The Massive Turnaround for Blackstone Valley Tech Lacrosse
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Senior Adam Karagosian has handled face offs and played well on both ends for the Beavers this year.
With both the state playoffs and vocational playoffs still to come, the Beavers have already won more games this season (12) than they have the past two years combined (11). Now in his fourth year coaching Blackstone Valley Tech, Anthony Comforti, has watched a core group of players grow up together.
“We had a large group of freshmen when I first got here, and now those guys are all seniors,” Comforti said. “Now my entire front line and midfield are all seniors, and it helps that they’ve all played together for four years.”
Experience Pays Off
A group playing together for four years is a rarity at a vocational school like Blackstone Valley Tech, and pales in comparison to other schools where players grow up playing together in youth leagues. For this reason, having an experienced group like this year’s team is a pleasure for Comforti. His team has pulled out gutsy wins over rival Nashoba Tech, defeating the Vikings by one goal on two separate occasions this season.
Comforti also points to his team’s difficult schedule, which concludes with a tough game against rival Nipmuc today, as a way to prepare for the postseason.
“We’ve qualified for the state tournament and the vocational tournament gets started this week,” Comforti said. “We’re an independent school for lacrosse, we have no league, so if we can hang with a school like Nipmuc, I think that shows what we can do.”
A Veteran Attack and Midfield
The Beavers have found ways to win both shootouts and slugfests this year, showing they are equally comfortable in different types of games. Senior captain Trevor Hendrix has led the team in points with 53 points (32G, 21A) while classmate Joe Bouthillette has paced the team in goals (33).
Sophomore Nick Wojnar makes life miserable for opposing attackers.
Young Talent on Defense
While the front line is senior-laden, there is a great deal of underclassman talent on the back end. Sophomore defenseman Nick Wojnar is a budding star that Comforti believes can play at the next level.
“He is an incredible athlete, and lacrosse is just second-nature for him,” Comforti said of Wojnar. “He is the kind of player that should play Division I some day, no doubt in my mind he could play lacrosse for a school like that.”
The last line of defense for Blackstone Valley Tech has been fellow sophomore Griffin Boyle. The talented underclassman has allowed just over 5.5 goals a game this year, and already has over 110 saves.
Next up for the Beavers is a tough matchup with vocational power Shawsheen in the Lacrosse Vocational Championship on Friday. The game will be played at the Manning Bowl in Lynn, and is scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm.
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