Zomerfeld's goal gives Comsewogue Suffolk Class B boys lacrosse title

Alex Zomerfeld was content to run the Comsewogue offense under a yellow caution flag in the final minute of yesterday's Suffolk Class B boys lacrosse championship against Hauppauge. Then he looked to the sideline, got the green light from his coach and hit the gas.

Zomerfeld sped to his left and fired a low bullet into the back of the net with 31.1 seconds left to give Comsewogue a gritty, come-from-behind 9-8 victory at Stony Brook University's LaValle Stadium for its first county title since 2002.

"We haven't had one in a while. It's good to get it back," Comsewogue coach Pete Mitchell said of his team, which erased a 6-1 first-quarter deficit to improve to 17-1. The Warriors will face Nassau Class B champion Garden City for the Long Island Championship at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday at Hofstra.

"We were settling on offense and waiting for the last shot," Zomerfeld said of the end-game strategy. "Then my coach gave me a thumbs-up sign so I just went in and scored. I'm a righty but I shot it lefty. Maybe it fooled him. He is a great goalie and we're actually friends."

Comsewogue had trailed 7-2 at halftime thanks to the sensational play of Hauppauge middie Zack Losco, who scored four goals and also had two assists in the first 24 minutes. But the Eagles (17-2) got very few good looks in the second half thanks to the Warriors' tweaked defense.

"Zack Losco is one of the best high school lacrosse players in the country," Mitchell said. "Obviously, we had to limit his touches as much as we could. We made a few adjustments. Our defense really buckled down and then we scored five unanswered goals."

Tom Cleary had a hat trick and Kevin Drane scored two goals to lead the Comsewogue rally. Drane scored on Connor Duddy's second of three assists to tie it at 7 with 8:22 left. Then Losco found Jesse Marro for the Eagles' only second-half goal and an 8-7 lead with 7:54 left.

SEE PHOTOSComsewogue 9, Hauppauge 8

After their first-half deficit, a one-goal lead wasn't daunting to the Warriors, who erased a 5-2 deficit in dealing Hauppauge its only regular-season loss on April 17. Cleary's low blast on a behind-the-net feed from Duddy tied it at 8 with 6:32 left.

"Even at 7-2, you know you can't let up. It's the Suffolk County championship game. You just keep pushing," said Drane, who scored two fourth-quarter goals. "We were feeding off the crowd. It couldn't get any better than this. You're getting crushed in the first half and then you're slamming them in the second half."

For Comsewogue, it was a two-thumbs up performance.