Written by Julia Hornyak |
Photos by Lacrosse Parents |
On Thursday May 19th, Boy’s Lacrosse played Cromwell on senior night. The team has six seniors: Vinny Carafeno, Anthony Choronzy, Gabe Eriksen, Brendan Kyhn, John Lee, and Mateo Zumpano. Many of the boys have been playing since freshman year, but Vinny Carafeno and Gabe Eriksen joined the lacrosse team as seniors. The boys came out victorious crushing Cromwell 19-6. 
Coach Brendan Hyland began coaching four years ago when the seniors were freshmen. Coach Hyland explained how the seniors that had been there all four years “will be a sorely missed crew.” Coach Hyland has also had many of the boy’s older brothers. He explained how bittersweet it is to have a legacy come to an end, speaking of John and Mateo, the last of the brothers to be on the lacrosse team. He described the team as “very young, resilient, and lots of characters,” but what the seniors had that was “most important was humor.” He portrayed the seniors as having “passion, will, and motive” that helped create a successful season.
Senior Anthony Choronzy revealed that although the season may have started off a little rough, as the team worked together, they “began to gain more chemistry between one another, and the team started to play at a higher level and become more successful.” Anthony is number two on the field because freshman year, he was smaller than the other boys, and the lower number jerseys ran smaller. He explained how it is “scary that high school sports are coming to and end as it was the highlight and what I looked forward to most about school,” but he is glad to continue at a collegiate level. Anthony is going to be playing his freshman year of college at Eastern Connecticut State University. Anthony will not be alone. He will be accompanied by his fellow senior John Lee. 
Senior John Lee, like Anthony, explained how the season could have been a lot better since they started out not so well, but the team “pulled it together and won 5 straight games in the middle of the season to put us back on track for the post season.” John is number seven on the field, because “nobody else can rep it like I can.” When thinking about his future college career with lacrosse, John explains how “it is crazy exciting and is definitely going to be pretty rowdy, but it’s bittersweet because nothing is better than playing high school lacrosse with the kids you’ve played your whole life with.” John is eager to graduate, but he will definitely miss high school sports. John would like to pass on the phrase, “Do more, fear less.”
Senior Mateo Zumpano shared how “this has been a great competitive year for our team and has been a blast for me because of how tight the whole team is.” Mateo is number eleven on the field because he “never knew anyone who wore the number growing up and he wanted to make it his own.” Mateo then added how “it’s crazy thinking about how my career is almost over” and “encourages any underclassmen to cherish every moment and the passing of time.”
Senior Brendan Kyhn felt “that the season had its upsides and downsides, but we have accomplished a lot this year.” Brendan is number thirty three on the field because they did not have the number fifty five his sophomore year. Brendan is very sad that the season is basically over. 
Senior Gabe Eriksen expressed how the season is going very well although they started slow. He shared how it “was strange getting used to a new sport, but he feels that he is improving every day.” Gabe is number twenty four on the field because that is his number in both football and basketball all four years, and it was also his father’s number. He shared how it’s “kind of sad having to end something that he just started.” Gabe explained how he likes lacrosse because it’s a lot different than anything that he has ever played. Gabe regrets not playing sooner because he feels that he could have been really good if he started out younger.
Senior Vinny Carafeno, like Gabe, wished he had played in the past. The team was very welcoming to both Gabe and Vinny. Vinny explained how it was weird getting used to new sports/ rules, but the team was very supportive and had the backs of the two new members.
Underclassmen, Freshman Ford Pender, Sophomore AJ Mastriono, and Junior Jake Anselmo, all said that they are going to miss the seniors, but the “underclassmen will need to step up” in order to be successful in the future. What Jake admires about the seniors is that they “never give up. They motivate each other, and are not selfish.” Ford described the seniors as “supportive. They pick you up when you are down, and always cheer you on.” AJ shared how the boys “made this season a learning experience where they all push each other” and referred to the team as a “brotherhood.” AJ is optimistic for the next year, but “there are big shoes to fill from the last two years.”
Boys Lacrosse faced North Branford ,Tuesday May 24th for the semi finals,won 16-12. At the Shoreline Championship game on Thursday May 26th,the team lost hard to Old Lyme. Congratulations to boys lacrosse for a terrific season.