STICKING WITH IT: Hun School boys’ lacrosse player Owen Tallo, center, guards the crease as goalie Will Hayes and Sandy Hooper look on. The Raiders went 8-10 this spring as they advanced to the Prep state final for a second straight year. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

Coming into the Prep state final at Blair Academy a bit shorthanded due to injury, the Hun School boys’ lacrosse team had to make adjustments at both ends of the field.

“We had to change some things schematically on the offensive end with Finbar [Malloy] being out,” said Hun head coach Joe Donnelly, whose squad had topped Blair 12-9 in a regular season meeting on April 22. “On defense we were down some guys. We trusted some other guys. Our one junior pole Javier Moreno-Corrales had to step up for us in some games. I am really proud of the way he showed up in that final.”

The Raiders stepped up collectively against Blair as it built a 7-6 lead heading in the fourth quarter of the May 16 contest, sparked by outscoring the Buccaneers 4-2 in the third.

“We started that game with two sophomores and a freshman down at attack; it was great to see those young guys really take ownership and take leadership,” said Donnelly. “It was us battling some injuries. They are a talented team. We have played a super competitive game with them the past two years. It is turning into a really good battle. It is something that the kids on the team really look forward to, so that has been great.”

While Hun ended up falling 9-7 to Blair, Donnelly had no qualms with the effort he got from his players.

“For us, that fourth quarter was tough, it was a grueling season,” said Donnelly, whose team ended up with an 8-10 record as it rebounded from a 1-5 start to make its second straight appearance in the Prep state final. “We were down on numbers in the championship game and the kids gave everything they could. We walked away saying that there was nothing else we could have done to change the outcome of that game. The kids did everything they could. They fought hard, they scrapped. The ball didn’t bounce our way.”

In reflecting on the season, Donnelly pointed to the team’s work prior to the season as being a key to enjoying a positive spring.

“I think the vibe for the offseason has significantly improved, that is really the biggest thing,” said Donnelly. “Our senior class was really bought into that. If there is one thing that this team is going to take away is that being a Hun lacrosse player is extremely important. It is being with each other as much as possible, whether it is in the weight room, or on the field, or in an offseason tournament. Whatever it is, we are going to spend as much time as we possibly can together.”

The team’s seniors played a key role in bringing the team together.

“They are not just great lacrosse kids, they are really just good kids,” said Donnelly of his Class of 2026 that included Teddy Klepacki, Sandy Hooper, Ryan Borgstrom, Ryan Wright, Reece Holt, Luke Shehata, Nate Trawinski, Owen Tallo, Devon Skinner, James Stelmak, Matthew Tarditi, and post-graduate Malloy. “That is going to be hard, missing that. We had a lot of younger guys on our team this year with a big senior class. Without really having to be told, the senior class took those guys under their wing. They showed them the ropes and took them out to eat when they really didn’t need to. They were just really good leaders for our younger guys. They want to see the program grow and keep having success. They took a lot of steps in the right direction to have that happen.”

Senior defender and Loyola University commit Tallo exemplified that approach. “Owen had an absolutely incredible year on defense,” asserted Donnelly of Tallo, who had four caused turnovers and 16 ground balls. “He got hurt in our first game against Noble and Greenough (Mass.) when he injured his hamstring. He had an out. I told him you are going to play lacrosse at Loyola, I want to make sure that you can succeed at the next level and give yourself an opportunity. He wanted to fight for his team and he showed up huge. He missed a couple of games there early when the injury first occurred but he fought all the way to the end.”

The Hun offense was sparked by a core of young players, including junior Alex Famiglietti (28 goals, 6 assists), sophomore Conor Mulligan (18 goals, 9 assists), junior Anthony Peterson (11 goals, 10 assists), and sophomore Mikey McKeon (4 goals, 5 assists).

“The growth individually from last year to this year was huge,” said Donnelly. “But I think the biggest thing is them understanding how each other works. That really clicked his year. With everyone getting another year older, another year better, and another year stronger, it just makes you excited to see that connection continue to blossom.”

At the defensive end are junior goalie Will Hayes (112 saves), junior long stick midfielder Will Bednar (1 goal, 1 assist, 28 ground balls), and junior long stick midfielder Ben Klayman (2 goals, 1 assist, 14 ground balls).

“They are talented players,” said Donnelly of the trio. “Will’s leadership increased, he is going to Rutgers. Bednar’s work ethic is amazing. Klayman is one of the most aggressive long sticks on the ground. I am really excited to see him make the plays that he makes. Having those guys as leaders next year for the defense unit, it is going to be really fun to see them operate in a different way.”

Donnelly was proud of how the squad meshed into a unit through the spring.

“It is a brotherhood with holding each other accountable as well,” said Donnelly. “I think that was the biggest thing that this group worked through and found during the year was that we are all in this together. There are a lot of players and there are not always a lot of coaches. Being able to see things from another person’s perspective and to be able to take what you need from it and continue to get better is something the kids did really well this year.”

Looking ahead, Donnelly believes that the Raiders are primed to keep getting better and better.

“We have some really talented players coming in next year, and hopefully we are just continuing to climb in a really good direction,” said Donnelly. “We will continue to see some young players out on that field. We are slowly getting to the point where we are going to get to where we really want to be. We are playing a fully prep schedule and that has been a really exciting thing to do. We are playing some really big, exciting matchups.”