RAISING THE BAR: Hun School boys’ lacrosse player Finbar Malloy, right, heads to goal last Thursday as Hun faced Noble and Greenough (Mass.) in its season opener. Post-graduate Malloy scored four goals in his debut as the Raiders lost 12-9 to Noble. Hun, which fell 8-6 to Academy of New Church (Pa.) last Saturday to move to 0-2, plays at the Westtown School (Pa.) on April 3. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

After ending last year by edging Lawrenceville B 9-8 in the Prep State final, the Hun School boys’ lacrosse has picked up where it left off as it started preseason training this spring.

“We return a lot of guys so our first practice this year was pretty much going the same as we did at the end of last year which was really, really awesome,” said Hun second-year head coach Joe Donnelly who guided the Raiders to a 7-9 record in 2025. “They are ahead of where they were last year at this time. That is also due to a lot of the senior leadership on the team. The kids know what the expectations are for them to compete at a high level and to prepare for the next level. They have really bought into that.”

Going on a preseason trip to Florida helped Hun make even more progress.

“We got a lot of on-field training to take a step back from the physicality part of it and really do some intentional coaching,” said Donnelly. “We’ve got to take time to break things down and walk through things if needed because we are not in an hour-and-a-half or two-hour practice. If we don’t get something done in our morning practice, we have a completely new session to get tuned up on something that we want to touch on. We got three on-field slots a day and typically that third one was a scrimmage against another team.”

At attack, Donnelly believes that senior Teddy Klepacki, along with sophomores Mikey McKeon and Conor Mulligan and freshman Tyler Stahl, can get
it done.

“Teddy will definitely be a big fixture for us down there,” said Donnelly. “Mikey and Conor got significant playing time last year as freshmen. They have really developed into two players that can lead an offense down there, which has been really exciting. Tyler is fighting for some playing time and working his way in there as well.”

Across the midfield, veteran returners, junior Alex Famiglietti, junior Anthony Peterson, and senior Matt Tarditi, have put in a lot of work to improve their game.

“Alex is really shaping up, he has been extremely intentional with his development in the offseason,” said Donnelly. “He is extremely coachable. He is doing everything he can to keep progressing, and I think this year should be a really big year for him. Anthony has really grown. One of the big parts about Peterson’s game is that he was very intentional about this offseason was the weight room. He has been one of our biggest growth players in that sphere and it has really translated on the field for him. Matt is one of our strongest shooters We are looking to set him up for opportunities where he can catch the ball and let it fly. I think Matt is ready to end his Hun career on a really good note.”

A newcomer, post-graduate Finbar Malloy, who previously starred at Fairfield College Prep (Conn.), figures to emerge as a key player for the Raiders.

“He brings a lot of really great leadership,” said Donnelly of Malloy, who scored four goals in his Hun debut last Thursday as the Raiders opened their 2026 season by losing 12-9 to Noble and Greenough (Mass.).“He is showing a lot of our players where development can take them. He also played for our football team. He was originally committed to play lacrosse at Rutgers and now he is going to be a dual sport athlete at West Point.”

At the faceoff spot, senior Luke Shehata is developing into a force.

“Luke is definitely our main guy, he is going to Hofstra next year,” said Donnelly, noting that junior Aidan Larkin will also get some faceoff reps. “Luke has taken a big jump in his game day preparedness from last year going from public school to a pretty national schedule that we played. It can be a learning adjustment and he has taken it. He was very, very successful down in Florida. I think he is going to have a really big year.”

A trio of seniors, Reece Holt, Ryan Wright, and Owen Tallo, have made a big impact on the defense.

“All three of them along with (goalie) Will Hayes were named captains for this year, I think that speaks a lot to that unit,” said Donnelly. “On the field they are great leaders, but off the field they are handling everything that they need to in the classroom. Reece did a coding competition, he left practice one of the Saturdays for that. Ryan is involved in school in a variety of different ways. Owen and Ryan have both taken young guys under their wings and have made it really intentional to show them what program is really all about. I couldn’t be prouder of those guys.”

In addition to that trio, junior Will Bednar, senior Ryan Borgstrom, and junior Ben Klayman will be part of the squad’s defensive setup.

“Bednar is going back to his original position of long stick midfielder (LSM), and he will be helping out in the defensive end as well when he is not playing long stick,” said Donnelly. “Borgstrom is floating between defensive middie and LSM. Borgstrom is one of my favorite players to coach, he is similar to Luke Donahue from last year. He has a motor. He is bouncing between two positions and has been very, very in it. Klayman recently committed to Monmouth University and it has been fun to see him not take
the commitment as a way to step off but to work
even harder.”

Donnelly is having fun seeing junior star goalie Hayes find his voice in the crease.

“I think Will getting another year in the goalie position and being extremely verbal in there has been a big help for us,” said Donnelly, whose backup goalie, senior James Stelmak, is a Sacred Heart commit and is ready to step up when called on. “Definitely the leadership that has been the biggest thing. Will has always been someone who is going to stop the hard shots. He is someone that you can rely on in the net. But as a sophomore, I think it took him a little bit to gain those quarterbacking skills.”

While Hun boasts plenty of skill all over the field, Donnelly believes its character is the key to success this spring.

“I think one of the things that was evident in our scrimmages early on is that we aren’t going to be a team that gives up,” said Donnelly, whose team lost 8-6 to Academy of New Church (Pa.) last Saturday to move to 0-2 and plays at the Westtown School (Pa.) on April 3. “Last year, that was a little bit of a learning curve for us. Something that was shown at the end of the year is that resilience is huge for us. I think that is going
to be one of the biggest things that helps us be successful this year.”