Freeport secures winning season

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Freeport’s boys’ lacrosse season produced quite the turnaround from last spring.

The Red Devils finished the 2023 campaign at 9-7 just a year removed from going 1-11. The eight win turnaround kept Freeport in the playoff hunt until the final game, which longtime coach Harry Mohrman hopes lays a winning foundation for the program going forward.

“I was very pleased with the way the season went,” said Mohrman, who just finished his 49th season on the Freeport sidelines. “Hopefully we can build on it.” 

Needing a win in its final to reach the Class AA playoffs, Freeport fell at Hicksville 15-8 on May 13. The Red Devils trailed 4-2 after the first quarter before Hicksville seized control in the second quarter with a 5-1 run to lead 9-3 at halftime. Senior midfielder Caleb Mann led the team with four goals in what proved to be his final game in a Freeport uniform.

Freeport positioned itself to stay in contention for the playoffs down the stretch after winning three-of-four games capped by a dominating 14-3 victory at Uniondale on May 2 paced by seven points from senior attackman Matthew Drayton on four goals and three assists. Jorden Richardson also shined with five points on two goals and three assists while Thomas Mertens recorded a hat trick 

Drayton ended his Red Devils’ career as one of the top scorers in Nassau County with 74 points on 44 goals and 30 assists. He tallied seven points in three games this season and six in five contests. 

“He is a very good athlete,” said Mohrman of Drayton, who was on varsity since his sophomore season in 2021. “He did a great job this season.”

Mann also ended his high school lacrosse strong with 38 goals including six in a 14-3 victory against Elmont on April 8. Mann emerged as an offensive leader for the Red Devils with Drayton after transferring to Freeport for his senior year from Long Island Lutheran. 

Mohrman graduates 19 seniors from his 29-deep roster and hopes the bulk of the remaining players will return in 2024 to keep momentum going. He is proud of his large senior class, who battled adversity as freshmen with a canceled 2020 season due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and an abridged sophomore campaign when high school sports returned. 

“They competed and we got the most out of all of them I believe,” Mohrman said. “It was a very cohesive team.” 

A change to the schedule this spring that featured a mix of smaller schools along with the Red Devils’ traditional; Conference I opponents proved positive and Mohrman hopes the same format remains in place next season. 

“We had a different schedule this year, which helped us tremendously where the competition was equal basically,” he said. “We did fine with that format, but we are still in Conference I which is a very tough conference.”