Jack Peterson was last year’s most valuable player for a reason.
But the Manhasset boys lacrosse team’s senior midfielder said what motivates him even more than statistics or defending his Nassau County school’s Class C state championship is the opportunity to keep playing the sport he loves with the guys he’s been competing with since he was a child.
The road to that end still included all of the above, though, as Peterson recorded three goals and an assist, much of that coming in a six-goal fourth quarter for Manhasset (19-1), on the way to an 11-6 route of Shoreham-Wading River for the Long Island title at Stony Brook University’s Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium Saturday night.
“It’s amazing to do that for my team,” Petersen said. “They’re always there for me, so to come through for them feels awesome.”
The repeat James C. Metzger MVP Award-winner scored his second goal with 9:16 left in the game to give Manhasset its first lead. The score came 44 seconds after Aidan Haggerty (two goals, one assist) tied the game at 6-6. Petersen dished the ball to Liam Connor on the left side for a good goal and 9-6 lead, and the senior earned his hat trick goal on an empty-netter. Shoreham-Wading River (14-6) had pulled its goalkeeper after a Cal Girard faceoff win and timeout call to try to get the ball back with just 2:30 to go. The Wildcats cornered the midfielder in the back left of the box, but he wasn’t worried.
“I like having the ball in those situations,” Petersen said. “I was confident I’d find a way out, put it in; and I was confident we’d get the ball back again.”
That’s exactly what happened, as he juked out the defenders on his hip, moving to the sideline and dodging right as he wrapped around to the front of the cage for an easy look. Girard, who won 17 of 20 faceoffs, secured the next possession for another Manhasset goal.
“He’s an incredible player – so athletic. He’s probably the most athletic player on the Island,” Girard said of Petersen, adding that knowing the power of his entire offense he knew he had to get his job done to ensure his team had a chance to get back in it. “They were trying to counter me by getting scrappier, but I just kept winning with my quickness. I tried to get the ball to the offense as much as I could, and it worked out today.”
Wildcats goalkeeper Jaden Galfano made one of his 14 dazzling stops first, but Michael Mondiello put in his own rebound to ice it.
“They’re a great team, but you could tell they were getting tired,” Girard said. “We were able to run away with it in the fourth quarter because we’re so well-conditioned. We’re probably the best-conditioned team on the Island.”
Junior Liam Gregorek scored three goals in the first quarter for Shoreham-Wading River, and his older brother, Alec, finished with two goals for the Wildcats, which led 3-1 after the first quarter and 4-3 at halftime.
“We were making a lot of mistakes like dropping the ball, throwing the ball away — the nerves were getting to us,” said Petersen, who also credited his team’s training. “But we’ve been in games like this before — where we start off slow. We talk it out and we figure it out. What it comes down to is we work really hard in practice, and we always keep that in mind.”
Jack Lamarca also played a key role for Manhasset. The senior defender went man-to-man with Liam Kershis, who scored 16 goals across the playoffs, including five in a takedown of previously undefeated Mt. Sinai for Suffolk County crown. Kershis was limited to just an assist June 3.
“We go into every game knowing we have to do our job,” Lamarca said. “We just want the win — that’s all we care about.”
Girard said the job’s not finished, and his team still has a lot to prove as Manhasset plays the winner of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake and Rye at the University at Albany’s Fallon Field on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in the state semifinals.
“We wanted to come out and show that we’re the same team — that we’re still state championship-worthy,” Girard said.
Petersen said it’s about the chance to compete another day.
“It’s amazing to do this again, and it’d be great to win another state championship, but really, we’re just fighting for another week with each other and another day in practice,” he said. “If we keep doing what we’re doing, we should go where we want to go.”
