END OF THE LINE

QUAKERS TOO MUCH TO HANDLE FOR DEVILS
TUNDO & ALLAIRE NET 3 EACH FOR OP
CLARENCE FINISHES WITH 12 WIN SEASON

(ORCHARD PARK) An undermanned Clarence Red Devil team finished off their season with a 16-3 loss to Orchard Park in the Class A sectional semifinals. The Quakers took advantage early, scoring nine goals in the first half, en route to yet another sectional final. Jeff Tundo and Mike Allaire led OP with three goals each. The Red Devils struggled to keep up with the fast moving Quaker midfield, while generating few scoring opportunities. Clarence finishes 12-8 on the season.

OP established themselves early in the contest, registering six goals in the first quarter. Attackman Drew Belica (1g, 1a) started things off on a nice play in transition. Defenseman Jon Ten Brock legged a clear up through the midfield and carried the ball into the Clarence zone. Spotting Belica alone inside an unsettled defense, Ten Brock quickly dumped the ball into Belica. The senior sharpshooter turned and fired a hard shot past Clarence goalie Ryan Duff (16 saves) to make it 1-0 Quakers.

Clarence responded a couple minutes later on the extra man offense. Jordan Collins-Hartwig (2g) scored on a nice dodge down the alley. Pushed to his left, Collins-Hartwig ran down the right edge of the Quaker defense and fired a beautiful off-hand shot past OP goalie Ryan Cole. The score was knotted at 1.

Orchard Park struck back and took the lead for good. The goal was scored by Jake Engleman. Clarence had difficulty with Engleman's speed throughout. However, this would be an easy one, as Jeff Tundo (3g, 3a) hit Engleman with a quick pass to the backside crease. Duff had no chance as Engleman buried it to the back of the net. OP 2-1.

Moments later, Tundo struck again, this time with a goal of his own. Clarence was once again caught unsettled off a fastbreak situation. Senior midfielder Matt Ferrino (2g, 1a) carried the ball into the Red Devil zone, drew a defensive slide, and then quickly fired the ball over to a waiting Tundo just outside the crease. A defenseless Duff could do little, as Tundo popped it in to make it 3-1 Quakers.

Shortly thereafter, Jake Engleman scored his second goal on a great individual effort. The junior midfielder took the ball atop the Red Devil defense and worked his way through several defenders before clearing himself up for a shot. Engleman found his mark, bouncing a hard shot past Duff from 10 yards out. The Quakers took a three goal lead.

OP upped their lead a couple minutes later on an extra man opportunity. The goal was setup off a nice feed from Belica. Senior midfielder Matt Ferrino picked up the tally while camped out inside the Clarence defense. Belica drew the Red Devil defender out, creating space, then quickly fired a pass into Ferrino. Known for his blistering shots, Ferrino did not disappoint, ripping a laser just under the crossbar to make it 5-1 Quakers.

The host team would score one more before the end of the first. The play developed off a nice dodge by Jeff Tundo. Working behind at X, Tundo left his defender and worked towards the front of the net. Curling in front, Tundo fired a pass over to Mike Allaire (3g, 1a) just outside the crease. Again, Duff had little chance as Allaire buried it into the back of the net to give OP a 6-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Quakers continued their dominance in the second. If not for a five save effort by Duff, OP would have surely inflicted more damage. OP struck right away on the faceoff. Artie Marrapese picked up the draw from Mike Moran. Marrapese quickly carried it into the Clarence zone. Facing little resistance, the junior midfielder dodged his way through several defenders and fired a shot to the back of the net. Quakers up 7-1.

Several minutes later, OP picked up their eighth goal of the contest. The goal was built on a great individual effort by Matt Ferrino. Getting the ball behind the net, Ferrino worked his way to the goal line extended. Using his great strength and speed, Ferrino dodged hard towards the front of the net, firing a hard bounce shot in from 5 yards in front of Duff.

The last goal of the half was scored by Mike Allaire. The play was setup off a nice pass from Belica who spotted Allaire all alone inside the Clarence defense. One quick pass later, and Allaire found the back of the net on a beautiful hard shot from about 10 yards out. The halftime score stood at 9-1 in favor of the Quakers.

