Baldwin revamps defensive end

Baldwin snapped a two-year postseason drought in 2015 and reached the Nassau Class A boys’ lacrosse playoffs for the 12th time in 14 years. This spring, it’s all hands on deck for the Bruins, who have moderate numbers with 18 varsity players and a completely new defense.

“If we can beat the right teams, we should make the playoffs,” coach Rich Garguilo said. “We’re hoping to go on a run. I feel a month from now, we’ll be much better.”

The Bruins, ranked No. 7 in the 14-team Conference I, split their first two non-league games and had four more scheduled to prepare for the April 12 conference opener at Herricks. Chris Baker, Dylan Ferguson, David Garcia and Dan Palazzano had two goals apiece to lead a 10-3 victory over Bellmore-JFK to get the season off on a winning note. An 11-6 loss to Long Beach followed.

“I was pleased with how we played against Bellmore,” Garguilo said. “Against Long Beach, we had our moments but we were 0-for-6 on the man-up and gave up two shorthanded goals.”

Getting a rebuilt defense to jell sooner as opposed to later is one of the keys to Baldwin’s season. Senior captain Steve Odom and junior Michael Conforti lead the back row. “Both of those guys are agile enough to be long poles in the midfield,” Garguilo said. “They’re very athletic. One will be up top and the other down low.” Sophomores Malcolm Bell and Jordan Arbovel are up from the JV, and senior Jackson Randolph and Isiah Dennis will also contribute.

The program history of strong goaltending is expected to continue, Garguilo said, with sophomore Jared Tiong-Smith taking over the job. “He’s a very good athlete with good hands and he’s already taken on a leadership role,” Garguilo said. “He’s vocal and confident. He doesn’t play like a first-year varsity starter. He’s not intimidated by the moment.”

The midfield has a healthy amount of varsity experience, led by Palazzano, a senior who excels scooping up groundballs, and Garcia, a sophomore who takes the majority of face-offs. Palazzano is a leader who’s being counted on to chip in offensively, and Garguilo said Garcia will hardly come off the field. Senior Steven Dolsky steps into a bigger role, senior Tim Langdon can be a factor on offense once he recovers from a back injury, and junior Marcus Brown is up from JV.

Up front, Baker, a senior, is quick and shifty. He creates scoring chances and will also see time in the midfield. Ferguson scored a bunch of goals as a freshman and so far has picked up where he left off. “Dylan has really worked on his shot,” Garguilo said. Junior Dan Pulis is a crafty left-hander who can finish in traffic and make things happen with his legs.

Baldwin’s toughest stretch comes April 19-May 3. It only has three games over the two-week span: home against Farmingdale, at Massapequa on April 26, and at East Meadow.