Printer Friendly Version - Grizzlies Boys’ Lacrosse Looking to Build off Consistency and Experience

Senior captain and midfielder Tyler Hilgert will look to keep his team focused as he enters his second year as one of the leaders for the Grizzlies boys’ lacrosse squad. Photo by Welsey Bunnell/The Courier

Senior midfielder Matt Konareski is expected to be a top contributor for Guilford boys’ lacrosse this spring as he makes an impact on both sides of the field. Photo by Wesley Bunnell/The Courier

Coming off a successful 2023 season in which they went all the way to the state semifinals, the Grizzlies boys’ lacrosse team is hoping to build on last year’s run with an experienced and talented makeup of athletes at the forefront this spring.

Head Coach Brian White, who has been at the helm for 19 years, is looking to see his returning players step up when the pressure is on and push through the grind of the season.

“There are a lot of returning players this year. We replaced a lot of kids from last year, but we have a lot of high-quality kids this year,” said White. “Our schedule is difficult as it usually is, so if we can play well and figure it out, we have a good shot.”

Last spring, Guilford finished 1-5 in Division I of the Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) and finished 10-9 overall. In the Class M State Tournament, the Grizzlies continued all the way onto the semifinals, where they lost against Cheshire by a final score of 13-3.

On April 2, the Grizzlies traveled to Branford and opened the season with a big 17-3 statement win, and the dominance was largely aided by the team’s primary leaders.

Leading the charge for Guilford on the field are three senior captains in Braden DePetris (attack), Tyler Hilgert (midfield), and Andrew Brysh (attack).

“They have been doing a great job. They are kids that have been contributing for a long time, and they are natural leaders in a sense,” said White. “This is Tyler’s second year being a captain, Braden and Andrew worked really hard to get into that spot. They are really good kids for the program.”

On April 5, the Grizzlies hosted Hall and won 13-7 to continue the dominant streak. Several Guilford players stepped up and are expected to help the team continue to succeed.

“The three captains will be top contributors for sure, they are all offensive players and will all contribute significantly,” said White. “Matt Konareski (senior, midfielder), Ryan Gribbon (junior, attack), Julian Schlessel (senior, midfielder), and Brady Raffone (senior, midfielder) will also be top contributors for the team this season.”

Guilford has six returning players on the roster, and with their extensive experience, White holds them to a high accountability of guiding younger players on the squad.

“I think that the key is how they can contribute. A lot of those kids have been contributing to the program for a while,” said White. “They are very good with the younger kids and leading by example. They are also used to going out there and playing against some of the top teams in the state.”

Hilgert and DePetris have eight goals so far, racking up a total of 25 points. Jacob Corso (senior, defender) has the most ground balls, totaling 23 in just four games. Parker Onacilla (sophomore, midfielder) and Hilgert are not far behind Corso, as they have 17 and 15 total ground balls, respectively.

In front of the net defending for the Grizzlies, Michael Lawton (sophomore, goalie) has a total of 37 saves so far on the short campaign.

The Grizzlies were moved from Class M to Class L for overall states play, because there are now four divisions for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC). They will see most of the teams from the SCC Conference during the state tournament, depending on how well each team performs.

On April 9, Guilford played at home against Fairfield Prep and fell 19-3. On April 13, the team traveled to New Milford and claimed a 9-7 victory. Konareski scored five goals and Hilgert scored two. Lawton had a great game in the net with 17 saves, and Aidan Connelly (sophomore, faceoff/midfield) also had a great game, winning 70% of his faceoffs.

In the SCC there are two divisions. The Grizzlies play in Division I against Fairfield Prep, Daniel Hand, Xavier, Cheshire, Notre Dame, and Amity Regional. White noted that there is steep competition within the league draw, but he has high hopes for his team’s success. Looking to capitalize on last year’s state semifinal berth, White hopes the boys will stay focused on their goals and never back down from the pressure.

“Our goals are pretty consistent.We want to make the state playoffs, make it as far as we can, and do as much damage as we can and make our league playoffs. Competition wise we are always really high,” said White. “We look forward to finishing somewhere within the top 20 teams in the state. It is just a matter of doing the little things right and then pushing that into the finals.”

White is assisted by Bob Kessler, Matt Barrett, Evan Hilgert, Carl Jeppesen, Neil Willis and Rece Staschke.

The Grizzlies full team roster is comprised of seniors Brysh, Luke Braverman (senior, midfielder), Corso, DePetris, Brady Hallihan (senior, midfielder), Hilgert, Konareski, Eli Green-Perez (junior, midfielder), Raffone, Schlessel, Gribbon, Pierce Pappert (junior, midfielder), Jack Shae (junior, defender), Owen Pelletier-Stephens (junior, midfielder), Jonah Labbadia-Colon (junior, defender) Jack McDonald (junior, defender), Nathan Ponzio (junior, midfielder), Blake Brysh (sophomore, midfielder), Brody Root (sophomore, defender), Lucio Nastri (sophomore, defender), Michael Lawton (sophomore, goalie), Robert Scott (sophomore, midfielder), Kellen Rinehart (sophomore, defender), Aidan Connelly (sophomore, midfielder), Onacilla, Bodhi Climie (sophomore, midfielder), Colton Knight (freshman, midfielder), Aidan Slocum (freshman, goalie), and Chase Hall (freshman, defender).