Young St. Dominic squad rose to occasion in title match
St. Dominic’s #31 Landon Silverstein controls the ball in the New York State Catholic High School boys lacrosse Class Intersectional final where St. Dominic defeated Kennedy Catholic of Somers 12-8 at Kennedy Catholic High School in Somers, New York on May 24, 2023 Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
When the lights shined the brightest, St. Dominic boys lacrosse played its best.
The Bayhawks, who lost to Kennedy Catholic (Westchester) in the regular season, won the rematch in the CHSAA Class A intersectional championship.
“When they beat us in the regular season, they acted like they won the Super Bowl,” senior defender Cam McGovern said. “That was the first time they beat us in their program history. They all just went crazy after the game. So, to [beat] them in the championship, that was definitely a good feeling.”
McGovern was one of the few seniors on the St. Dominic’s roster. The team was young and relatively inexperienced after graduating seniors in years prior.
Coach Mike Schwalje said St. Dominic wasn’t projected to win the intersectional title because of this, and McGovern understood why people may have doubted them. Nonetheless, it motivated the team. Everyone had a chip on their shoulder, and it helped the Bayhawks finish at 13-4.
“It was really just a credit to their work ethic,” Schwalje said. “They were relentless. They didn’t look for shortcuts. They didn’t cut corners. They knew that the end goal was to be peaking in May.”
Michael Romanelli and Landon Silverstein, both juniors, took on a heap of responsibility. Romanelli led the way with 32 goals and 24 assists. Silverstein added 26 goals and 16 assists. Silverstein had four goals and an assist in the 12-8 win in the championship game. Romanelli scored three.
“The maturity of Landon Silverstein and Mike Romanelli was very key to our success,” Schwalje said. “They really showed composure in the biggest moments.”
Aiden Cromwell also was a major factor on offense as he tallied 29 goals and 16 assists. In net, Johnny Nawojchik made 102 saves.
“This was the first year that I started,” McGovern said. “I feel like I grew a lot as a player. To be honest, winning that championship was probably the highlight of my high school career, especially after that first loss [to Kennedy Catholic] in the regular season.”
THE BAYHAWKS' ROAD TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP
CHSAA Class A final: St. John the Baptist, 8-0
CHSAA Class A Intersectional final: Kennedy Catholic, 12-8
