Thursday, October 1, 2026
North Shore boys lacrosse coach John Savage believes the Vikings are better than their current 3-6 record. And the former Nassau C.C. coach still feels the Sea Cliff/Glen Head school can be dangerous if it qualifies for the Class C playoffs.
The Vikings so far have ridden the rollercoaster, winning their season opener, 17-6, over Locust Valley before crashing into a six-game losing streak.
The losing skid coincided with losing prime-time faceoff man, Tyler Kaufman, to a wrist injury in the second game of the season versus Bethpage March 21. The good news is Kaufman will return late in the season and be ready for the playoffs if they get there.
The better news is North Shore has copped two straight games, routing Island Trees, 14-4, on April 16 and taking down St. Dominic’s, 10-4, last Friday.
The Vikings are led by senior captain sensation, Angelo Anobile, headed to Division III power Salisbury State.
“We feel we should’ve had two, three more wins,’’ Savage said. “We’re just starting to lock on both sides of the ball at the same time. A couple of games our offense played better than the defense or vice-versa. The last two games we were in sync.’’
Nobody treasures a great faceoff man more than Savage.
“If we have him, we likely don't lose 6 straight games as the faceoff dot is an X factor in lacrosse and difference maker for the outcome of games,’’ Savage said. “He’s elite, could be a blue-chip recruit. When you lose a player of that caliber, we’ve been playing a lot of our games on defense.’’
Anobile, however, makes their offense sing when “The Maroon’’ control the ball. The attacker has 28 points - 18 goals. He’s a four-year varsity starter and now seventh all-time in North Shore scoring with a chance to move up the list to as high as fourth.
He has help from midfielder Anthony Cimino and attacker Tyler Curran, who both have 19 points – each with the exact 15-4 stat line.
“Anthony is a tough dodger, not scared of contact,’’ Savage said. “He knows how to lower his shoulder and get to the cage. Tyler has become a tougher dodger, has great vision and great lacrosse IQ.’’
Savage is trying to figure out his platoon goalie situation as both Luke Pourakis and Chris Capogna have 46-percent save rates. However, Capogna has been in the cage the past three games when the winning came as he’s got the edge in clearance and handling.
Other offensive notables are surprise freshman Mason Silvia (16 points) who has shown a high lacrosse IQ after a key move to the midfield, and midfield/attacker James Clancy has contributed.
The defense is buoyed by vocal captain John Peck, who has 28 goundballs and is a true leader.
Anthony Martin is the short-stick defensive midfielder with 24 groundballs. “He has been all over the field defending the opposing teams top midfielder,’’ Savage said.
Diego Villacis, a short-stick defensive midfielder, has filled in as faceoff man and was deft at draws against St. Dominic’s.
In what will be a key match in the Class C playoff race, fifth-seeded North Shore faces No. 4 Seaford this Saturday.
Last season, North Shore was knocked out in the first round by South Side. If the Vikings’ faceoff guru can return, all bets are off.
