ESG - Boys lacrosse
Buffalo area boosts presence on roster
by JASON NADOLINSKI Reporter

Amherst Central senior-to-be Casey Rich is one of seven new faces from Buffalo making their Empire State Games for the Western Region scholastic men's lacrosse team. Western won a silver medal at last year's Games in Rochester. File photo

For years, the Buffalo area has made strides in becoming known as a supplier of quality high school lacrosse. That increase is reflected on this summer's Empire State Games Western Region scholastic boys roster, with seven players bumping up Buffalo's presence at the Games after just two players were on the roster last year.

Of course, none of those players, who include Orchard Park midfielders Kevin Lalley, Matthew Ferrino and Jeffrey Tundo, Amherst attackman Casey Rich, West Seneca defenseman Gregory Bensman and East Aurora goalie Jonathon Lawless, was a member of the 2006 squad that brought home the silver medal.

That relative lack of experience, as far as the Games are concerned, doesn't really have Western coach John Schembri worried.

"We had a lot of alternates last year from the Buffalo area, so I definitely had some kids on my radar," said Schembri, who was the co-head coach at Penfield this past season. "There are some kids who are All-American players, so it's kind of a no-brainer that they'll be a big part of our success."

Bensman, a senior-to-be at West Seneca East, is one of those All-Americans Schembri is referring to. Bensman helped lead the Trojans to their best season in school history and is hoping to fully display the skills that got him First Team All-ECIC, All-WNY and All-American status in his first Games.

"I bring a physical nature to the game," Bensman said. "I play hockey too, so I bring that physical aspect to lacrosse. I'm not afraid to go after any ground ball."

Bensman and the rest of his teammates got to test their mettle recently by playing in a tournament in Syracuse that was also attended by three of the other teams that will be at the Games - Adirondack, Hudson Valley and New York City - and if that tournament was any indication of how the Games will go, Western could have a good shot at earning its second-ever gold medal. Western defeated all three teams, as well as three other non-Games squads, to go 6-0 over the course of the two-day tournament.

"It all depends on if we show up for each game," Schembri said. "If the team I know can show up, we can definitely medal. It would definitely be nice if we wind up contending for gold."

"We just have to keep building on what we have and how we played in that tournament a week ago," said Rich, a senior to-be who was a First Team All-ECIC and Second Team All-WNY selection who had 42 goals and 22 assists last year for the Tigers. "It's been a great experience so far. One of our first practices, we all just sat down in a big circle and introduced ourselves to each other. It was just awesome to hear what everyone has done."

Ferrino and Lalley, the Orchard Park teammates, will be among the core players in the midfield whom Schembri is counting on for solid play later this week.

"Matt and Kevin bring athleticism and confidence to the team, so along with some of the other newcomers, they are going to be part of the core of the midfield," Schembri said. "We're a very athletic team in all our positions, and we have above average team speed. The fact that no one has to be 'the man' is great. The kids are really unselfish, they don't mind distributing the ball."

"It's just very nice that we have some people we already know to be comfortable with," said Lalley, a senior-to-be for the Quakers. "I know a lot of colleges will be there, so I wanted to make the team to show them what I've got."

Lawless, a junior to-be at St. Francis, is also motivated to play well given the exposure the Games provide. Lawless had a 70 percent save percentage for St. Francis this past year, which helped the Red Raiders post a 15-3 record.

Western kicks off its part of the 30th annual Games at 7 p.m. Thursday when it takes on Adirondack at Iona College. Western will then play twice in four hours on Friday, with its final two games taking place Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.

"We just have to keep our composure, settle the ball on offense and play smart defense," Schembri said. "We can't get rattled when we get scored on, and we've got to make sure we take as few penalties as possible."

"We're one of the most hard-working teams I've ever seen, so if we work as hard as we can, I think we'll take care of business down there," Ferrino said. "Gold is definitely what we're looking for."