Sports
Syosset Middle Schooler To Compete In National Lacrosse Tournament
South Woods goalie makes Long Island all-star squad; Track post-season treating Braves well.
South Woods Eighth Grader Makes Regional Squad
Successful programs don’t start at the varsity level. Often, they are built in the lower levels, sharpening skills and teaching fundamentals. It is here that the seeds for large scale success are planted. These lower levels don’t just encompass high school junior varsity teams, but the middle school teams as well.
Not surprisingly, the talent pool throughout the Syosset program is rich. One of the rising stars is South Woods Middle School goaltender Bryan Ochs. Ochs was recently selected to play on the Long Island team that will compete for a national championship at the 2011 National Lacrosse Classic from July 1-4 in Boyds, Maryland.
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Ochs was one of 100 middle schoolers who tried out for the team in May. Of those hopefuls, only 25 made the squad. Ochs is one of two goalies looking to bring home the title to Long Island in the 12 team tournament.
With the selection, Ochs was accepted into the 2011 Brine National All-Star Lacrosse Academy. There, he and 300 other top middle school players will learn from Duke Assistant Coach Ron Caputo.
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Caputo has a Syosset lacrosse connection as well. According to his bio on Duke’s official athletic website, he served as assistant coach on the Braves varsity team from 1997-2003. During that time, Syosset appeared in three county semifinals and one county championship game.
Syosset Track and Field Excels at County Meet
Last week's Nassau County meet saw the continuation of Syosset’s successful spring track season. Evan Kappatos placed first in the shot-put with a 50 foot, 3 inch toss. This was a season best for Syosset’s star hurler.
Ryan DePinto and Brian Sheng also received All-County honors. DePinto set a freshman school record with a third place finish in the 3000 meter steeplechase. Sheng finished third in the discus.
Other Braves notables included Michael Wilkins, who jumped 11 feet, 6 inches in the pole vault. Tyler Moritz finished sixth in the 800 meter run. His 2:00.3 time was a lifetime best.
Moritz and Wilkins, along with Simon Nwana and Ross Knaster, finished sixth in the 4 x 800 meter relay. The 8:20.0 time was a season high for the team.
“It was an excellent county meet,” Head Coach Bart Sessa said.
Wilkins would go on to qualify for next week's state meet by taking home first place in the pole vault at state qualifiers on Thursday at Westbury High School.
