Warwick boys lacrosse perserveres through tough season

Yes, it’s true that the Warwick Valley High School boys lacrosse has been fed a steady diet of tough opposition thus far this season.

But it’s also true that the Wildcats have stood strong against that competition each and every time that’ve stepped on the field this spring.

Setting the pace for the Wildcats this year are the four captains on the roster-Matthew Tully (senior, attack), Jason Senior (senior, long stick midfielder), Tommy Ronan (senior, close defender) and Nick Vicciardo (junior, midfielder).

“At Warwick Valley we vote as a team on our captains,’’ Warwick Valley head coach Tom Kelly said. “Luckily the votes matched what the coaching staff had in mind captain wise.

“All four young men are stand up individuals both on and off the field. At Warwick Valley we want our top role models to be great people first, all of these guys fit that category.’’

The captains have surely made their presence felt for all the right reasons as lacrosse players this year.

“Jason Senior has been All Section every season since freshman year,’’ Kelly said. “He has 58 ground balls and 22 takeaways through 10 games, along with eight goals and seven assists. Tommy Ronan has 47 ground balls and 18 takeaways through 10 games.

“Matthew Tully has been injured, but was averaging multiple points per game before going down. Nick Vicciardo was All Section last spring, he has 62 ground balls, one goal and nine assists.’’

The improvements made not only by the captains, but the Wildcats’ in general has been noticeable to the coaching staff.

“Warwick lacrosse is all about growth,’’ Kelly said. “These guys have been getting better every single day since we started back in March. Team chemistry is coming along and our team is truly beginning to find our groove.’’

The captains are outstanding academically as coach Kelly proudly mentions.

“Matthew Tully is [in the] top 10 percent of the senior class and Nick Vicciardo is number eight academically in the class of 2027,’’ Kelly said. “All four players have over 100 hours of community service. They inspire those around them to be better people and lacrosse players. It is why they were voted captain.’’

Through 10 games the Wildcats had a winning record of 6-4. Warwick Valley is scheduled to host Pearl River on May 18.

“This year’s team is all about growth from the beginning of the season to the end,’’ Kelly said. “We see our guys pretty much year round at this point, it’s been nice to see them hit our stride come May. We’re very excited for the remainder of the season and to see what these guys have in store post high school.

“Christian Perron, our senior goalie has stepped up a ton as a leader both on and off the field. Henry Wright, a junior attackman is developing into our quarterback on the offensive end.’’