Manhasset Boys Lacrosse leaps into Super 25 rankings

Gregory Giaconelli
The 2017 Manhasset Varsity Boys Lacrosse team (Photo courtesy of Manhasset HS)

The Manhasset boys varsity lacrosse team made The USA Today High School Sports Super 25 rankings on March 30.

The team began the season 2-1, with wins against Commack and John Jay-Cross River and a lost against St. Anthony’s. Manhasset was previously unranked until they made the list at No. 25.

Manhasset, a powerhouse out of Nassau County, moved into the Super 25 list with a strong start thanks to a talented lineup of players who are looking to get back to a state title.

First year Manhasset head coach Keith Cromwell said it is an honor to be acknowledged in the rankings and start the season against strong teams.

“It’s always nice from a program standpoint to be recognized,” Cromwell said. “We had three good teams to compete with right off the bat. To be able to get through it all at once, I give a lot of credit to all our guys.”

Heading into the season, Manhasset was ranked second in the Conference B-1 preseason rankings behind Garden City, who defeated them in the County Finals a season ago.

When it came to earning a spot on the rankings, Cromwell said that success starts with Manhasset’s tradition at their youth lacrosse program.

“I don’t know if there’s anything we did differently,” Cromwell said. “With the time and commitment a lot guys at that age level put in, it starts there. I think it gives credit to the previous coaching staff and what they’ve been able to do over the last couple of years.”

Cromwell said the coaching staff’s approach was mixing some of their philosophies with playing at a fast tempo. He added that the team is getting better on both sides of the ball.

“To a certain extent, I think we’re still trying to figure out our identity,” Cromwell said. “They’ve been doing a good job as far as scoring and focusing on our defensive end and getting guys locked. If we can continue that, hopefully we’ll continue to rise and win some big games.”

While it was great to be honored, Cromwell said he is hoping the team continues to head in the right direction and play their best lacrosse come the end of year.

“It’s important that we keep practicing hard and get better each day,” Cromwell said. “For the most part, every team that we face is out to get us. We’ll have to bring our game each time and hopefully at the end of the season, we can be in the top of those rankings.”

 

Share this Article