South Side a work in progress

Eager to turn the page on a lost 2020 season to the pandemic, South Side is working through some inconsistencies as it navigates a challenging Nassau Conference I boys’ lacrosse schedule.

Experienced at attack and growing on the defensive side, the Cyclones opened with a wild 15-14 defeat to Syosset, a Class A team, and split their next four games, including an 8-6 victory over fellow Class B contender Long Beach.

“It’s a deep conference and every team has had its challenges,” South Side coach Steve DiPietro said. “We’re a work in progress. We have a lot of guys who haven’t played in two years and missed out on getting varsity experience last spring. And with the schedule the way it is, it doesn’t allow for a lot of evaluation and practice time.”

Each of the seven Class B teams in Conference I will qualify for the playoffs, along with the top ‘B’ finisher in Conference II. “Our next five games will determine a lot, including playoff seeding,” DiPietro said. “I want to see us become more fluid on offense and take some pressure off the defense. We’re very talented up front and we’re more dangerous when we’re moving the ball and our feet well.”

The starting attack consists of seniors TJ Sheehan, JohnJude Considine and Matt Melkonian. All three will play at the next level, with Sheehan, a 2019 Honorable Mention All-County selection, headed to the University of Denver. He scored four goals in the season-opening loss to Syosset and is South Side’s offensive quarterback from behind the cage, DiPietro said.

Considine quarterbacked the football team to the playoffs and moved to attack after contributing as a midfielder as a sophomore. He totaled six points (four goals) in the Cyclones’ first win of 2021 — 14-4 over East Meadow on May 10. Melkonian was an All-County running back who brings the same athleticism and hard-nosed aggressiveness to the lacrosse field. A lefty who also made the move from midfield, he opened the campaign with a pair of goals against Syosset.

Setting the tone in the midfield is senior Thomas Kelly, who has an All-Conference season under his belt, and junior Brady West, a highly skilled player who’s committed to Loyola. Kelly has a non-stop motor and effort that’s “off the charts,” DiPietro said, and West is considered one of the top juniors on all of Long Island. West had three goals and two assists in the victory over Long Beach. Junior Andrew Meindl is a key two-way contributor, while senior Thomas Haggerty and freshman Michael Melkonian have handled faceoff responsibilities.

Junior Luke Schwartzberg has been exceptional at long pole in the early going, assisting a revamped defense headed by seniors Matt Lozito and Chris Erickson and junior Patrick Erickson. In goal, sophomore Tommy Gentile has been a bright spot and no stranger to making acrobatic saves, DiPietro said.

The Cyclones renew their rivalry with Garden City this Friday at home at 3 p.m.