35th Annual Boys Lacrosse Murphy Cup Tournament

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Yorktown Huskers toppled the Lakeland-Panas Rebels 8-3 during the 35th annual boys lacrosse Murphy Cup Tournament Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With #10 Chad Bowen in green for Yorktown and #6 Mike Diccicio in white for LP, the face-off was set. The whistle blew, Bowen scooped the ground ball, spotted an open #2 Frankie Ofrias, who scored the first goal of the game within six seconds of play. What a fast break. From there, we saw Nick Kaufman from the Rebels perform a near-perfect check on the defensive end. Kaufman kept his head on a swivel the entire 48 minutes and was fully aware of ball for the duration of the game. The next goal was scored at 3:33 when Yorktown's #1 JT Downs connected with #8 Jack Simone, who buried the team's second goal of the day, the score sat at 2-0 Huskers. LP wasn't going to let that slide though; at the 2:48 time stamp, #13 Anthony Ray found #24 Paul Fitzgeral, who buried one in the back of the net for the Rebels. The game was now 2-1. Fitzgerald kept a next-play mentality as he ran the ball down the field himself, scoring within 40 seconds of his last goal. The game began to heat. It was up to either team as they went into the second quarter tied at 2-2.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Quarter two began rather slow. No points were scored for several minutes, but LP's #4 Joe Laperuta stood out for his incredible lacrosse IQ, team player mentality, and his hustle for ground balls. We saw good looks from both sides of the field, along with Yorktown's #3 Brady Sheridan's ability to create opportunities for his team with his picks. No shots landed their mark until 5:32 when Yorktown's #12 [player_tooltip player_id='124985' first='Gianluca' last='Marchini'] connected with Ofrias, who upped the score to 3-2. #15 Tyler Caricati in green had a great knockdown, but nothing resulted from it. The first half of play concluded 3-2 Yorktown.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shot after shot. Save after save. The game began to get physical. It wasn't until 1:33 on the scoreboard that another point was scored. LP #2 Vinny Savastano found an open #27 Jesse DiPoala, who sunk the Rebels' third goal of the day. The teams were, once again, tied. Yorktown wanted revenge. Downes spotted Ofrias, who upped the score to 4-3. Their teamwork ended the quarter with 0:18 seconds left on the board. The Huskers remained in the lead.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lakeland's #3 Robbie Policastro and #99 Dom Lemma executed a beautiful crash that prevented Yorktown from another goal. Their hard work couldn't stop the Huskers, however, when #22 Thomas Carney passed the ball to #4 Ryan Fastigi, who buried one at the 8:02 mark, the score was 5-3 green. Rebels Laperuta and #17 Declan Duggan executed a great double on defense, and Yorktown's #13 Brady McEnroe showed off his high lacrosse IQ and ability to act quickly on the turf. The next point was scored at minute six by Yorktown's Ofrias unassisted. Within a minute, two more goals were scored on the Huskers' behalf and Yorktown held a comfortable lead of five. The game ended 8-3 with the Huskers on top.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Throughout the day's match-up, Yorktown racked up 11 face-off wins. Ofrias and Marchini, wearing green, took every opportunity to score and tallied the most shots for the day. Ofrias, once again, and Simone dominated the defensive end of the field for their team. On the other hand, LP's goalie totaled 19 saves during the competition. Fitzgerald was an all-around player in white, able to lock down on defense and create momentum on offense. Rebels' Joe Laperuta left everything out on the field, showing leadership, heart, and hustle on defense. These boys have a true passion for the sport.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"JT Downes","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Yorktown","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68234ab6e1ed7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Downs commanded his offense and made decisions that benefited the team as a whole, rather than just himself. He kept his head on a swivel for the duration of the game, which allowed him to connect with cutters. In the end, he is a great feeder and represented phenomenal leadership skills on the turf. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Chad Bowen","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"147","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Yorktown","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68234ab6e1fc7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"> Face-off or fast break, Bowen is ready for anything. His lacrosse IQ is second to none. He is quick on his feet but quicker with decision-making. He would do great on either side of the field. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Brady McEnroe","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"146","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Yorktown","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68234ab6e20af"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Vocalization is a tool any good defender has in his toolkit, McEnroe showcased just how valuable it can be. Along with that, McEnroe stayed close to his cutter, watched this offensors hips for their next move, was constantly in the ready position (footwork was on point), and made sure not to allow the boy will ball the first step on him. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Joe Laperuta","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"146","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Lakeland","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68234ab6e2193"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"> Laperuta played great man-on-man defense but also shut down scoring opportunities with his ability to execute a double. Lapertua hustled for every ground ball. Despite the 5-goal deficit, he never hung his head.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Nick Kaufman","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"146","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Lakeland ","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68234ab6e2270"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kaufman may not get the glory, but he sure did have a game. He was everywhere he needed to be and followed the game plan to a tee. He never slid too early or left a cutter unmarked. It was clear Kaufman trained on a ladder as well, since his footwork was unmatched. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Paul Fitzgerald","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_weight":"field_65b288425ecf6","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"143","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Lakeland","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68234ab6e232a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">On the circle, defending the cage, or ripping one to the back of the net, Fitzgerald gives each and every play his all. He created momentum for his offense while shutting down the other team's defense. Throughout the game, he was encouraging to his teammates and represented what a leader should look like. He made smart choices on the fly to ensure he gave the Rebels the best shot they had. There were no sloppy turnovers or bad looks; every move made was calculated. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->