The Jericho Lacrosse Club kicked off their Spring 2003 travel game schedules this past month of April. Both the third and fourth grade travel team coached by Peter Murphy and Evan Bower, and the fifth and sixth grade travel team coached by Jim Corcoran, Manny Benisatto, and Bob Boeggeman have played three of the eight scheduled games. The coaches are all very excited about the fantastic amount of children who have geared up to participate in the Jericho lacrosse program this spring, and the very promising opening performances demonstrated in the first three games of this season.

The third and fourth grade team is off to a great start. Unfortunately, some of the fourth grade children that played as third graders on last year's team could not fit lacrosse into their schedule this year, however a great core set of players has returned to lead the team this year. The core team is complimented by the super turnout of third grade athletes that has added a jolt of energy into this team and they will all be fun to watch as the season progresses and they learn and grow together into a strong lacrosse team.

The action on the field is fast and aggressive this year as the returning players Alex Cohen, Dylan Murphy, Eric Zwilling, Matt Bernstein, Franklin Rodriguez, and Robert Guber take charge of the game. Add to this the high powered performances from new players Sean Lohan, Cory Bogdan, Jordan Brett, Perry Gold, Chris Corcoran, Alex Romanelli, Jake Solomon, Jacob Entel, Troy Paley, Jared Bower, David Ackerman, Max Marcus, and Jack Rosenburg and you can see the start of an exciting new team. One of the exciting new components to this rising team is the outstanding additional goal tending from rookie Mathew Roberts and Franklin Rodriguez moving to part time defense. The team has a record of one win, one loss, and one tie after the first three games with Syosset, Hicksville, and East Meadow.

The fifth and sixth grade team has a tremendous turnout of athletes who have really dominated the offensive play and ball possession through the first three games of their 2003 spring season. Unfortunately they have played against teams with excellent goaltenders and have come up short of a win so far this season. They have had to settle for a tie and two losses against opponents Syosset, Manhasset, and East Meadow. The ball has been passed quickly up the field by the midfielders Scott Weiss, Jesse Chazen, Jake Weithorn, Jimmy Corcoran, Jared Lyons, Michael Leprine, Brandon Rubell, Harry Hahn, Pody Uppal, Michael Solomon, and Andy Moskovic. The attack has been collecting the ball up field into the talented sticks of Reed Longo, Austin Landow, Robert Nuzzolese, Daniel Benisatto, Alec Ginsberg, Perry Barnett, David Page, Zachary Ganett, Jonathan Asseel, and Josh Haberman. The team's greatest asset this year has been a super strong defense from Brendan Cacciola, Stephen Platz, Ben Ehrlich, Marshall Hockhauser, and Thomas Caruso. This week Eddie Loftus entered into the goal for the first time and showed the team that he has the confidence to scoop it up and clear it out. The team is very excited about this move.

Both the third and fourth grade team and the fifth and sixth grade team will face off at home against New Hyde Park starting at noon on May 11 at the Jericho High School. Please come out and support the teams.

The Jericho Spring Lacrosse Clinic for kindergarten through second grade children will start on Saturday May 3 at the Jericho High School at 3:30 p.m. This is a six week program which will include Long Island college players contributing to teaching the young players basic lacrosse skills of scooping, passing, catching, and shooting. If you would like to get your child started in the program, please come down on Saturday to the High School at 3:30 p.m. and he or she can be registered at the field.