Printer Friendly Version - Valley Boys’ Lax Focused on Sparking Turnaround

Benjamin Costanzo, a First Team All-Shoreline selection a year ago, is back as a senior captain for a Warriors’ boys’ lacrosse squad that is game to race past a slow start to 2023. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Courier

Michael Kollmer returns as a senior captain for the Valley Regional boys’ lacrosse team this spring after a Second Team All-Shoreline bid last year. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Courier

The 2023 spring campaign has gotten off to a less than ideal start for the Valley Regional boys’ lacrosse team, but deep down, its coaches and players know the squad has the personnel and passion to swiftly right the ship.

Valley reached the postseason in 2022 by qualifying for both the Shoreline Conference Tournament and the Class S State Tournament brackets. The Warriors finished their first campaign with then first-year Head Coach Colby Hawkins with an overall record of 7-11 following a 7-9 regular season.

As the No. 4 seed, Valley faced top-seeded Haddam-Killingworth in the semifinals of the Shoreline Conference Tournament. The Warriors took a 10-6 loss to the Cougars, who went on to win the conference title. Valley finished its season by playing in the Class S State Tournament. The 20th-seeded Warriors faced No. 13 Morgan in the qualifying round and took an 11-8 defeat against the Huskies in a competitive contest.

Thus far in 2023, the Warriors have gotten out to a 2-4 mark. Valley lost a 13-3 contest to Morgan on April 11 and against Old Lyme on April 13, the Warriors rebounded with a 12-7 triumph. Hawkins explained that while the Warriors are working through some early-spring growing pains to find their groove, they are excited and eager for rematches with Shoreline rivals later in the slate.

“We had some tough losses, such as the 13-3 loss to Morgan, where the game kind of ran away from us,” said Hawkins. “We play everyone in our conference twice, so we will try to rebound from those losses. We have winnable games versus Old Lyme, and we just hope to find our rhythm with catching and throwing. Our senior attackers and midfielders have been very good on defense; we just have some trouble passing. We do not have a ton of depth, so guys get tired, and then in the fourth quarter of games is usually when teams run away with it. Hopefully some of the younger guys can step up and run with it.”

Valley sports three senior captains in defender Leif Duval, who is back for his second stint as a steward for the Warriors after being a 2022 First Team All-Shoreline selection. Joining him is Ben Costanzo, an offensive player who was also First Team All-Conference a year ago, and Michael Kollmer, a Second Team Shoreline honoree for 2022.

“Leif has a lot of positive leadership on and off the field and is an absolute Warrior,” said Hawkins. “He has battled through injuries; he is a big motivator for us and shows a lot of self control. Ben is another hard-working player and positive guy. He works with the younger guys on JV on fundamentals as well. Michael is a really tough player who is a workhorse and plays every minute possible. He has become a more vocal guy and talks to the team at halftime of games. All three are accomplished players.”

Senior Nicholas Cox, a transfer from Old Lyme and the league’s reigning Player of the Year, has led the Valley offense thus far, while Noah Santangelo has been a sound senior stopper as goalkeeper, plus joining Cox on offense is junior attacker Sullivan Rock.

“Nicholas is our most capable offensive player, and he is working to be an offensive captain with his experience,” said Hawkins. “Goalkeeper is not an easy position, but Noah has made a lot of progress; he is quick to the ball and has made a lot of improvement with his clear-out passes. Sullivan is quick to the goal and has been a strong part of the offense this year. He put in work with his stick skills in the offseason.”

The Warriors are involved in a family affair throughout the field with three sets of brothers in Ben and sophomore Cam Costanzo; senior Cobe and sophomore Kai Cokas; along with senior twins Holden and Mason Soboleski.

“Ben and Cam are both face-off guys, and we have done very well with face offs this year,” said Hawkins. “Both of the Cokas brothers have put in a lot of work during the offseason and have shown offensive ability. They have scored a couple goals as part of the starting lineup. Holden and Mason are both fast-paced, shifty guys who are quick to the cage.”

As the Warriors showcase a great deal of veteran talent amongst the upperclassmen ranks, Hawkins added that there is some potential in the freshman class as well. It all aids Valley’s targets of bolstering the program and its numbers while aiming to nab a conference crown.

“Our team-outcome goals are to make the Shoreline Conference Tournament and win the conference,” said Hawkins. “Beyond that, we are focused on player development and building the program. We have a mix of freshmen that have played in elementary school and have never played before, but they are showing the right attitude and work ethic. We have no injuries yet, so we are doing everything we can to keep everyone healthy. We are glad to have second chances against these other Shoreline teams. We have a long ways to go, but we are hoping to come back strong.”

The Warriors’ 2023 roster is comprised of seniors in Mason Soboleski, Kollmer, Ben Costanzo, Cox, Duval, Cobe Cokas, Holden Soboleski, Dylan Ingram, Adam Metz; juniors Rock, Santangelo; sophomores of Christopher Roscoe, Cameron Costanzo, John Wadle, JP Hays, Jacob Merola, Michael Lelyo, Kai Cokas, Matthew Cooper, Gavin Ortola; and finally freshmen with Kellen Graham, Jack Knudsen, Mason Fearon, Owen Ingram, and Alan Rivera.

Hawkins, who is in his second season at the Valley helm, is assisted this season by Isaiah Hickes.