Kennedy's wins keyed by offense

Holding six straight playoff appearances under its belt, Kennedy has come out of the gates in 2013 swinging some potent lacrosse sticks. The Cougars won three of their five non-league matchups and scored at least 10 goals in each of the last four, including a 16-10 loss to North Shore last Friday and a 10-9 win over Bethpage on April 2. “It doesn’t matter who scores, just that we score,” coach Craig Papach said of his diverse offensive attack.

Senior midfielder Chris Racalbuto, a returning All-County honoree, scored a team-high four goals against the Vikings and more importantly, tallied the game-winning goal with just 3:09 left against the Golden Eagles. It was a small slice of revenge for Kennedy against a Bethpage team it lost to last season in the opening round of the Nassau Class AA playoffs. Five different Cougars scored in the win, the first-ever for the program over the Golden Eagles, including senior attack Dan Hartman, whose second goal of the game tied the score just 15 seconds before Racalbuto put Kennedy ahead for good. Senior attack Chris Jones, like Racalbuto a returning All-County performer, is also part of the high-powered attack and has 10 goals in the team’s last three games. Freshman Nico Racalbuto has also seen action at attack and scored a goal in three of the last four games.

“We have higher expectations than before and a super senior class,” Papach said.

The offensive side of the midfield is anchored by Racalbuto and junior Louis Cuttitta, with junior Michael Eddi also getting some run due to injuries to senior Troy Lampert and junior Michael Watson. Senior Ralph Faiella is back after garnering Honorable Mention All County honors, and although the long pole close defender is a stalwart on defense, he also has some nifty offensive moves with the stick, scoring three times against North Shore. “The ball is always on his stick,” Papach said. “He’s a super groundball guy and very good at creating transition offense.”

Kennedy returns its most experience on the defense with juniors Tom Ferner and Tyler Barnett both back at defensive midfield. Joining Faiella on the backline are seniors Brandon Klein and Nick DiGangi, both All-Conference returnees, as well as junior Joe Salvaggio, who saw some run at the varsity level last season. Sophomores Dom Albi and Logan Zoeppel are also part of the defensive mix.

Ian Morrison, the varsity backup goalie last season, has taken over the starter’s role as a junior, and varsity newcomer Noah Waltuch, also a junior, has gotten on the field as well.

The Cougars host Wantagh on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and travel to Long Beach for an April 17 battle also set to start at 4:30 p.m.

“Most of the seniors on the team have been up since their sophomore season,” Papach said, noting the large amount of returning experience and fact that hosting a playoff game last season was just the latest in a series of forward steps the program hopes to continue taking.