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Mostly Cloudy Carey lacrosse stays in shape over summer
School’s first-ever traveling lacrosse team completes season, 4-7-2
The H. Frank Carey High School’s first-ever traveling boys’ lacrosse team — comprised of 20 9th, 10th and 11th-graders — competed throughout the state this summer, completing its season with a 4-7-2 record. The team was initiated by Tom Aiello and Anthony Tufano, head varsity coaches at Carey, and played 13 games this summer, including two local tournaments at SUNY Farmingdale and Hofstra University, and the Tri-State Tournament, which was held in New Jersey.
The Carey traveling team is the only traveling lacrosse team in the Sewanhaka Central High School District.
Despite having the opportunity to attend local lacrosse camps, in order to stay conditioned during the summer, Aiello and Tufano, who coach the lacrosse at Carey during the regular season, decided to create a traveling team. Practice began in early June, and ended in mid-July.
Jonathan Hegler, 21, head coach of the Seahawk lacrosse traveling team, who previously played lacrosse at Carey and currently attends Providence College, said that the summer league helped the team improve for the regular season. “I am looking forward to next spring, when they take the skills they learned this summer and implement them into their own personal games in the spring on the junior varsity or varsity level,” said Hegler, who coached along with Chris Spillane plays, a friend and former Carey lacrosse teammate, who currently attends Manhattan College — where he plays Division 1 lacrosse.
Hegler and Spillane, who were both coached by Aiello and Tufano and graduated in 2008, coached many members of the Seahawks traveling team when they were fourth-graders, playing lacrosse as part of the local Police Athletic League.
“It has been nice to see them not only develop into better lacrosse players, but better people,” Hegler said.
Spillane, who said that he hopes to become a full-time coach in the future, agreed. “They are a great bunch of kids, with two being family,” Spillane said. “There is a great deal of athletic potential with this group. I could not resist the chance to help to develop these kids at the sport I love ... I can’t wait for the chance to coach them again this summer.”
Hegler said that he expects the Sewahawks boys’ lacrosse team to travel again next summer. He and Spillane also hope to coach again next year. The team’s regular season will begin in March.
