ALEX THE GREAT: Hun School boys’ lacrosse player Alex Famiglietti controls the ball last Thursday as Hun faced Montclair Kimberley Academy in the Prep A state tournament semis. Junior midfielder Famiglietti tallied a career-high five goals in the game to help second-seeded Hun defeat third-seeded Montclair Kimberley Academy 10-6. The Raiders went on to fall 9-7 to top-seeded Blair Academy in the Prep final on Saturday to end the spring with an 8-10 record. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

Alex Famiglietti put in a lot of work over the offseason to make a bigger impact this spring for the Hun School boys’ lacrosse team.

The junior midfielder trained diligently to be stronger and more skilled as he came into the 2026 campaign.

“In terms of the weight room, my trainer Joe DeMarco in Hamilton is very good and I was doing some stuff here,” said Famiglietti. “I was doing a little bit of both. I work with a shooting coach Josh Wilcox, he is up in Pa. It is just continuing to grind through that and shooting will come to you naturally. I think is pretty much putting in 1,000 hours.”

Grinding through his workouts, Famiglietti was motivated by a special role model.

“I want to give a big shout out to my brother, Anthony — he is a sophomore at the University of Miami,” said Famiglietti, who transferred to Hun from Princeton High in 2024. “He taught me my work ethic. I look up to him, that is my biggest inspiration.”

That work paid dividends for Famiglietti last Thursday as second-seeded Hun hosted third-seeded Montclair Kimberley Academy in the Prep state tournament semis.

With the foes tied at 1-1 heading into the second quarter, Famiglietti exploded for four goals in the frame as Hun seized momentum.

“I did feel like I was in a zone,” said Famiglietti, who scored three straight goals in a three-minute span in the quarter. “I hit that first shot and my boys got me hyped on the sidelines. I just kept on rolling with the same intensity.”

The Raiders built a 7-2 halftime lead and never looked back on the way to a 10-6 win.

“In the first quarter we were tied 1-1 and in the second quarter we were winning 7-2,” said Famiglietti. “I think that was a big step up in the second quarter. We were making too quick decisions on the offensive end in the first quarter which was causing us to play a lot of transition. I think it was also tiring our defense out. Keeping longer possessions was key.”

While Hun sputtered a bit in the second half, its lead never slipped below three goals.

“It was definitely a little sloppy, I think we are going to work on that more next game,” said Famiglietti, who scored the final goal of the contest to end up with a career-high five goals on the day. “It was not our best game but we got the job done.”

Playing at top-seeded Blair Academy in the Prep final on Saturday, the Raiders took a 7-6 lead into the fourth quarter but didn’t get the job done as they fell 9-7 to end the spring with an 8-10 record.

While Hun failed to defend its Prep title, the squad was proud to make a second straight trip to the final.

“I am super excited and I know my boys are too,” said Famiglietti, who scored two goals in the 2025 Prep final as Hun edged Lawrenceville B 9-8. “We have a big senior group here that we are playing for and fighting for.”

Hun head coach Joe Donnelly liked the way his group rallied in the second quarter against MKA.

“Our kids are here for each other, they have such a great relationship,” said Donnelly. “When things aren’t going well, they are going to lean in and figure it out. They are going to do whatever it takes to get it done. They want to spend as much time together as possible as they can. We earned an extra day to practice together and earned an extra day to play together.”

In Donnelly’s view, Famiglietti exemplifies that “get it done” mentality.

“He is super bought in to the process,” said Donnelly of Famiglietti. “We have big aspirations, playing in the state championship game. But to achieve those big goals, we have to hit little ones across the way, whether that is being in the weight room, going and doing our own thing in our sessions outside our traditional season. We have to do the little things to achieve the big goals.”

The dominance of senior Luke Shehata in faceoff X played a big part in Hun’s win over MKA.

“He has been so great, I think one of the biggest things that really showed for him today is his ability to handle the ball,” said Donnelly. “That is something he really wanted to work on. That is something he really set his mind to this offseason. He has done tremendous in his growth in that area.”

In goal, junior Will Hayes made several sparkling saves and also scored a goal on an end-to-end dash down the field early in the third quarter.

“He gets us out of some really tough situations all of the time,” said Donnelly, who also got two goals from Teddy Klepacki against MKA with Will Bednar and Conor Mulligan adding one apiece. “For teams that we play sometimes, they are asking us where is this kid going, he has got to be going somewhere. A lot of places are really shocked that he is only a junior. I think that speaks not only to his skill but the leadership he has on the field and his quarterbacking our entire defense. He does make the big saves. He has been trying for years to get a goal, that was a dream come true for him. I am glad that he was able to get it.”

The Raider defensive unit played well in front of Hayes. “Our short stick middies were huge in the game today,” said Donnelly. “When they are basic, we have a term, ‘get sticky,’ which means instead of pushing someone, it is just maintaining that contact to drive them. They have gotten very, very good at that over the years. We can almost treat them like long sticks on the field because of the way they can play their one-on-one matchups.”

Heading into the final, Donnelly knew that his squad was going to be in for a good battle.

“That is that standard for the program and that is the standard we want to keep,” said Donnelly. “It should be another close, competitive game again.”

For Famiglietti, joining the Hun program has helped him on and off the field.

“I wanted to reclassify, I wanted to get my grades up and really focus on playing college lacrosse and I think Hun is going to help me get there faster,” said Famiglietti. “I love it. I love the way the teachers are very interactive and then on the field the boys are awesome, I love them.”