Fairport: 2009 Preview

April 24, 2009 -

Fairport



9-9	16	15

March, 2009 - Fairport ended their league season fourth in Monroe County Division I with a 4-6 record (8-8 overall). Seeded seventh in the Class A tournament the Raiders lost to Fairport in the quarterfinals and finished as seeded.

Fairport graduated eleven players last season and ten of them are continuing to play lacrosse in college: Eric Hislop (Mercyhurst), Brendan McCarthy (St. Lawrence), Thomas Groop (Oswego), Joseph Pinto (MCC), William Delzell (Oswego), John McDonnell (Nazareth), Brian Denny (Hartwick), Dorian Wolff (Bridgeton), Scott Halik (Pittsburgh), Alexander Keil (MCC). Even with the heavy graduating class, the Raider return a number of strong offensive players.

Leading the charge will be Brendan Saylor, who led the Raiders in goals last season, and Aaron Jones, who led the Raiders in assists and points. Jones (22g-27a) and Saylor (32g-13a) will lead the offense from the attack along with third leading scorer Martin Manilla (16g-13a). The trio of Jones, Saylor and Manilla will be a formidable attack. At the midfield, Fairport will look to face-off man Michael Lehmann.

Defensively, Coach Mike Torrelli writes, "our defense will be led by three year starter Kris Sterzin in goal." Sterzin finished last season with 201 saves (59%). He is one of the top goalies in Section Five and will make many crucial saves for the Red Raiders. In front of Sterzin, Fairport will look to Kyle DeRosa, Ted Knowles and James Cunningham for protection.

Overall, Fairport looks to be a having another strong year, with many of their key players with experience. Coach Torrelli says, "This group has a ton of potential if we can play together all season." He has scheduled out of league games against the best that he could find. Penn Yan, JD, Niagara Wheatfield, and Canandaigua are each perennially strong teams at the state level.

Top Returning Players:

Aaron Jones - Att - 12 - MC-1 2nd
Kyle DeRosa - Def - 12 - MC-1 HM
Kristoffer Sterzin - Goal - 12 - MC-1 2nd
Brendan Saylor - Att - 11 - MC-1 2nd
Martin Manilla - Att- 11 - MC-1 HM
Theodore Knowles - Def - 11 - MC-1 2nd
James Cunningham - Def - 11 - MC-1 HM
Connor Lowe - Mid - 12