With his Wolf Pac winning two of their last three, Mahopac coach Jon Bota believes Mahopac (6–4 overall, 5–4 in Section 1) has done enough against a rugged Class B slate to earn a top-five or top-six seed when the playoffs open May 22.
The formula is familiar and the timing is everything. As Bota put it, the old adage still rings true: teams want to be playing their best lacrosse in late May. If Mahopac continues trending upward – tightening defensively, finishing possessions, leaning on its veteran core and getting some good run from its rookies – a run to the Section 1 Final Four is hardly a stretch.
In fact, it feels like the natural ceiling for a group that has shown flashes of being able to contend with anyone in the bracket. We’ll know for sure by May 5, when Mahopac visits state-ranked (No. 6) Yorktown, the current Class B favorite.
In a 16–5 win at Harrison on April 29, junior LSM Ryan LaRue (2G, 6A, 4CT) notched a career-high eight points during an unforgettable day.
“That game felt great, everything was just clicking,” LaRue said. “We’ve definitely got big goals – Final Four is the expectation, but we’re aiming even higher than that. Just taking it one game at a time and trying to keep building one day at a time.”
The freakish freshman, Landon Saracco, also had a career-best six-point effort, scoring five times and setting up another.
“I’m really proud of how our offense is coming together as a team,” the rookie Saracco said. “Ryan LaRue was finding me all game and his assists made it possible for me to finish like I did, but this was truly a full team effort. Everyone is working hard, trusting each other and putting the team first. We’ve been improving each game, and it’s exciting to see how our chemistry on offense continues to grow.”
Meanwhile, Wolf Pac veterans senior Gavin O’Keefe (4G) and junior Liam Jones (3G) continued to fill the nets. Connor Behun (2A), Tommy Vitello and Patrick Stirpe each bagged a goal, while Bobby Egan and Jake Bally each set up a tally. Kevin Feeley and Colin Jedlica combined for 14 saves between the pipes, while defenders Jack Egan (4CT), Sully Hunter (2CT) and James Healy (3CT) did the necessary dirty work against the Huskies (6–5).
On April 24, the Wolf Pac had a chance to make some hay against Class C state-ranked (No. 9) heavyweight John Jay-Cross River, but despite a five-point effort from Behun (3G, 2A), host Mahopac came up short in an 8–6 setback. O’Keefe (2G, 1A), Stirpe (1G) and Saracco (1A) also contributed to the offense, while Feeley notched 12 saves.
Leading up to that loss, the Wolf Pac posted a 9–6 triumph over visiting Tappan Zee on April 21, when O’Keefe (2G, 3A) delivered a five-point effort. Behun (2G, 1A), Jones (2G, 1A), Stirpe (2G, 1A) and Saracco (1G, 1A) all scored multiple points, while LaRue (2CT, 3GB), Jack Egan (2CT, 4GB) and Healy (4GB) stood tall in front of Feeley (10 saves).
After Yorktown, the Wolf Pac will host Briarcliff on May 7 before visiting Pelham (May 11) and state-ranked (No. 22) Horace Greeley on May 13.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here