New York: Regional Boys' Lacrosse Powers Playing Close By

It couldn’t be any more convenient.

And for lacrosse fans in the New York metro area, it’s a golden opportunity to check out four of the strongest — and most tradition-rich — programs in the region easily and efficiently.

On Saturday, Long Island powers St. Anthony’s and Manhasset and Westchester heavyweights Yorktown and John Jay will all be in action within a span of seven miles and within a distance of about 10 miles.

Yorktown hosts St. Anthony’s at 2 p.m. at Charlie Murphy Field. These longtime rivals always wage heated battles, but this year’s should be especially so.

Both teams have the potential to have extraordinary seasons. So no matter who wins will get a big boost going forward. Between the two teams combined, there are 14 players who have already committed to Division I schools, including a pair of the nation’s top juniors — St. Anthony’s midfielder Thomas Schreiber and Yorktown attackman Kevin Interlicchio. Schreiber, ranked fifth by Inside Lacrosse, is likely to attend Princeton. Interlicchio has committed to Hopkins.

At 7 p.m. in Cross River (a hop, skip and jump down Route 35 from Yorktown), John Jay will host Manhasset.

This has emerged as one of the area’s premier regional rivalries. Two years ago, John Jay picked up a dramatic 9-8 overtime win. Last year, Manhasset won 10-8.

This season, though, nationally ranked Manhasset, perhaps the leading contender to win the Class C state title, is a solid favorite.

The matchup of John Jay’s Hopkins-bound junior defenseman Jameson Pickel on UVA-bound Manhasset senior star Connor English should be fun to watch.

Not Just Another Scrimmage

When Wilton players arrived at their field on Saturday, they were expecting to scrimmage Pomperaug. But first-year coach John Wiseman had other ideas. Wiseman, a former Wilton star who played at Duke, has made restoring pride and tradition in the Wilton program a major priority. The Warriors, after all, have won 17 state titles, but struggled to maintain that form in recent seasons.

So instead of scrimmaging Pomperaug, Wiseman and his former coach, the legendary Guy Whitten, had another idea. Whitten would bring a team of 31 former Warriors stars back to campus to scrimmage against this year’s varsity. The alumni squad pulled out a one-goal win, but everyone came away winners.

When it was over, the former Wilton players told their contemporaries precisely what the Wilton tradition meant — and still means — to them. More than one got choked up. But when it was over, Wilton’s players from the past and present both realized that their history could indeed be their destiny, too.

Varsity Coming Soon to Carmel

Carmel is fielding junior varsity boys and girls lacrosse teams this spring and next season, and will launch varsity teams in 2011.

Joe Lombardi, who has been a fixture on the lacrosse scene during the sport’s rapid growth in the New York-Metropolitan area, produces editorial and video content for LaxLessons.com. He may be reached at joe@laxlessons.com.