Sachem North had an easy go in its first round playoff game against Patchogue-Medford on Thursday afternoon. Largely untested and superior in all aspects of the game, the Flaming Arrows walked away with a 17-3 victory at Fred Fusaro Alumni Stadium.
No. 7 Sachem North (10-7) was led by Jimmy Hoffman and Matt Battelli, who scored four goals apiece, and Joe Caridi, who scored two goals and added two assists. Nine different Flaming Arrows scored in the victory.
“With playoffs, the intensity is cranked up,” said Sachem coach Jay Mauro. “We had a very good week of practice, every drill is a competition and the boys really got after it. We showed our resolve today in playing the way we played.”
This season marks five straight years of the Flaming Arrows competing in Suffolk’s Class A boys lacrosse playoffs. In four of the five seasons, Sachem has won its first round game. In the modern era, they’ve only make it past the quarterfinals once, last year.
Sachem led 14-1 at the half and pulled all starters for the final two quarters. Sachem goalies John Quinn and Dylan Ciolino split time in net and each recorded four saves.
PHOTOS: Click here to see more images from the victory
“It was about playing hard,” said Mauro. “There were a couple of points later in the season where I thought we could have played harder and that was the emphasis this whole week. Let’s play hard, get after it and compete. Ultimately we’re kind of young, so it’s hard to get them to understand what it’s like to be in the playoffs of Suffolk County Class A.”
Turning its attention to the next round, Sachem will travel to No. 2 Smithtown West (14-2) on Tuesday, May 21 for a quarterfinal battle at 5 p.m. Smithtown West beat Sachem, 18-8, on May 4, tying its season high in goals scored.
“They’re very talented,” Mauro said. “We have to go after ground balls, get the ball on our stick and we’re going to make things happen if we do that.”
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro