Rye Country Day Boys’ Lacrosse

Wildcats’ Glass Is Either Half Empty or Half Full

By Mitch Silver

Does the Rye Country Day Boys’ Lacrosse team have reason to fret as they approach the playoffs? Or should they be riding high? It depends on whether you’re a pessimist or an optimist. And, also, which playoffs you’re thinking of.

The Wildcats are 8-6 on the season, not counting a big contest with Hamden Hall they played post-press time. On the other hand, they dropped their most recent game, a toughie at home on Saturday to nemesis Hackley 11-10.

On the <other> other hand, Head Coach Matt Rosolen’s team is undefeated in the Fairchester Athletic Association going into that HH game. And consider these scores: they won a few weeks ago at St. Luke’s, 12-3, and stunned Hopkins 13-4. The Wildcats crushed Kingswood-Oxford 14-3 and manhandled Greens Farms 16-6. Throw in a 10-7 win over King for luck, and they’re an easy 5-0 against FAA foes.

If you have a third hand, it gets dicey. Rye Country Day also plays postseason ball in the New York State Association of Independent Schools. They beat Riverdale in that league by a goal in early April and lost by a goal to Fieldston a couple of days later. Hackley’s the third NYSAIS team they’ve met. They end the regular season this afternoon hosting non-league Cheshire Academy.

If a team is more than the sum of its parts, it helps to have pretty good parts, which the locals do. Eddie Abrams is a stalwart veteran in goal, Isaac Sacks is a very good long–stick faceoff man, and Ray Konopka and Liam McLane do a good job of getting open for shots and converting them. Konopka took nine shots and made five of them against Hackley. McLane added a couple of scores and an assist. Co-captain middie Will Dodge pulls things together in the middle, and Pierce Kim is an obstacle on defense.

Still, if you’re a pessimist, you look at the Wildcats going down by three goals after the first quarter against Hackley. Optimists would point out the Grandview boys won the last three periods by 9-7.

As they used to say in the New York tabloids, it’s 6-5 and pick ‘em.

Eddie Abrams goes high to deflect one up and over.

Ray Konopka beats his man and heads for goal.