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06/26/2023 01:15 PMEvery team goes through setbacks, whether it’s injuries, facing transitions, or even just a period of struggle where nothing seems to be going right. How a squad responds to the setbacks is what makes it successful, something the Guilford boys’ lacrosse team seemed to grasp this past season.
Despite injuries to key contributors throughout the campaign, the Grizzlies stayed motivated to succeed and Head Coach Brian White said his team never relented, even during the toughest of circumstances.
“We were a team that worked off versatility and grittiness,” White said. “That’s what drove us as a team.”
The Grizzlies used their grit and depth to advance to the CIAC Class M State Semifinals before falling to eventual state champions Cheshire by a score of 13-3. Guilford’s strong postseason run capped off a season that forced the Grizzlies to play through significant adversity. White said that at times, the injury woes did impact the team’s performance.
“What hurt us was we had some players who were starters that were just banged up and not able to play at 100%” White said. “But, they’re tough, they played it out. Some kids would’ve sat out, these kids grind their teeth and they went out there and they played.”
The Grizzlies saw their starting faceoff player Liam Alberti and defensive stud James Mahoney, both of whom are captains for Guilford, deal with injuries throughout the season. Mahoney missed time, as his injury was too severe to play through, meanwhile Alberti stayed on the field. White said Mahoney was key to the Grizzlies defense, making his absence challenging to overcome.
“We’re a different team when he’s not out there,” said White. “It really became difficult for us.”
Luckily for the Grizzlies and Alberti, the faceoff man was able to play through a nagging knee injury. White said Alberti’s performances, despite being banged up, were admirable.
“He was great for us all season, he was about 70% on faceoffs if not better, he hurt his knee in the Fairfield Prep game,” White said. “He didn’t miss time, but he played on an injury and I couldn’t believe it. We brought him into the Daniel Hand of Madison game, and he was really playing on one leg and was able to win more than half of the draws.”
As the Grizzlies played through bumps, bruises and injuries and White and his coaching staff adapted and adjusted, Guilford still presented issues for opposing teams due in part to a dynamic attack. Guilford averaged 10.5 goals per contest and hung a season-high 18 against Lyman Hall to close out the regular season before opening the state tournament with a 17-goal outburst over Fitch. The Grizzlies opened the season scoring
45 goals in their first three matches and closed out the regular and postseason outsourcing all opponents 201-162. White said his boys hit their stride at the right time.
“We got healthy at the right time and were playing well towards the end of the season and made a push towards the semis,” White said.
Helping to lead the Grizzlies’ attack were several key contributors, making Guilford a well-rounded and versatile squad.
“We had a lot of guys that contributed for us, our three primary ones included Tyler Hilgert, who is a junior captain and who was All-State and All-League,” explained White. “Sean Filley was one of our leading scorers and William Petrick, who for the second year had the most goals on the team.”
And the Grizzlies’ defense did not disappoint either.
“Liam Alberti, our team voted him MVP and he was an All-League player this year. He was really an important part of everything we try and do. I can’t say enough positive things about him just because of his hard work. He’s a perfect example of effort creating ability,” White said. “James Mahoney was our other captain, he was really our defensive anchor aside from our goalie, Jacob Schlessel, who was (also) great for us this year. He was an Academic All-American, he actually played with a hip injury where he tore something and will need surgery, but he played through it. Luke Carignan, too, was a great defensive player for us.”
The Grizzlies’ toughness carried them through to a No. 4 ranking in the CIAC Class M division. Following the impressive Fitch rout, Guilford faced a strong Xavier of Middletown team that edged the Grizzlies during the regular season, posting 15 goals over the boys in green in a two-goal victory. White said the first meeting was rough.
“Xavier is always a tough game for us,” White said. “It was one of the games we played without James, they pumped 15 goals at us and we just didn’t have an identity yet.”
However, when the state tournament rolled around, the Grizzlies were healthier and more confident. Guilford claimed its revenge, holding Xavier to nine goals in an
11-9 triumph to move on to the CIAC final four. White said the team remembered the regular-season defeat.
“We played (Xavier) in the quarterfinals, and they’re still a good team, and we ended up winning that game by two,” he said. “We made little mistakes in the regular season, but we try to be better in the postseason.”
And despite the run coming to a close in the semifinals against Cheshire, White said his group still has plenty to be proud of. He added the team should be strong again in 2024, as many of his underclassmen possess the skills to build on an impressive 2023 campaign.
“We’re running into talent-heavy grades where we lose kids but we don’t lose quality,” White said. “We’re able to reload really quickly.”
The Guilford Grizzlies full 2023 roster was comprised of seniors Alberti (captain); Mahoney (captain); Schlessel; Filley; Petrick; Rence Jewett; Daniel O’Connell; Carignan; Ryan Franchi; Chase Tibere; Eric Lawton; Matt Wrynn and Dylan D’Agostino; juniors in Hilgert (captain); Julian Schlessel; Eli Green-Perez; Jackson Skoczylas; Andrew Brysh; Cooper Anselmi; Andrew Brainerd; Matthew Konareski; Brady Hallihan; Braden DePetris; Brady Raffone; Jacob Corso; Luke Braverman and Preston Schlagheck; sophomores Ryan Gribbon; Raphael Kattis; Pierce Pappert; Charlie Pirri; Nathan Ponzio; Luke Piagentini; Jonah Labbadia-Colon; Benjamin Lamarche; Logan Shay; Jack McDonald; Orion Carney; Garrett Mace; Jack Shae; Owen Pelletier-Stephens and Henry Dwyer, and freshmen Blake Brysh; Parker Onacilla; Robert Scott; Bodhi Climie; Alex Uzzo; Dominick Verme; Aidan Connelly; Cameron Forester; Brody Root; Ares Vasiliou; Faelan Rayner Romano; Andrew Plancon; Griffin Shay; David Hogan; Michael Lawton and Lucio Nastri.