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Sports

Spring Sports Preview: Boys and Girls Lacrosse

West boys, ranked among the nation's best, leads the way in local lacrosse.

West Boys Lacrosse

Nationally ranked in the top 20 in several polls, the Bulls will be gunning for their first Suffolk County championship since 2003, led by one of the top attacks in the country.

Senior co-captain Kyle Keenan, a three-time All-County and second-team All-Long Island player bound for Duke University, led the Bulls with 93 points last season and will combine with juniors James Pannell and Matt Schultz for a potent front line. Pannell, another three-time All-County, is verbally committed to Virginia, while Schultz has done the same with Cornell.

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Senior co-captains Jordan Stevens (defense) and Brendan Madarasz (long pole midfielder), are two more All-County players at the core of this talented club. Senior Evan Schlicht joins Stevens in the back and is headed to Cortland. Senior Ryan Joseph, junior Alex Dodge and sophomore Dylan Gruder will start at midfield. Junior Ryan Adler will be in goal, after starting 10 games as a sophomore in 2010.

West opened the season with its annual tilt against Garden City — ranked second in the nation — losing, 6-2; West followed that with a 16-2 win over William Floyd. West coach Sean Keenan said if the Bulls are going to beat out Ward Melville, West Islip or Sachem North for the county title, games like the one against Garden City are invaluable. “You get better playing against better talent,” he said, noting that the Bulls lost to the Trojans by a goal last season. “It should be a great game.”

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East Boys Lacrosse

East was ranked ninth in Suffolk County Class A in the preseason, thanks to a strong senior class featuring 10 players, according to coach Jason Lambert.

“We have a mix of older and younger [players] on the roster,” said Lambert, noting that the Bulls will also have 16 freshmen and 10 sophomores on the squad of 34.

East will be led by senior co-captains Ryan Desimone and Cole Andersen. Desimone is a four-year varsity starter, an attack/midfielder who scored 56 points (36 goals) as a junior. The 2010 UnderArmour Underclassmen All-American is the team’s returning points leader and is headed to Villanova.

Andersen, another four-year varsity player, was selected to wear No. 44 in honor of legendary coach/alumnus Kevin Huff. Andersen, another attack/midfielder, scored 25 points (12 goals) as a junior and will play more attack this season, while taking faceoffs. “He will be on the field all the time,” Lambert said.

East split its first two games of the season, a 14-6 win over Rocky Point, and an 8-5 loss to Connetquot.

West Girls Lacrosse

West girls lacrosse coach Carie Bodo said her team’s theme in 2011 is “Youth on the Move,” thanks to a roster full of juniors and sophomores (19 in all), with just four seniors returning.

Key players include senior attack Kirsten Viscount, a fifth-year varsity player who should be one of the Bulls’ leading scorers. Junior midfielder Nicky Heldberg will use her speed to control the offensive transition, Bodo said. Sophomores Catherine Donaghy and Haley Dougherty will battle for playing time at goaltender.

“We are excited to see the potential growth and transformation of this team throughout the season, Bodo said.

West opened the season with a 15-6 loss to West Islip, but defeated Riverhead, 18-6.

East Girls Lacrosse

East has eight of its 12 starters returning from last season. That experience should help the Bulls achieve its goal of making the playoffs, according to coach Catherine Guerriere, who said East will “look to capitalize on our speed and talent in the midfield.”

Senior captains Shannon O’Connor, Katie Szabo and Alexis Annitto, with junior captain Nicole Daniggelis, form the core of the team. O’Connor is an All-Division midfielder who is headed to Division I Siena College. Daniggelis, an All-County honorable mention, will also contribute on offense, along with midfielder Liz Pellechi.

Szabo leads the defense, joined by sophomores Madison Annitto and Andie Turner. Ericka Parks, a second-year sophomore, will be in goal.

East started the season with a win, beating Pat-Med, 12-11.

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