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Tigers Can't Solve Garnets Defense
No.2 Put Valley falls to No.1 Rye in sectional title tilt
by Ray Gallagher
 | | Putnam Valley's Eric Rabe clears the zone against a tough Rye ride during last Thursday's 6-3 Section 1 Class C championship loss. |
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Whether they know it or not, the Putnam Valley community is proud of their boy's lacrosse team, despite the second-seeded Tigers' 6-3 loss to top-seeded Rye last Thursday in the Section 1 Class C championship game at Suffern Middle School. Yeah, the Tigers suffered a third-straight sectional championship defeat at the hands of the mighty Garnets, but they still reached a sectional championship for a fourth-straight year, and that isn't too shabby for a program that started playing varsity lacrosse just seven years ago.
In fact, it's an amazing accomplishment… one every player in program history should be proud of… one every underclassmen should take with them into the off-season in an effort to "get over the hump and start winning more of these championship games," according to Coach Brian Kuczma.
These young guns should start preparing now for a Class C coup d'état, including sophomore Dylan Chesnut, and quick-cranking freshman Ryan Fitzgerald; the likely go-to guys with All-Section seniors Peter Morgan and Tom Kelly taking leave. And don't forget the less-heralded but equally adept freshman Dan O'Gorman, who picked a fine time for his sixth varsity mark; a man-up tally that brought the Tigers within one at 3-2. That was followed up by another from junior Hugh O'Gorman (his 23rd of the year), the versatile hub of the team next season. But the offense stalled from that point on, stopped in it tracks by the best defense Class C has to offer, including All-American longpole T.J. Smith and All-Section goalie Colin Hart, who's as big as a house between the pipes and rated No.1 in the section by many coaches.
The Tigers, dwarfed in size by the Garnet back line, could not penetrate deep enough for choice looks and when they did they didn't get enough mustard on their cranks. Kelly tried in vein on several occasions to come around from the back side, but he was met with denial upon each scoring chance.
Senior Jimmy Fitzsimmons put the Tigers on the board early in the first, giving the Tigers their only lead of the day, 1-0, from Morgan at 4:51 in. But the Tigers could not score over the final 26-plus minutes.
The P.V. program has been headed in the right direction since Day 1, and few people have had the kind of impact that two-time All-Section goalie Cory Ender has had. Number 33 has stood tall between the pipes for three consecutive years, doing so with a certain steadiness that will be sorely missed next season.
"We've been here four years in a row now and come away with just one championship, so it's great to be in this situation but it hurts to lose again," said Ender. "The younger guys really helped us improve as a team, and as far as I'm concerned we're dead even with Rye… even better than them. But they went on a little run and put us away. I would tell these younger guys to make sure they get back here next year and change the outcome."
Ender and the Tiger defense played well in the championship game, holding Coach Brian Dooley's Garnets (15-7) to six goals. Rye's Alex Prostano (2G, 1A) and Matt Donahue (1G, 2A) led all scorers.
"We're upset about the loss, but we're excited about the future," said Kuczma. "We're very young and Vin DeGregorio does a great job with the younger guys. Right from the youth program (run by Rich Denike) to every level here at the school, we can't ask for a much better situation than the one we're in. I can't think of coaching anywhere else but in Putnam Valley. These kids work hard here and they know what it takes to get to a championship game. As we start to grow in age with this group, I think we'll get over the hump and start winning more of these championships."
Class C teams are improving across the board, with programs like Briarcliff and Pleasantville coming on strong, so it's only a matter of time before the road to the title game is paved with tougher obstacles. The rookies and returning veterans will need to hit the weight room hard and play in the off-season leagues around the county if they're going to get over the hump in a hurry. If they don't commit themselves in the off-season, getting back to the title game and winning a championship will be wishful thinking.
For more pictures of the action, visit www.printroom.com/pro/yourdirectrays or www.yourdirectrays.com for photo galleries pertaining to Putnam Valley sports.
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