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Bethesda-Chevy Chase reached new heights last year by knocking off three of the county's top perennial powers. This year, the Barons look to take out the top dog.
rmink@digitalsports.com
It’s the same story in boys lacrosse this season.
Wootton is at the front of the pack. But can the Patriots finally emerge to the front of the entire 4A? Can a Montgomery County team end Wootton’s run?
A year after junior varsity lacrosse started in Montgomery County, the Patriots and other teams from around the county are starting to see the dividends. And while it may still take a few years to consistently challenge the Baltimore bullies, it’s not far off in coaches’ opinions.
“There’s definitely hunger there,” Wootton Coach Colin Thomson said. “To get so close and not be there...”
Wootton is the three-time regional champion who in 2007 became the first Montgomery County team in county history to reach the state finals. Last year the Patriots were undefeated in the county and gave Baltimore’s Dulaney – the eventual state champion – a run for its money in the state semifinals before losing 9-6.
“Each year is a new year though,” Thomson said. “You hope you can repeat back to that same level.”
Wootton lost three major contributors from last year in defensemen Tommy Whitlock and Brendan Ray and attackman Jordan Montesano. But the pipeline continues to keep the Patriots well-stocked.
Five starters return overall and they are all super-talented.
Goalie Yanni Rindler was one of the top goalies in the county last year in his first year starting between the pipes. Rindler backed up another fantastic Wootton goalie, Steven Silverburg, before that.
“He makes some incredible saves where you’re like, ‘Whoh,’” Thomson said. “We’re very lucky to have Yanni in net.”
In front of Rindler is three-year starting defenseman Matt Canter. At midfield is Mark Jutkowitz, who has been named to the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List, and Mike Cresham. On attack is Jeff Zifrony, who notched 32 goals last year.
“We’ve got some good players back,” Thomson said. “One thing I told them is its going to come down to how we gel as a unit.”
Thomson said his team has certainly benefited from the experience of playing at the state level. And the other good thing for the Patriots is that after losing in the state tournament three straight seasons, the team certainly isn’t lacking hunger.
B-CC LOOKS TO CHALLENGE AGAIN
If there’s one team looking to knock off Wootton, it’s Bethesda-Chevy Chase. The only county losses Bethesda-Chevy Chase suffered last year was Wootton – the final time coming in the 4A/3A West region final.
The Barons went 14-3 and beat Whitman, Churchill and Walter Johnson all for the first time last season, which was a huge accomplishment for the budding program. And this year, Bethesda-Chevy Chase is poised to perhaps do more damage.
Senior captains Augustin Vita and Chris Pappalardo lock down the midfield and provide a dangerous scoring threat. Seniors John Tschiderer and Thomas Krogh are also back on attack, giving the Barons plenty of firepower.
The defense will be where B-CC will have to improve over the course of the season. Brendan Casey will lead a young unit and All-American goalie Jon Goldberg graduated, paving the way for a goalie battle.
Bethesda-Chevy Chase also has three new coaches, including varsity assistant coaches Kip Turner and James Hsiao.
ALSO IN THE HUNT
Churchill is always a solid team that seems to give Wootton a challenge. The Bulldogs should have a very strong defense with three starters returning – senior Scott Manela, junior Jake Dockser and junior Ben Gloger – and also goalie Griffin Farha, who is already committed to LeHigh.
Pair that with the return of last year’s leading scorer Matt Risk and the Bulldogs could have a chance to improve on its 11-4 mark and loss to B-CC in the region semifinals last year.
Poolesville should be one of the county’s top threats. The 1A Falcons are looking to atone for a home loss to Century in the playoffs last season, capping off a 9-3 season in which they won the division. Team leader Dylan Haas returns to the midfield and face-off circle along with senior Andrew Gardner. Jon Bostin is back on defense.
Walter Johnson had quite a freshman last year as well in Daniel Cohen, who notched 49 goals and 42 assists to lead the Wildcats to a 10-4 record. Cohen returns with midfielder Andrew Goldstein (21 goals, 8 assists) and standout goalie Jon Silverman (3.8 GAA).
Whitman lost a lot from last year’s 8-6 team, including much of the offense. Pat Slawta will help offset some of that up top and Louis Hennet and Michael Harding are back in the midfield and defense, respectively.
Quince Orchard is coming off a solid season at 8-7 and graduates eight of its 10 starters, meaning the Cougars will be young this season. But last year then-freshman Eric Simon was young and he scored 41 goals and had nine assists. Pair that with Sam King and the Cougars have a formidable scoring threat.
AROUND THE COUNTY
Seneca Valley is a young team with just three seniors, but Coach Mike Ricucci feels his team knows the game well. The Eagles went 6-8 last year, losing to Damascus in the region semifinals. They return senior attackman Kyle Borsody, senior middy Matt Klopfer and sophomore LSM Nickos Leondaridis-Mena, notably.
Northwood lost 18 seniors from last season’s 0-13 team but Coach David Edlow feels his team is headed in the right direction with a young and more athletic squad led my midfielder Soren Klaverkamp.
Clarksburg would have high hopes after a 7-7 season last year and with the return of many of its top players. Problem is, they’re injured. The Coyotes are starting the season with five returning three-year starters injured.
Paint Branch was 7-6 last year and much younger with three returning seniors and eight sophomores. The Panthers do, however, have its two leading scorers back in Shawn Logan (28 goals, 17 assists) and Bradley Tse (27 goals, 19 assists) back. Midfielder Patrick Kind and defenseman David Nguyen have looked solid in the preseason.
Watkins Mill, who went 3-13 last year, brings back talent, especially on offense. Senior midfielder Brian Ratliff and senior attackman Will Ludgate combined for 42 goals and eight assists during last season. The Wolverines did lose Tommy Drury to DeMatha via transfer, however.
Kennedy is certainly an example of a team benefiting from the addition of junior varsity. Coach David Heiney-Gonzalez had more than 65 student-athletes try out this season, most in program history. He is hoping that transfers into a deeper team that can offset the losses of leading scorers Alex Yewdell (40 goals, 8 assists) and Vinay Dhanaraj (19 goals, 7 assists).
Richard Montgomery is hoping to get above .500 for the first time after going 4-8 last year. The Rockets are young with only three seniors and two freshman, but return their two leading scorers from last season – juniors Richard Muha and Max Barnes. Three-year starter Scott Davidson returns to the defense.
Coach Kurt Kohler takes over at Rockville, inheriting a team that went 3-10 last season. He returns Kevin O’Brien and Vinny Curl on defense and Ben Withnell and Matt Carroll on attack.
“We’re looking to improve on last year’s performance through tough defense and controlling the tempo of the game,” Kohler said.
