team as freshman, are seeking nothing but blockbuster performances this season. All of these players have will have high expectations for the spring. Defensively, we might be looking at the best defensive unit to come out of John Jay. Goalie Shahe Katchadurian (Syracuse) is widely considered a top 5 goalie in the nation and is the definition of a nightmare for shooters. Lockdown D men Braden Burke (Duke) and Thor Adamec (Colgate) are the heart and soul of the defense.

The boys of John Jay lacrosse have come up short too many times to be called “section champions.” This year, the squad has a little extra fire in them to do whatever it takes to get the job done and be crowned champions once again. The schedule is as tough as it can get, but the boys are up for the challenge. Junior midfielder Patrick Horan can sum it all up in just a couple words: “gotta beat Y-Town!!!”

Expect to hear big things this spring.