2012 Preseason Overview: MC-D2

March 27, 2012 -

  March, 2012 - It will come as no surprise that Irondequoit appears to be the top team in Monroe County Division 2. The Eagles come off a Sectional Championship and return some of the most impressive players in Section Five. However, the remaining four teams are all very competitive and have shown that they cannot be taken lightly. Irondequoit might be the strongest, but any of these teams could dethrone the champions.

The biggest stand-outs include the attackman Nick Doktor (Irondequoit), midfielder Nick Weston (HF-L), midfielder John Maloney (Victor), goalie Eric Fischer (Irondequoit), the midfielders from Irondequoit (Briele Caples, Connor Enright, George Jerman and Gunnar Miller), the attack from HF-L (Drew Tallon, Jason Boike and Connor Flaherty) and the defense from Irondequoit (Andrew Cordes, Loren Caples and Elijah Kenney). In regards to League honors, Irondequoit was in Division 1 last season and awards reflect that level of competition. The remaining four teams were all together in Division 3 last season.

The top defense in Monroe County Division 2 is Irondequoit's. However, Victor and HF-L cannot be discounted. The Eagles return Cordes (second team), Caples (LSM-HM) and Kenney (HM). Cordes, a three year starter, will be a leader in close defense. He will attend Towson in the fall. For Victor, the Blue Devils will look to the combination of Dan Declerk (second team), Alex Davis (first team) and John Novitsky (first team). Victor's starting defense will be impressive to say the least and should keep the Blue Devils in many games. From HF-L, second year captain Keanan O'Brien will lead the close defense. Last season he was awarded first team honors. Joining him will be Cassidy Kuhn (second team) and Geoffrey Ferington (HM). The top goalie in Division 2 is Eric Fisher from Irondequoit. He finished last season with 149 saves (55%) and second team honors. He will attend Binghamton in the fall.

In the midfield, Irondequoit once again takes the top spot with Victor and HF-L in the second group. Irondequoit has many different threats. The strongest of which is senior Gunnar Miller. Miller, who was injured last season, only played in seven games. He finished the season with 10g-5a and was named to the All Tournament team. He will attend the USMA in the fall. Jerman, Enright and Caples are all scoring threats for the Eagles. From HF-L, Weston returns from his single season at Aquinas. He began his varsity career at HF-L in 2010 and recorded 28g-4a and then last season at Aquinas recorded 24g-19a. From Victor, John Maloney will be a stand-out midfielder. He was the leading scorer on the team last season with 27g-26a and was awarded first team honors.

In the attack, HF-L and Irondequoit share the top tier with Canandaigua in the running. The Braves come into the season with their leading scorer returning. Senior Matt Scharr finished with 32g-19a and will be attending Mercyhurst in the fall. HF-L and Irondequoit top the list for two different reasons. Obviously, Doktor makes Irondequoit a leading threat by himself. However, HF-L has a formidable team attack of Tallon (first team), Boike (second team) and Flaherty (second team). They combined for 85g-58 last season. For Irondequoit, Doktor returns as the only US Lacrosse All American. He finished the season with 48g-41a and led his team in assists and points. He was also fifth in total points, fifth in assists and eighth in goals for the entire Section. Any team that cannot suppress Doktor will have a hard time winning.