Cold Spring Harbor boys lacrosse unfazed by bus breakdown, wins state Class D regional final
Cold Spring Harbor celebrates winning its state regional final matchup in Middletown, NY on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Credit: Kelly Marsh
MIDDLETOWN — The broken-down coach bus sat on the shoulder of Route 17 Saturday morning, flashers flashing, cars whizzing by, just about 10 miles from Middletown High.
And there up on the grass were the passengers in red uniforms — Cold Spring Harbor’s boys lacrosse team.
The two-time defending state champion Seahawks had a 10 a.m. Southeast Regional final scheduled against James I. O’Neill of Section IX, with a ticket to the Class D state final four at stake.
After the bus broke down, the team was stuck for more than a hour. There were a series of calls, and then the Middletown district arranged for a school bus to go pick up the Seahawks. They walked into their locker room at 9:50. The opening faceoff came about 55 minutes later.
Cold Spring Harbor then scored the first eight goals of the game. The Seahawks were delayed but undeterred, cruising to a 15-2 win.
“It was definitely crazy,” junior midfielder Sam Bruno said. “It threw off our pregame a little bit. We were able to get here, get our heads right and get it done.”
Daniel Touhy contributed two goals and one assist, and Bruno, Andrew Ioannou and Bryce Albert also scored two apiece.
So the Seahawks (12-6) will face Section I winner Pleasantville at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the University at Albany’s Fallon Field in a semifinal rematch. They earned a 7-3 win over those Panthers in 2023.
“I don’t think they lost a starter from last year,” Seahawks coach Dennis Bonn said. “I think it’ll be a great matchup again.”
Some of Bonn’s players sought shade while they waited for the next bus. Some played hacky sack.
“We are all kind of relaxed,” Touhy said.
That included Bonn.
“I’ve been the head guy since 2000 and I’ve been coaching lacrosse for 34 years,” he said. “So I kind of have seen a lot of things and you know to just relax when things go the wrong way."
Things definitely went the right way for him once the game started.
Bruno and Sam Giarraputo combined to go 17-4 on faceoffs, allowing Cold Spring Harbor to dominate the possession time.
The young Raiders (4-11) had advanced as the lone D team in Section IX. The Seahawks led 8-0 after one quarter, 12-1 at halftime and 15-1 after three.
“They played everybody,” O’Neill coach Steve Magarelli said. “They’re a class act. We appreciate it.”