by Nicholas McEntyre
After a 2019 season saw his team finish in the bottom half of the standings Middle Country boy’s lacrosse head coach Christopher Siragusa is relying on a good mix of veterans and newcomers to help bring the program back to the top.
When Middle Country takes the field against Rocky Point on March 19, it will have made some dramatic change from what the opponents saw last year.
The Mad Dogs look to capitalize from last year after going 10-6 in its 2019 campaign and missing the playoffs. Speaking with head coach Siragusa, he says the team is expecting to compete every game. “Our organization used to be seen as gritty or gutty and we need to get back to form.”
The 2020 team will be comprised of both familiar faces in their senior group as well as talented underclassmen that Siragusa thinks will be an interesting mix.
Last year’s 10-6 team relied the standout playing of five players which include goalie Adam Hyman, attackman Jacob Hyman, long stick midfielder RJ Smith, defenseman Brian Lake and midfielder Jason McKeever.
Middle Country comes into the 2020 season without Jacob Hyman, Smith and McKeever due to graduation. The Mad Dogs also lost a midfielder in senior Matthew Robbert who has already committed to playing football with Cornell following graduation.
Coach Siragusa is looking for three-year starter Adam Hyman to be huge in the cage, while Brian Lake will lead an all veteran defense. On the offensive side, Tom Stock for his fourth varsity season and is expected to make a huge impact on attack, with the help from newcomers Charlie Cavalieri and Justin Robbert. If Cavalieri and Robbert play the way Siragusa is hoping they do, the two attackmen could be fighting for rookie of the year honors.
A look ahead to the season: The Mad Dogs begin the 2020 campaign with a home matchup against Rocky Point on March 19 at 4 p.m. The games to watch are when the Mad Dogs face Smithtown West on March 31, Riverhead on April 6, Northport April 17, Connetquot April 23 and Bay Shore on May 1. Middle Country rounds out the regular season on May 14 against Southfork.
