Carsen Kirchner, Reilly brothers lead Cold Spring Harbor to second straight state title
Cold Spring Harbor celebrates its win during New York State Class D boys lacrosse state championship against Marcellus on Sunday at Hofstra. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Even with a younger team, defense and discipline is the formula for Cold Spring Harbor.
The Seahawks again leaned on their airtight defense, anchored by Carsen Kirchner’s eight saves, and their methodical offensive attack to earn their second straight state Class D boys lacrosse title with a 12-5 win over Marcellus (Section III) on Sunday at Hofstra.
In front of Kirchner stood the brick wall formed by Kyle O’Grady, Caden O’Connor and Timmy Pisano. The trio constantly put pressure on Marcellus’ attack, holding the Mustangs (18-4) to one goal in the first half.
“The three of us are just perfect together,” said O’Grady, a Hofstra commit. “The way we slide off the crease and play on-ball, we’re all in sync. When we make a mistake, Carsen bails us out.”
Sophomore Alex Bauer and eighth-grader Roy Testa each scored twice in the first half, helping Cold Spring Harbor take a 5-1 halftime lead.
The larger their lead grew, the more disciplined the Seahawks became, working the ball around until they found the best shot possible. Testa scored his third goal off an assist from Hayden Calabretta with 3:08 left in the third quarter. Bauer’s third came with 2.3 seconds remaining, giving Cold Spring Harbor a 9-3 lead entering the fourth.
“I picked up the ground ball from Hayden and looked up at the clock and saw there were five seconds left,” Bauer said. “I knew I had to go and I just let it rip.”
CJ Reilly had two goals and an assist to his brother, Reagan, who also scored two goals. Ryan McGloin had a goal and two assists and Brady McKean added a goal.
“We like to slow it down on offense and get the best look, not the first look,” said CJ, a senior.
“It’s pretty easy to get these kids to buy into that mentality each year,” coach Dennis Bonn said. “These guys that have played since their freshman year have heard the speech every year from the older players and it just trickles down.”
After losing only one game last season, Cold Spring Harbor faced more adversity this year, including a five-game stretch in April in which the Seahawks won only one game. They finished 14-6 and with their sixth state title.
“We struggled a little bit in the beginning of the year,” CJ Reilly said. “It was a bit of a reality check and we looked in the mirror in the middle of the season and said, ‘What can each of us do differently?’ After that, we really jelled together. This is an awesome way to end it.”
