Eric Keppeler
Sports Writer
Last year was the first season in forever that the St. Joe’s lacrosse team didn’t win the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association regular season title, but the Marauders were still able to notch their ninth consecutive playoff championship.
And if coach Pete Hudecki has his way, he’ll have to start counting championships on his toes next season.
“Last year, we were really young,” Hudecki said. “We have a lot of returning starters this year and we will again next year. It’s like we’re getting back to where we were – I think people caught up last year based on the fact that we were young. We had a lot of really talented players – they were just inexperienced.”
The result was an overall record of 9-10-1 and 8-2-1 in the MMAA.
St. Joe’s edged St. Francis, 5-4, in overtime in the league championship and then fell to Kellenberg Memorial in the Catholic state semifinals.
The flip side of last year’s youth is that most of those players are back this season, including the Marauders’ top six scorers in junior Mason Snyder (33 goals, 14 assists, 47 points), senior Griffin Vranjes (16-29-45), senior Haydn Wells (25-18-43), sophomore Caleb Vranjes (18-9-27), sophomore Elijah Freeman (9-12-21) and junior Andrew Polisoto (10 goals).
“We’ve got a bunch of guys who could be ‘the guy,’ but that’s not how our offense works,” Hudecki said. “Our guys love sharing the ball, so it’s more like, whoever is ‘the guy’ that day.”
Most of the midfield and defense also returns, including several starters.
The midfield has seniors William Moore, Madden Havill and Division I football lineman Stone Rozek.
The midfield features juniors Cash Behrendt, Polisoto and Blake Turner, senior Joseph Redman and sophomore Mitchell Milton, who transferred in from Ontario.
“I love the size of our defense,” Hudecki said. “We’ve got three six-footers playing defense, and they can move, too.”
There’s a bit of a logjam in goal with juniors Mason Yager (.625 save percentage) and Jackson Grande, plus Williamsville North transfer Liam Smyers; Hudecki said they’re rotate through the season and see who emerges.
The critical faceoff duties will be split by juniors Robert Ray and Niko Mackiewicz.
Hudecki says he’s not looking too far ahead, but there’s no mistaking the team’s ultimate goal – a state championship that has so far eluded the program.
“We’re really only focusing on one game and that’s the state game,” Hudecki said. “Every three years, it rotates here to Western New York. When we go there, we have to win two games to win states. When it’s here, we only have to win one. So we’re pretty excited about that.”
