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07/11/2023 10:01 AMFor the Morgan boys’ lacrosse team, punching a ticket to the postseason has always been the primary goal. With a determined and hard-working squad taking the field in 2023, the Huskies accomplished just that, reaching the Class S State Tournament for the second consecutive campaign.
After a regular season that saw Morgan finish 11-6, they entered the Shoreline Conference Tournament as the No. 4 seed, falling to top-seeded and eventual conference champion Haddam-Killingworth by a score of 6-5 in the semifinals on May 22. Then, as the No. 13 seed in the Class S draw, the Huskies defeated No. 20 Tolland in the qualifying round on May 26 by a score of 7-6 to secure their second straight trip to the dance before falling in the first round on May 31 to No. 4 Northwest Catholic 14-2 to end the campaign to the sound tune of a 12-8 record.
First-year Head coach Michael Caprio was proud of the season the boys had, noting the synergy they formed as a squad throughout the spring.
“Our season was great,” said Caprio. “We grew closer as a team and a family as the season progressed, which is more important than our record.”
In the regular season portion of the campaign, Morgan won the first three games to start off strong, defeating Old Lyme, Old Saybrook and Valley Regional, outscoring those opponents 37-16. After the perfect 3-0 start, the Huskies dropped three of their next four games to sit at 4-3 with losses to Haddam-Kilingworth, North Branford and Foran.
The Huskies showed that they were able to overcome struggles, as they then won four out of their next five games to sit at 8-4 before ending the season winning three out of their last five contests.
Entering the state tournament draw, Morgan faced an immediate hurdle with having to pull out a victory in the qualifying round prior to entering the overall tournament pool. The top 12 seeded teams in the draw skipped the qualifying round, however, Morgan, as the 13-seeded team, had to earn a play-in victory to get into the official state tournament.
That win was achieved in comeback fashion. When facing the Tolland Eagles, the Huskies came back after trailing in the first half to earn the 7-6 triumph.
Caprio commended his team for the resilience shown in the win over Tolland, explaining that the overall mindset after the first half of the contest fueled significantly better play in the latter portion of the game.
“Coming back from an awful first half against Tolland was amazing,” said Caprio. “Something I will never forget. It shows the toughness and resilience of the team.”
Following the victory over Tolland, Morgan quickly earned a first-round matchup vs. the Northwest Catholic Lions, who entered the draw as the fourth seed. The Huskies ultimately met their fate, as they were outmatched and the Lions pummeled them 14-2. Northwest Catholic went on to advance to the semifinals, where St. Joseph dominated them by a score of 20-9.
Identity is a large part of a team’s success throughout the season, and Caprio believes the team lost theirs in the defeat vs. Northwest.
“The biggest takeaway from NW Catholic is not to beat ourselves,” said Caprio. “We needed to go into that game against a faceless opponent. It doesn’t matter if the team you’re playing is better than you, you have to play your own game and we definitely lost sight of that in that game. You learn more from your losses than you do from your wins.”
Throughout the campaign, several players achieved solo accolades and successes that helped earn them respect among fellow conference foes. Senior Dylan Mazzarella, senior Jake Mastriano, senior Seamus Staunton, senior Ravi Kadel, junior Nico Cimino, senior Luke Gagliardi and senior Jake Caprio all earned All-Conference honors, with Staunton being the lone All-Stater on the squad.
Despite the season not ending the way they hoped it would, Caprio and the Huskies are hopeful for the future as they spend the next eight months preparing for the 2024 season, a campaign that will very much be a rebuilding year as they graduate nine seniors from this year’s team with only two returning rising seniors. Sophomore Griffin Ranaudo, sophomore Luke McComiskey, freshman Jake Lichack, freshman Declan Shortt and freshman Braden Steahle are some of the key players Caprio will look to for contributions next season on the field.
Even though Morgan will house a roster full of young talent in 2024, Caprio knows the squad can set a good foundation for years to come and is optimistic that they can have a successful season in the process.
“Next season is going to be a rebuilding year but I’m confident that the team will have success,” said Caprio.
The 2023 Morgan boys’ varsity lacrosse roster was comprised of seniors Mastriano, Gagliardi, Abraham Adams-Hull, Kadel, Seamus Staunton, Tyler Weinzimmer, Mazzarella, Caprio and Aidan Staunton; juniors Dylon Marshall and Cimino; sophomores Mitchell Deming, Carlos Oliva, McComiskey, Ranaudo, Hunter Roth, Cole Donnelly, Tyler Farrell, Jalen Bunce, Justin Smith and Rowan Quinn; and freshmen Jaydon O’Bymachow, Shortt, Steahle, Nicholas Maenza, Lichak, and Christian Jacobs-Harris.