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07/18/2018 12:00 AMThe Valley Regional boys’ lacrosse squad turned in an overall record of 11-8 during a campaign that featured the team’s second straight appearance in the Shoreline Conference Tournament final, as well as a berth in the Class S State Tournament this spring. While Warriors weren’t able to defend their conference title, they still had a successful season, especially considering that they had graduated several key players from their championship run.
Head Coach George Hudson felt that his club played well during games because of the work his athletes put in at practice. Valley’s younger players stepped up in place of its graduated seniors this season. The Warriors also received a big boost when they welcomed in senior transfer student Finn Miller.
“We had a really good year, better than expected. The boys put in a lot of work at practice to get ready, and they performed well in each game,” Hudson said. “Probably the biggest factor was the onset of some of the younger players. [Sophomore] Cam Frazier played a bigger role, [freshman] Keenan Pindar played a huge role, and having Finn Miller transfer in for us filled a huge gap.”
After posting a 10-5 regular season, Valley earned a 12-8 home win over Morgan in the Shoreline semis to advance to face familiar foe Old Lyme in the final. Even though the Warriors took a 9-8 defeat, Coach Hudson felt that game displayed his team’s resiliency as Valley battled back from a five-goal deficit.
“That championship game, we were down five, and the kids rallied around each other and came back to tie it,” said Hudson. “They had every right to stop and give up down five in the third quarter, but they didn’t. They rallied and kept their composure. That showed the true character of the team. That mentality to keep going and keep playing was huge for us.”
The Warriors’ tenacity started with senior captains like Charlie Ferrucci, who earned the their Most Valuable Player Award by scoring a team-high 34 goals to go with 19 assists. Coach Hudson said that Ferrucci was a stabilizing force for the Warriors with his presence on the turf.
“He controlled the game. He wasn’t able to play the first four or five games, and those were tough games for us. When he came back, it just changed the whole team,” said Hudson. “Everybody had a little more confidence. He brought that calming factor. The kids were more comfortable knowing he was on the field.”
Fellow senior captain Soren Frantz took home the Warrior Award after netting eight goals in a utility role. Frantz also made a huge impact for Valley on the practice field, according to Coach Hudson.
“Soren played every position for us, really. He was our utility guy, a versatile player for us,” Hudson said. “He was like a second coach. His lacrosse IQ is off the chart. He would take the younger kids and show them the way to do something. We didn’t have to go over things five or six times at practice. It builds confidence throughout the team having that.”
The Warriors’ Offensive Player of the Year Award went to junior Sean Cole, who scored 28 goals to complement his team-leading 49 assists. Hudson leaned on the junior to pick up the slack when Ferrucci was out early in the year.
“Especially with Charlie not being there early in the season, Sean had to step up, and he did. He made us more of dual threat off the attack, and that put a lot of pressure on the [opponent’s] defense,” Hudson said. “He’s got very good vision on the field. He’s not a one-dimensional player. He creates his own shots, as well as shots for other guys, and he can move the ball.”
On the other side of the field, junior Charles Haughton earned Valley’s Defensive Player of the Year Award after scooping up 41 ground balls. Coach Hudson depended on Haughton to keep the lines of communication open in the backfield.
“He tried to be more vocal on defense, and he was a capable transition player for us,” said Hudson. “He was vocal on D, and having vocal players like Charlie, [junior] Justin [Robida], and [junior] Dylan [LaPlace] was huge. They all played well, but Charlie took the lead on a lot out there.”
LaPlace was the man minding the net for the Warriors this spring. The junior came up huge during his first year as Valley’s varsity goalie by making 164 saves.
“Dylan definitely stepped up big this year. He was key in a lot of our wins. He talks through the defense and was smart with them in regards to the outlets and everything like that,” Coach Hudson said. “He’s a leader. He knows when to pick up the pace. Our practices are fast, and he’s one of those players who knows when it’s time to have fun and when it’s time to buckle down and work.”
Valley is looking good heading into the 2019 season. With the emergence of some more younger players, Coach Hudson expects the Warriors to once again be a contender in the Shoreline Conference.
“A lot of players will be back next year. We only lose five seniors,” said Hudson. “We expect to build again next year and challenge for another Shoreline championship. We’ll also look to go further in states.”
• The Valley Regional boys’ lacrosse team’s 2018 roster featured senior captains Charlie Ferrucci and Soren Frantz; fellow seniors Nathan deJongh, Jared Dompier, and Finn Miller; juniors Sean Cole, Peter Halsey, Charles Haughton, Nate Johnson, Jacob Klin, Dylan LaPlace, Richard Persico, and Justin Robida; sophomores William Burch, Cam Frazier, Daniel Harris, Callum Miller, and Eric Vilcheck; and freshmen Wesley Belisle, Jackson Bisson, Thomas Burch, Axel Johnson, and Keenan Pindar.
• George Hudson finished his fourth season as the Warriors’ head coach and was assisted by Mike Orfao.
• Valley’s regular-season wins came against Haddam-Killingworth (11-6 and 13-9), Cromwell (12-5 and 19-4), Old Saybrook (5-0 and 12-0), North Branford (15-7), Morgan (12-9), Old Lyme (13-9), and Suffield (forfeit).
• The Warriors also took losses to North Branford (12-10), Morgan (8-4), Old Lyme (10-8), Waterford (14-5), Southington (12-7), and Ellington (8-3).
• In the Shoreline Conference Tournament, the Warriors defeated Morgan by a score of 12-8 in the semifinals. Valley lost a 9-8 decision against Old Lyme in the final.
• In the first round of the Class S State Tournament, 10th-seeded Valley dropped a 13-7 decision versus No. 7 seed Lewis Mills.