Woodstick Nation: On pins and needles
Garden City's Stephen Jahelka is defended by Manhasset's Quinn Moroney in the 120th Woodstick Classic boys high school lacrosse game. (April 30, 2011) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
They start them young in Woodstick Nation.
"The kids know about it when they are on the PAL teams or in middle school. They dream about playing in it. When Manhasset plays Garden City at that age, it's like the mini-Woodstick," Manhasset boys lacrosse coach Bill Cherry said this week as he prepared his team for Saturday's 120th edition of the nation's oldest uninterrupted public school lacrosse rivalry.
And this year, they started them old.
For the first time, there was a Woodstick Alumni Game played beforehand, with more than 100 former players from Manhasset and Garden City, many of them high school and college All-Americans. "A Who's Who of Long Island lacrosse," GC coach Steve Finnell said. It was the idea of Tim Goettelmann, a perfect Woodstick creation: He played at Manhasset and lives in Garden City.
Goettelmann, an 11-year Major League Lacrosse veteran, is nicknamed "Monster," and proceeds from the alumni game go to his charity, Monster's Kids. The money will be used to renovate Cohen Children's Medical Center in New Hyde Park in memory of Ryan Kohart, a Garden City alumnus killed in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.
As for the main event, as always it was a showcase for two elite, nationally ranked high school programs. The current coaches are good friends. Manhasset vs. Garden City, which was played for the first time in 1935, is a fierce rivalry with class.
"The communities are quite friendly and that's grown in recent years because the kids play in summer leagues, often wind up rooming together in college and then wind up at the same Wall Street firms," observed Art Kaminsky, a long-time sports attorney and TV lacrosse analyst who lives in Manhasset.
That doesn't mean they didn't whack a few sticks -- no longer wood sticks, by the way -- across the heads, shoulders and arms of their opponents. Or boldly bounce a few bodies around. This is, after all, the game that has launched a thousand texts and tweets. "The Woodstick is the game you look forward to every year," Garden City junior attack Devin Dwyer said. "It's the one you're thinking about every minute of every day the whole week before."
Manhasset held a 66-53 advantage entering the contest. Each school has won four state titles and 14 Long Island championships. Garden City has a 19-17 lead in Nassau County crowns. Every Woodstick Classic has the feel of those kinds of games. "It's as intense as a county championship, a Long Island championship, a state final," Finnell said. "There's no other game like it. The energy is unmatched."
The similarities between the programs extend to the coaches. Finnell and Cherry are each in their fifth season and both replaced coaching royalty. Doc Dougherty won 565 games at Garden City and Alan Lowe won 511 at Manhasset. "We really are good friends," Cherry said. "Except for one game a year. We're in similar situations. We took over for legendary coaches and there's a lot of pressure because of that steep tradition."
Countered Finnell, "I root for him every game except this one. We talk lacrosse all the time -- just not about each other's teams."
It's hard to imagine emotions running any higher than Saturday, when the plaque -- which has a real wooden stick attached -- listing all 119 previous results, was handed out and held aloft.
Woodstick Nation roared its approval.
Sarra Sounds Off Ep 36: Champs crowned in lax and flag football On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Gregg talks with Michael Sicoli and Tess Ferguson about county champs crowned in boys and girls lacrosse, and Jared Valuzzi reports on the Long Island flag football championship.
