DEVIL DOMINATION

BARRON AND COLLINS-HARTWIG ACCOUNT FOR NINE GOALS
COLICCHIA STANDS OUT- REGISTERING 1 GOAL, 5 ASSISTS
DEVILS MIDFIELDERS SOLID IN BLOWOUT WIN

(CLARENCE) A team focused. A commitment to disciplined, team defense. A hardworking midfield. An offense that is finding ways to beat some of the best goalies WNY has to offer. All these ingredients mixed together and you have one of the hottest lacrosse teams in the area. The Clarence Red Devils, in their most important matchup to date, dispatched of the West Seneca West Indians in grand fashion by the score of 13 to 5 on Friday. Coming into this pivotal matchup, the Devils knew a win would help secure a prime playoff spot in their league. Clarence came out roaring and never looked back, dominating the visitors in all aspects of the game.

The Red Devils came out flying right off the bat, setting the tone for what would be their finest half of the season. Dan Barron ( 4g, 1a ) put Clarence on the board first, finishing off one of his classic dodges. Leaving his defender, Barron fired a beautiful bounce shot that ended up beating West netminder Jordan Pingitore (4 saves) just under the top of the crossbar. The Devils led 1 to 0.

Senior captain John Syty ( 1g, 1a ) has been a force lately, using both his speed and power to keep opposing defenses off balance. Syty put Clarence up by two, powering through the Indian defense and firing a low bounce shot past Pingitore. Jordan Collins-Hartwig ( 5g ) again proved to be the spark plug that helps electrify the Devil offense. Collins-Hartwig picked up his first goal of the day, firing a laser from 10 yards off the left slot. The high shot confused the West goalkeeper who seemed to be off-balance with the Devil's shot selection throughout the day.

The final goal of the first quarter came from attackman Dave Colicchia ( 1g, 5a ). Colicchia had probably his finest game of the season, creating countless scoring opportunities for the Red Devil offense. However, this goal came off of transition on a nice feed from middie Josh Rawdin. Rawdin used his speed to beat the West midfielders back leaving the Indian defense unsettled. A quick pass to Click for the finish and Clarence led 4 to 0 at the end of the first.

The Devils recent success can be attributed to a general commitment by all the players to know and execute their roles. No role was more important than the faceoff battles won by junior middie Mark Bryce. Bryce, like most faceoff specialists, makes a living physically abusing his body as he wrestles for possession of the loose ball. Bryce was the difference in the first half, winning a majority of the faceoffs and limiting the Indian offense to very few opportunities.

A stunned West squad didn't anticipate the speed and quickness of the high-flying Clarence offense. Unfortunately for the Indians, more of the same was to follow in the second quarter as the Red Devils scored another five unanswered goals. Jordan Zaprowski ( 2g, 2a ) picked up his first goal, finishing off one of his signature right crease put-ins. Colicchia was the key to the play, running and drawing and dodging through four or five West defenders. Somehow Click came through it with the ball and quickly found Zap for the put-in. About two minutes later, Zaprowski struck once again. Colicchia once again created the play, dodging and drawing out the Indian defenders away from the crease area. Zaprowski snared the quick pass from Colicchia and fired it in with a nice overhand shot above the goalie's stick. Zap's two goals made it 6 to 0, and the fired-up Red Devils were "Clicking" on all cylinders.

Not satisfied, the high-flying Clarence offense continued to put pressure on the Indians. Collins-Hartwig struck again. This goal was a great individual effort as rolled up from behind the West net and bounced a short-side shot in past Pingitore.

The next Clarence goal came off the extra man offense. West Seneca was called for slashing and Dan Barron made them pay. Barron made a nice dodge and shot fake, then released a cannon to the back of the net. The Barron goal raised the Devil lead to 8-0 with just over three minutes left in the half. Collins-Hartwig closed off the first half scoring on a pretty bounce shot. Jordan fired the shot off the left slot and beat Pingitore "5 hole" to make it 9-0. Clarence's dominance in the first half showed how well this team can perform when they are "on their game".

During the first half, Clarence had won many of the the important one-on-one battles that comprise a solid effort. The Red Devil defensive middies dominated throughout. Long stick midfielder Caleb Higgins has been a major factor in recent games. Caleb's versatility as both a defender and catalyst for the Red Devil offensive breaks, has helped create a much needed balance in the flow of the game. Josh James and Josh Rawdin have provided the necessary physicality needed to both win groundballs and slow down the opposition's offense. Goalie Ryan Duff ( 7 saves ) is on par to break his seasonal save record from 2006. He has been a difference maker for Clarence in every game.

The Devils started off the second half hoping to pick up where they left off in the first. It is often difficult to stay focused in these type of games, as a natural lull in intensity often follows lopsided performances. The Indians would take advantage of this in the second half as attackman Cory Dudziak got the West transition game in gear, scoring off a nice pass from Anthony Ungaro.

However, the Devils lull wouldn't last long. Clarence fought right back on a beautiful shot by Barron. Barron dodged from behind the goal and fired a 8 yard shot off the right side of the crease. Barron fit it in on a sharp (almost no) angle shot from the goal line extended. Pingitore was in great position but was beat by the perfect shot.

As the Indians were serving an unsportsmanlike penalty, Collins-Hartwig fired in another shot on the EMO. With the West defense slightly out of position, Zaprowski hit Jordan with a perfect pass. Collins-Hartwig, seeing the slight opening, wound up and reeled off a low "worm burner" that went bouncing into the net to make it 11 to 1.

Barron finished off the third quarter with his fourth goal of the outing. With just over three minutes remaining, Barron added another nice goal. This shot was from about 15 yards away. Barron bounced it hard off the ground, finding the back of the net and closing the third with a 12 to 1 lead.

Many of the Clarence reserves saw quality time in the fourth quarter. Despite the score, the Indians are a proud team. West would score four goals in the fourth quarter but the damage had already been done on this day. Seeking to spark his team, midfielder Andy Mortesano made a great individual effort. Winning the faceoff, Mortesano legged it into the Clarence zone, dodged a defender and fired a hard shot past goalkeeper Jeff Smith ( 4 saves ). Next, the Indians showed their quick speed in transition as Ungaro picked up a goal, carrying it in and scoring on a fastbreak. The scoreboard read (or would of read, if the battery was any good); Clarence 12 - West Seneca West 3.

Midway into the final quarter, Collins-Hartwig would pick up his fifth goal of the game. Once again, using the rock-hard ground as his springboard, Jordan bounced in a beauty from 15 yards out.

West Seneca West scored the last two. Ungaro picked up his second right outside the crease on a quick shot. The final Indian goal was scored by middie Dan Simon as he cut through the Devils defense and bounced into the back of the net.

The final 13 to 5 score reflected the complete dominance by the Red Devils. The team played with great focus and confidence. As the Devils wind down to the final four games of their season, they have just one remaining league game (Orchard Park - Tuesday at 4:00). The West win should already put Clarence in a position for a possible home playoff game. More information will be available after Williamsville North plays Frontier on Tuesday. Next up, a non-league matchup on Saturday against St. Joes.