Offensive depth sparks East Meadow

East Meadow’s started the lacrosse season with one win in three games, but it’s more about who the Jets have played, and how they’ve played that’s provided encouraging signs. The Jets knocked off Carey, 12-11, on March 28 with a fourth-quarter goal by senior Chris Buschi completing an offensive attack that featured goals by seven different players.

In a 14-11 loss to perennial Nassau power Wantagh on March 23, East Meadow scored nine second-half goals nearly overcoming a large deficit, just two days after pushing home five fourth-quarter goals in a 10-9 loss to North Shore.

“As units they’re doing it together and that’s what we’re stressing as a coaching staff, getting the guys to play as a team,” coach Lou Lago said, noting that the late fireworks weren’t sparked by individuals, but multiple players getting on the same page. “We got it together in the third and fourth quarters.”

The non-league schedule is a difficult one, but a way for East Meadow to get an early measuring stick on how it measures up. Games with Floral Park, Kennedy and Holy Trinity are also on the plate before the Conference I campaign gets underway. “We tried to schedule tougher teams early to test us and see what the guys [can do],” Lago said.

In the loss to the Warriors, six different players scored goals with Buschi, a returning All-County Honorable Mention attack, scoring a team-high three and senior Jake Borresen and junior Nick Suchocki netting a pair. Buschi and Borresen, as well as senior Dennis Caramante, who scored once in the loss to the Vikings, and senior Bobby Bender bounce back and forth between the midfield and attack, giving Lago plenty of options when the offense is drawn up. Senior Bryan Lehman is also part of the mix at attack.

Lago and his staff made some adjustments to the offensive system during the offseason, and some of the players’ roles may change, including Buschi, a natural scorer taking on a potentially bigger role as a playmaker. “He’s a scorer, but this year he’s going to get some other guys looks to because he is someone that gets [a defense’s] attention,” Lago said.

The defense has perhaps the most physical player in Nassau as its anchor in junior Billy Andrle. The Thorp Award winner as the county’s top football player in the fall, the gridiron battering ram also brings his toughness to the lacrosse field, albeit a somewhat toned down version to keep the Jets out of man-down situations. “When offensive guys go up against him, there’s not much give,” Lago said.

Joining Andrle on defense is junior Nick Conti, who’s taking on a larger role after seeing some varsity action as a sophomore. Ryan Borg provides the last line of defense in goal, and already has a 20-save game under his belt against North Shore.

Seeded eighth in Conference I, the ranking is little more than a number for Lago. “We’ve just got to go out and win some games,” he said. “That’s what makes a difference at the end of the season.

“We had a couple of tough losses to kick off the season, but I think we have a talented group and there’s nowhere to go but up.”