Long Island Lutheran boys lacrosse eighth-graders Peter Weston and William Mondiello lift Crusaders
William Mondiello of Long Island Lutheran is heavily defended by Timmy Miller of Long Beach during a non-league boys lacrosse game on Monday in Brookville. Credit: Dawn McCormick
There were eighth graders everywhere you looked out on Long Island Lutheran’s turf, a bunch of boys out there in the home white jerseys having fun playing varsity lacrosse on a cold, damp day.
And you know what? Those kids looked pretty good.
LuHi started eight of its 10 eighth graders. Two contributed three goals apiece, Peter Weston and William Mondiello. Team leader Dominic Passannante stood out at the other end. The Wagner-bound junior captain made 13 saves as Long Island Lutheran outlasted Long Beach, 8-6, in Monday’s non-league clash.
“It’s going to bring a lot more people in, knowing that we can play against these big-time teams,” said Weston, an attackman from Manhasset, who also helped LuHi get past St. John the Baptist and Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK.
“I think even though we might be just eighth graders and we have a young team, we can still play, and we can definitely give good teams runs,” he added.
Last season, the Crusaders went 3-7. Now, through five games, they’re 3-2.
“They’re very highly skilled players,” coach Todd Higgins said of his young guys. “They all play at high-level club lacrosse. When the games get toward the end, sometimes their inexperience shows up . . . I think they’re getting more and more comfortable with tight games.”
Higgins said this independent team’s “goal is definitely to get to the [NYSAIS] title game and see what happens.”
This was definitely a young man’s game. Long Beach (1-4), coming off an 11-7 season that included a first-round playoff win, started nine freshmen and sophomores.
“Yes, I’m disappointed,” coach Jason Pearl said. “But it’s invaluable to put the guys in these situations and try to just get a W. We’ve just got to keep working hard and work at it.”
It was 3-3 after one quarter. Then the eighth grade took charge, powering a 4-1 LuHi run. Tommy Kasselakis made it 4-3, Weston scored twice, Mondiello had the other, and it was 7-4 at halftime.
Passannante lamented the Crusaders’ “kind of slow” second halves. He said this time they “played harder in the second half.”
Jonathan Hayes and Ryan Farrell, who had two goals, scored for Long Beach to cut it to 7-6.
But Weston made it 8-6 with 5.3 seconds left in the third, turning and firing against Marines goalie Aiden DeRupo (eight saves).
“It doesn’t really matter how old we are,” Passannante said. “No matter what age, we all just come together — one team, one family.”
