Valley Wins Fourth Straight as Switzer goes Coast to Coast

Kyle Stackpole

PV Sports Beat

Every football player remembers playing the St. Joes Green Knights on a snowy, brisk October day in front of hundreds of friends and family.

They also remember how it felt coming home on the bus, knowing they hadn’t played their best and had given in too easily.

Well many of these football players also play Lacrosse, and a chance to go back to Joes was like a dream come true for them. There was only one word on the minds of those players as they stepped onto the field Thursday afternoon.

Revenge.

And boy did they get their payback.

After defeating St. Joes 11-5 on Thursday, Pascack Valley improved its record to 4-0 and wasn’t afraid to show a little excitement and emotion in the process.

“It feels pretty good because they are a private school and have kids from a bunch of different towns while we only have kids from two towns”, said Junior standout Kevin Illian, “and we stuck it to them.”

Illian made sure he wouldn’t lose twice on the same field, scoring 4 goals and handing out 3 assists, contributing to 7 of the 11 goals Pascack Valley scored.

He wasn’t the only one making an impact of course. Mike Vicchio, Joe Farenilli, Nick Soravilla, and Nick Sunseri all provided crucial plays throughout the game to secure the win for the Indians.

The game was tight in the first half, with the two teams going back and forth, neither really having an edge. After the end of the 1^st period, the game was tied, two goals a piece.

The turning point came late in the second period when Kevin Illian scored an acrobatic goal with 7.6 seconds left on the clock, giving Valley a 5-3 lead and a huge momentum boost going into the half.

This excitement carried over to the second half as the Indians outscored the Green Knights 3-0 in the third period, taking a 8-3 lead into the fourth.

By this point in time, all the Indians needed to do was hold on. They were able to accomplish this, making a statement in defeating St. Joes by a score of 11-5.

Coming into the game, an issue the Indians were going to face was the size difference, as the midfielders and attack men weren’t nearly as big as those on the Joe’s sideline. This proved not to be the case, as the smaller Indian players out-toughed the Green Knights, getting to almost every ground ball and causing crucial penalties that led to scoring oppurtunites.

As always, the defense was solid, led by seniors Erick Tracy and Jeff Diorio. They were not at all intimidated by the name of the opposing team’s jersey. They stuck to the gameplan and executed it nearly perfectly.

Although the game was out of reach, the most interesting play may have come in the fourth quarter. Senior Goalie Kevin Switzer, who had 16 saves in the game, decided to make a name for himself on the offensive end. After bottling up one of his many saves, Switzer saw an opening and sprinted down the middle of the field. He dodged defenders and fired a rifle past the St. Joe’s goalie, causing his fans and teammates to erupt.

When asked about it, Switzer responded, “I don’t know, but I was hotter then a pistol”, and indeed he was.

This was an important game for Pascack Valley because it gave them the confidence that they could beat anyone, whether it was a public school or a parochial.

“"I think our win against St. Joe's was a great team effort,” said head coach Craig Buckley, “And one that shows how we are capable of performing.”

Pascack Valley next plays Northern Highlands on Saturday.