Tyler McCarthy powers Connetquot boys lacrosse over Sachem East
Connetquot's Tyler McCarthy (17) takes a backhanded shot in the fourth quarter during the Suffolk High School boys lacrosse game between Connetquot and Sachem East on Saturday May 7, 2022. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Once he gets going downhill there’s not much that can stop Tyler McCarthy.
His speed, agility and elite stick skills were all on display Saturday morning as the Connetquot midfielder took over the game as his Thunderbirds recovered from a slow start to down Sachem East, 14-8, in a Suffolk I boys lacrosse game.
Not even the elements could slow him down, as he dodged and drove his way through the pouring rain and gusting winds on the way to five goals and four assists.
“It’s tough to throw the ball around in this weather so we knew we needed to possess it and not have any stupid turnovers,” McCarthy said. “We wanted to play it slow and get it around a few times before we started our offense and to build on that.”
After Justin McFaul scored early in the second quarter to put Sachem East (8-7, 7-6) ahead 4-1 the Thunderbirds (10-4, 9-3) took a timeout to regroup.
“We got in the huddle after the timeout and coach told us we needed to slow down and possess the ball instead of just throwing it around,” said Tyler Moore, who scored three goals. “We changed the way we were playing and it started clicking.”
That was when McCarthy started to take control.
Sachem East scored again to go ahead 5-2 with 7:47 left in the second but McCarthy quickly answered nine seconds later with his first goal of the game.
He then added two more in the final 30 seconds to tie that score at 6 heading into halftime. He began the second half with two goals, including a spectacular finish where he sprinted left, stopped on a dime and spun back to his right.
“It's nice to have a guy that can beat pretty much anybody,” Connetquot coach Brett Jeffares said. “He's a matchup problem for everybody.”
Moore added two more goals in the final minute of the third that started a run of five straight goals to end the game.
“They're kind of like a one-two punch,” Jeffares said. “Moore has been as much of a matchup problem lately so whoever draws the best guy, and there's some good defensemen in our league, the other guy can kind of be the counterpunch.”
Faceoff man Shaun Hill was also a huge part of the equation, winning 24 of 26 faceoffs to help supply the offense with plenty of opportunities.
“Every game is a battle but we’re up for the challenge,” Hill said. “We’re starting to get some momentum and we’re going to hopefully make a playoff push.”
Gene Morris joined Newsday's sports department in September 2012 and covers high school sports. He earned a journalism degree from Stony Brook University in 2010.
