Tigers Capped Strong Season with Second Consecutive Sectional Title

PUTNAM VALLEY—The goal was clear-cut coming into the 2010 season: the Putnam Valley High lacrosse team wanted to do what no other PV team before them had done—win back-to-back sectional titles. And the Valley did it in dramatic fashion, erasing a two-goal deficit in the final three minutes of the Class C championship game against Rye. Ryan Fitzgerald, PV’s lone All- American selection, capped the unlikely comeback by scoring the gamewinning goal with just over a minute to play. He finished with five goals in the game.

Ryan Fitzgerald SKIP PEARLMAN Putnam Valley went on to beat Red Hook in a state quarterfinal, and got the re-match they had wanted—another shot at Manhasset in the state semifinal. But the No. 2 ranked team in the country was just too much for PV to handle, and Manhasset went on to win its second consecutive state championship.

Tigers coach Brian Kuczma felt the team lived up to its potential.

Above: Dan O'Gorman, Ryan Fitzgerald and John McLean hoist Section 1 championship plaque. Right: Shane Kelly. Photos by SKIP PEARLMAN. “We knew going in we’d be strong defensively,” Kuczma said. “We lost over 100 goals to graduation, but we surpassed expectations on offense, and overall. We knew we had the talent to be in the sectional championship game. Getting beyond Rye … we believed that if we played well, we could beat them. So I think we met expectations. I was very pleased with winning a second straight title.”

Fitzgerald heads a list of seven Tigers who earned post-season accolades.

The senior attacker and team captain was a fourth-year varsity player who led the team in goals and points, and set new school records in both categories, as well as becoming the school’s career leader in both. He was named All-American (second time), All-Section and All-League.

Senior defenseman and team captain John McLean, along with seniors Brendan McCrudden (GL), Shane Kelly (M), team captain Dan O’Gorman (M) and junior Kevin Christopher (M) were all named to the All-Section and All-League teams. Junior long stick middie Logan Bagarozy took home All-Section Honorable Mention and All-League honors.

“They all contributed with on the field play, and it was an outstanding group as far as leadership,” Kuczma said. “They played all last summer together, carried it into the fall, and picked it up in the spring. Probably the biggest factor was their leadership that paid off in big games for us.”

The coach also mentioned solid contributions coming from seniors Jake Flegar (D), Kris Castro (D) and Evan Kneuer (A), and freshman Johnny van de Veerdonk (A). “They didn’t get as much press, or accolades, but they were unsung role players, and we wouldn’t have done as well without them,” Kuczma said.

Dan O'Gorman SKIP PEARLMAN The team will lose four players on the defensive end, two at midfield and one attacker to graduation, but with at least one player returning at each position, Kuczma feels the team can still be a threat next spring.

“We return at least one player at each position, so I think it’s a matter of how well the young guys reload around them. We’ll be young. van de Veerdonk should have a good year, and we have some young players ready to step into new roles. It should be interesting to see how the new guys work.”
Kevin Christopher SKIP PEARLMAN
Brendan McCrudden SKIP PEARLMAN