Jack Archer is really jack-of-all-trades.
The senior midfielder proved that Saturday with his two goals and two assists that powered Garden City to a 10-6 win over West Islip for not only the program’s, but his third consecutive Long Island Class B championship crown.
“To be in these games is the goal every year,” said Garden City head coach Steve Finnell. “We graduated some amazing players last year, but we asked them, ‘Who is going to step up this year?’ I thought they did an awesome job today, Jack Archer included.”
The Trojans roster boasts 24 seniors, and each season the upperclassmen have proved that while the named may change, the end result remains the same. Garden City (16-4) has now taken home the title in 19 of 25 appearances.
“They’re a great group,” Finnell said. “They’ve been together for a long time.”
West Islip’s Cole Sparks was first to light up the scoreboard at Stony Brook University’s Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium June 3. The senior fired a shot from the right side of the cage that was initially stopped by Garden City junior goalkeeper Denis Fargione (seven saves), but the ball rolled in on the rebound.
Sparks (three goals, one assist) actually scored both of the Lions’ (13-6) first-quarter goals for a 2-1 lead, but each time, Archer had an answer.
He tallied his first four minutes after Sparks’ and hit his second off a Henry Gibbons feed to tie things to open the second. Senior attack James Paisley put in a deflection off Gibbons’ attempt saved by West Islip goalkeeper Cameron Dorfman (eight stops) for the Trojans’ first lead, and senior Stevie Finnell and junior Andrew Ottomanelli padded it before Paisley notched his second for a 6-2 advantage by halftime.
“Every goal gives you more confidence to get out there and do it again,” Archer said. “They can come out and get you first, but the key is to answer right back.”
Nick Henry and Pat Keenan (two goals) each scored to help West Islip close the gap to 7-4 by the end of the third, but Garden City went on another tare that started with Archer finding Ottomanelli back-to-back times inside the 10-minute mark to secure a hat trick for the junior.
“We knew that this team was an all-around good team,” Ottomanelli said of West Islip. “We saw a lot of openings in the first quarter, we just weren’t executing our plays.”
Also crucial for Garden City was senior faceoff specialist RJ Votruba, who helped neutralize West Islip senior CJ Schwarz by splitting the wins 50-50, and senior defender Cole Webber.
“The second quarter was great. Our ride was great,” the head coach said. “Cole Webber and the defensive midfielders controlled the middle of the field and we got the ball back a bunch. It helped these guys get some nice looks underneath.”
The Trojans will play in the state semifinals on Wednesday at either the University at Albany or Tompkins Cortland Community College on their quest to defend their state championship title. Garden City has won eight state championships in program history, and could face Victor (18-1) or even West Genesee (13-6), which leads the state with 15 all-time wins.
“We’re a family, and we’re going to work even harder,” Archer said. “We’re going to be ready for our upcoming game. We have the momentum, and we’re not looking back.”
