Wantagh built for playoff run

After three straight years falling in the Class B quarterfinals, a senior-laden Wantagh boys’ lacrosse team is primed for a deep playoff run this spring.

The Warriors moved from Conference B-I to B-II due to a slight enrollment drop and are striving to win in the new league to earn a high seed for the postseason. Wantagh is coming off an 11-win season that ended with a 10-3 quarterfinal loss to Lynbrook.

“Our expectations are to hopefully win the conference and hopefully win some games in the playoffs,” Wantagh coach John Cuiffo said. “We have a very good class of senior athletes.”

Five captains lead Wantagh’s talented senior class including attackman Dylan Beckwith, goalie Bobby Casey along with midfielders Bruno Surace, Robert Tucker and Kyle Sliwak. “I lean on those guys a lot,” Cuiffo said of his captains.

Wantagh boasts numerous scoring options led by the Fairfield-bound Beckwith, who registered 41 points in the Warriors’ first six games including seven goals in a season-opening 13-7 win against Seaford. Sliwak, a Hofstra commit, along with Tucker (Pace) and attackman Casey Murphy (High Point) have also been big scorers early on. Surace, Chris Tucker, Ryan DeVito, Matt Robbins, Devin Kennedy, Richie Russo and Tommy Rohan are additional offensive threats on a deep team.

“We have seven or eight guys who we can count on to score,” Cuiffo said. “We are very strong offensively.”

Faceoff specialist Joe Fitzpatrick is a big component of Wantagh’s offense who can gain the Warriors extra possessions and set up transition opportunities. “We really need him to step up and have big year,” Cuiffo said.

Casey has anchored the defense in his second year as a captain. The Hofstra-bound net-minder registered 11 saves in an 11-10 overtime loss to Westchester County power Mamaroneck on April 2.

“He is great between the pipes,” Cuiffo said of Casey. “He is a great team leader.”

Casey has a strong defense in front of him led by St. Joseph’s College (Pa.)-bound Sean Colbert, Mark Buchner and Ryan Droluck. Defensive midfielders Patrick Harrington, John Burke and Liam Ryder are also key facets of Wantagh’s defense.

Wantagh was seeded second in Conference B-II behind Lynbrook, a team the Warriors meet for a road matchup on April 27 in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinals. When the Class B playoffs begin, Cuiffo expects a wide-open tourney that the Warriors can be in the mix with traditional powers Garden City and Manhasset in the championship chase. Wantagh began the season going 4-2 in six non-league games and was set to open league play on Wednesday night, after presstime, at Hewlett.  

To help prepare for a challenging schedule and grow team chemistry, Wantagh traveled to Colorado in late March for three games. The Warriors also got to visit the Air Force Academy and attend a Colorado Avalanche hockey game.

“The trip was just what I had hoped for,” Cuiffo said. “They became closer.”