Last year, Yorktown enjoyed a historic campaign, finishing 20-2 and winning its first sectional title since the program started in 2022.
The Huskers, as the No. 2 seed, defeated No. 1 Croton/Briarcliff/Hendrick Hudson 3-1 (25-12, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21) in the Section 1 Division 2 final at the Westchester County Center.
Yorktown’s season ended in pool play in Class AA at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) championships.
“I expect this year to be a rebuilding year and learning as much as we can,” said Yorktown coach TJ Pufahl, who’s entering his third year as the Huskers’ head coach after one year as assistant in 2023. “Losing three All-Section players (Justin Sek, Jack Brunner and Franklin Ringel) isn’t easy, but having 11 returning players is excellent since they now know what it feels like to win at the County Center. We have big shoes to fill and I think we can do it with our new talent as long as we stay focused on fundamentals and lift each other up even if we are down.”
Juniors opposite hitter Xavier Guzman and outside hitter Sid Shenoy are Yorktown’s top returnees, each coming off All-League campaigns.
“I expect them to lead by example whether we are winning or losing,” Pufahl said. “Score shouldn’t dictate how they play and I want them to lift others up, especially newer players, when we are down.”
Sophomore setter Connor Brady is one of Yorktown’s top newcomers.
“I expect him to learn a lot, get more experience with a faster paced game on varsity and to act as a leader on the court,” Pufahl said.
Another top newcomer is freshman outside hitter Autin Koenitzer.
“I expect him to be a ‘yes, coach’ kind of player and play wherever the team needs him to fill in,” Pufahl said. “As a freshman, he has less competitive experience, but his fundamental skills are excellent and he is a hard worker. I look forward to working with him for the next four seasons on varsity.”
Yorktown will start the season at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Carmel.
“Working on fundamentals, figuring out our new lineup and getting as many touches as possible,” Pufahl said on what will be the keys to getting the season off on the right foot. “We have some young guys that will need to step up, put their egos aside, and do what’s best for the team.”
Lakeland comes off a season where it earned its first-ever sectional victory, as the No. 6 seed, which was a 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-6, 25-19) triumph against visiting No. 11 Nyack in the opening round of the Section 1 Division 2 tournament, before falling to sister school, host No. 3 Walter Panas , 3-0 (22-25, 20-25, 25-27) in the quarterfinals.
Returning from that squad are Van Bui (setter, All-League, junior), Kevin Dominic (outside hitter, All-League, junior), Luke Numme (misc., junior), Tristan Almendral (defensive specialist, junior), Isaac Arias (middle blocker, junior), Erdin Dedushaj (outside hitter, junior), Sterling Graham (misc., junior), Joseph Kim (setter, sophomore), Jake Lynch (right-side hitter, sophomore), Darian Macias (defensive specialist, junior), Ben Mathew (defensive specialist, junior), and Logan Tolve (outside hitter, junior).
“I expect this group of returners to continue their growth from the past seasons,” said Lakeland coach Justin McCarthy, who has coached the Hornets in all five years of their existence. “We will be looking for some to step into more important roles this year. With no seniors on the roster, the our large junior class will all be asked to be leaders to the newer players.”
Elias Arias (misc., freshman), Matt Bartolotta (middle blocker, junior), Vince Belmonte (defensive specialist, junior), Alex Cuevas (defensive specialist, eighth grade), and Ryan Sattaur (middle blocker, freshman) are the newcomers.
“We will be looking for our newcomers to learn from our returners and hone their skills in order to find ways to help our team win,” McCarthy said. “They will all be fighting for court time throughout the year.”
McCarthy said that the goals for this season are to continue getting better each and every day.
“Over our first four years we have doubled our win total each year, finishing with our best record last year at 12-8 (regular season),” McCarthy said. “The goal is to increase on that total and advance as far into the sectional tournament as possible.”
Lakeland will start the season at home at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2 against Ossining.
The key to starting the season off on the right foot will be working hard during the first couple of weeks of practice, McCarthy said.
“Over half of this team has been on the team for multiple years and have seen the growth the program has made,” McCarthy said. “If we continue to build on everything we’ve down the past few years, the success will hopefully come with it.”
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