Orchard Park gave goalie Ryan Cole a rest in favor of backup Mike Murray in the second half. Clarence couldn't matchup against the Quakers, but to their credit, continued to play hard until the very end of the contest. The first goal of the third was by Clarence. Once again, Collins-Hartwig found the back of the net on one of his patented running dodges. Picking up the ball atop the Quaker defense, Collins-Hartwig gained the edge on his defender and ran hard down the alley. Collins-Hartwig fired a hard, low bounce shot that found its way past Murray, leaving the score at 9-2 in favor of the Quakers.

OP responded a short time later. Again, Tundo was the setup man. The goal was scored by Scott Campbell. The junior midfielder fired it in from just just outside the crease after Tundo drew the attention of the Clarence defense. All alone, Campbell beat Duff for a 10-2 lead.

Next, Clarence picked up their last goal of the game off a nice individual effort from Dave Colicchia. Operating behind the OP goal, the senior attackman dodged several times and left his defender. Colicchia curled back towards the front of the net and quickly popped a shot past Murray to make it 10-3.

Moments later, the Quakers picked up another goal. It was generated off a relentless ride in the Clarence zone. Gaining possession, the Red Devils had difficulty clearing as Tundo harrassed the Clarence Dpoles. Duff came up with several point blank saves, however, the Clarence defense couldn't get a handle on the rebound. Just outside the crease, Tundo picked up the loose ball and fired it to the back of the net. Quakers 11-3.

The last goal of the quarter came off a play in transition. The Red Devils were unsettled defensively in their own zone. Using his great speed, Mike Allaire brought the ball into the Clarence zone. Drawing the defense, Allaire found Kyle Kasprzyk by himself just outside the crease. Duff could do little but watch as the junior midfielder fired it into the net to make it 12-3.

The fourth quarter saw four more OP goals. Duff registered five more saves in this last segment. If not for his efforts, the game would have been even more lopsided. Of note was the solid play of Clarence midfielder Tayler Swanson. Playing one of his best games of the year, Swanson continually outhustled and outworked several Quaker midfielders throughout the second half.

Shortly into the quarter, OP scored off a nice individual effort by Mike Moran. Beating his defender from the top, Moran dodged towards the Red Devil net. With no slide help to follow, Moran ripped a shot past Duff. Quakers 13-3.

Minutes later, Tundo got back into the act.. Working his way from X, Tundo backed his way in towards the Red Devil goal. Having difficulty finding an opening, Tundo simply flipped a backhand shot overtop his head. An unexpecting Duff didn't even see it fly past, and it was now 14-3.

Next, Mike Allaire completed his hat trick with a nice individual display of hustle. Working in the Clarence zone, OP temporarily lost possession of the ball. Seizing his opportunity, Allaire scooped up the groundball and muscled his way through a couple defenders. Allaire ripped the shot from about 10 yards on top, beating Duff for a 15-3 OP advantage.

The final score of the game came from OP junior attackman Pat Schwaigler. The shot was setup off a nice feed from Scott Campbell. finding a seam in the Clarence defense, Campbell skipped a nice pass into Schwaigler just outside the crease. The quick shot beat Duff to close-out the scoring at 16-3.

Beyond the lopsided score, Clarence competed better than the first meeting with the Quakers. The Red Devils were missing a couple key players, but fought the best they could against a powerful Orchard Park team. Several mistakes cost Clarence at critical times. However, quite simply, the Quakers are a much better lacrosse team than the Red Devils.

Overall, 2008 was another important year for the Clarence lacrosse program. The graduating seniors have helped Clarence become a highly competitive team these past couple seasons. Their efforts have made Red Devils lacrosse important in our community. They will indeed be missed. However, their is much work to do if Clarence hopes to jump that next big hurdle. Competing with WNY's elite teams is the next step in the process. With a strong JV contigent, the future looks bright. Nevertheless, jumping to that next level of competition requires a year-round commitment. A commitment by a group, and not that of individuals. The next couple seasons will be testament to whether or not our players are willing to make those sacrifices. We will see. The future begins now, with summer lacrosse and the weightroom. Increased strength and skill will be necessary to take it to the next level. See you there!