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West Deptford Boys' Lacrosse Preview: Building Off Record Year

Even with a new goalie and the loss of a top scorer, the Eagles think they'll be in the mix at the top again this year.

One look at the statistics tells part of the story of how much the boys’ lacrosse team will miss graduated standout attacker Eric Gendron. The first-team all-conference player deposited 66 goals while dishing out 27 assists in just 20 games last season.

Yet, those statistics don’t come close to measuring Gendron’s impact on the field. That’s where the rest of the story comes in.

“Eric is going to be very difficult, almost impossible to replace, not for the 60 goals, but for his IQ and leadership,” said West Deptford coach Mike Yarusso. “Those areas are where we will he will be missed more than the points.”

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The Eagles will be leaning on a trio of experienced captains to help alleviate the loss. Defenseman Tim Fair and midfielder Ryan Monaghan return as first-team all-conference players, while midfielder Nick Baud was a second-team selection.

Also figuring to be a key cog in this year’s lineup is sophomore attacker Michael Reardon, who burst onto the scene by netting 34 goals in his freshman season.  

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As impressive as Reardon was last season, Yarusso expects to see a significant increase in production this year.

“I look for Michael Reardon to really have a breakout season,” Yarusso said. “I expect him to be in the 50-goal range this year as a sophomore. He has that kind of talent.”

As if replacing Gendron is not enough of a challenge, the Eagles also graduated first-team goalie Michael Nahas, who had been with the program since his freshman year. In his place will be junior Brendan Gill.

“With Michael you are losing your stopper, your communicator,” Yarusso said. “We have to protect Brendan while he is gaining experience. Every day he gets better. His biggest challenge right now is the lack of experience.”

The coaching staff has been spending about a half hour each practice session working with Gill on his fundamentals and technique. Yarusso said he is seeing improvement and if it can continue, he feels the junior will do just fine this season.

“If every day we can take a step forward—whether a big one or small one—where he can show progress, we hope by May he will be mature enough to become a strength of our team,” he said.

West Deptford is coming off a record season. In 2011 the Eagles earned a home playoff game and recorded the first home playoff win in program history in the first round. The team also had a more-than respectable showing in the second round, falling to West Essex, 7-6.

One goal the team fell just short of was winning a divisional title. The team had a chance to earn a tie of the crown with Bishop Eustace, but fell to Haddonfield, 14-9, in the second-to-last game of the season.

Yarusso expects there might be a bump in the road or two this year, but sees no reason why, despite the departures, the team can’t take another step forward.

“We want to compete for the division and the goal for the seniors is to take another step for the state tournament,” he said. “We don’t just want to have a respectable showing against a top program (such as West Essex), we feel it’s time to garner a victory out of it.”

BOYS' LACROSSE

Coach: Mike Yarusso

Last year:14-6

Returning letter winners: Tim Fair (sr.); Ryan Monaghan (sr.);
Nick Reardon; Nick Baud (sr.); Marc Laspino (sr.); Frank Sorrentino (sr.);
Jonathan Hurlburt (jr.) Zach Kaestner (jr.); Brendan Gill (jr.); Nick Carney
(jr.); Andrew Fitzgerald (sr.); Michael Reardon (so.).

Promising newcomers: Justin Wydner (so.); Michael Groves (fr.); Phil Fisher (sr.); Arrin Bundy (sr.).

Team to beat: Haddonfield, Bishop Eustace.

Outlook: With a core of six experienced seniors and talented underclassmen, the Eagles look poised to build off of a highly-successful 2011 season. If the team can get consistent play from Gill and the defense there is no reason to think it won’t once again be in the hunt for a division title and home playoff game.

Three storylines to follow:

–Avoiding a slow start. Though they were able to recover, the Eagles did not start the 2011 season the way they would have liked, losing a pair of lopsided games. The Eagles open with a home game against Camden Catholic on Wednesday, followed by a road game against Seneca Thursday. Last season, West Deptford dominated Camden Catholic and won a 13-12 thriller against Seneca.

–The emergence of senior Marc Laspino. After spending his sophomore season on the JV team, Laspino was used as a reserve on varsity most of last year. However, injuries opened the door and he found himself starting late in the season. He finished with 11 goals in limited action. With an expanded role, Yarusso said Laspino could be a 30-point player this season.

–West Deptford beat division-winner Bishop Eustace twice last year, but was denied the crown due to a pair of losses to rival Haddonfield. Look for these three teams to once again be in a heated race that comes down to the wire. If West Deptford can duplicate its success against Bishop Eustace and steal a game against the Bulldawgs, the Eagles will find themselves in the driver’s seat.

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