Somers Crowned NYSPHSAA Lax Champs for 1st Time in School History

Fox Lane, Put Valley Suffer Heartbreak in Baseball Championship Setbacks  

By Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays

And then there was one! What began as a weekend with three Examiner-area teams – Somers boys’ lax and Fox Lane and Put Valley baseball – still standing concluded with one NYSPHSAA Class C title claimed by the Tuskers and a pair of “Oh, so close” calls on the baseball diamonds of Binghamton where the Class AA Foxes and Class B Tigers, respectively, were knocked off in a pair of nailbiting state title losses.

 

BOYS’ LAX

At the start of the 2025 campaign, Section 1 lax fanatics knew that second-year Somers Coach Jordan Hirsch’s Tuskers were in it to win it, but reigning champion Rye was going to be a thorn in the Tuskers’ side, which they were up until they weren’t. Much like Somers was a persistent pest in Hendrick Hudson’s heads when Coach Hirsch was a top-notch middie for a Sailor program that still hasn’t won a sectional title on account of the four consecutive chips they lost to Somers (2000-03).

Undoubtedly, getting past the Garnets in the Section 1 championship was the toughest obstacle of all as the state-ranked (co-No.1) Tuskers (19-3) cruised their way to the first state title in school history, clobbering Jamesville-DeWitt in a 19-11 title win Saturday at Hobart and William Smith Colleges where the Section 3 champion Red Rams (17-4), ranked co-No.1, lost in the state finals for a third consecutive year.

“While winning a state championship for many of these guys is something that they’ve done before with the football program, for them to bring home the first lacrosse state title to Somers meant so much to them, their families, the alums, our youth program, and of course our coaches,” said Hirsch, who suffered three one-goal losses to Somers (10-9, 10-9, 8-7) in his heyday.

“We had a senior class of 14 guys and a group of contributing underclassmen,” Hirsch added. “With veteran talent that are impactful leaders and dynamic underclass talent, you usually have a chance to do some great things in a season. While we had those pieces to the puzzle, in many ways, I think, what made this season turn into something historic for us the way that it did was the fact that these guys truly cared about each other and didn’t let their talent just be talent; they made each other better every day, believed that they were capable of great things, and did the little things it takes to be in rare air.”

The Red Rams took an early 2-0 lead, but Tusker All-American Matt #CheatCode Mayfield, perhaps the finest FOGO in Section 1 history, rarified air on his own and dominated face-offs throughout, winning 33 of 34, providing the Tuskers an edge in possession that had them assaulting the J-D defense time and time again. Mayfield, who is a weapon unlike any we’ve seen in Section 1 in many moons, may take exception to the term FOGO, given the fact he added two goals and dished four assists and finished the season with an astounding 21 goals, 16 assists, 300 GBs and wins on 400 of 501 faceoffs taken. That’s a career for most FOGO’s not a single season; hence the #CheatCod reference.

“Matt’s performance in the state title game was something that I’m not sure has ever been seen in modern lacrosse,” Hirsch said. “The face off dominance for one, but adding on two goals and four assists with it is another level. To me he is the most impactful player in the state: Toughness, grit, intelligence; he’s the whole package. He is a weapon of a player that I don’t think really exists in today’s game.”

Somers closed the first quarter on a 5-1 run and bounced out of halftime still cranking, taking a 13-6 lead minutes into the third behind a bevy of scoring threats, including Cam Violante (6G), Notre Dame-bound All-American M Miguel Iglesias (4G, 2A), stylish Dylan Jimenez (2G, 2A), rugged Mason Kelly (2G), young stud Tristan Iglesias (1G, 2A), versatile Ryan Brush (1G) and the Ruby Bros. Logan Ruby (1G) and G Hudson Ruby (14 saves).

“It really was a huge team effort,” Miguel Iglesias said of the now seven-time Section 1 champs. “Every single guy on our team contributed, and it means a lot for this team and this group to have this kind of season. I couldn’t have asked for a better senior season.”

Somers reached the finals by pasting Section 4 champion Maine-Endwell, 27-6, in Wednesday’s state semis at Faller Field in Middletown where seven Tuskers found the back of the net; Tristan (6G, 1A) and Miguel Iglesias (4G, 3A) combining for 10 tallies. Kelly, Violante and Brush each notched a hat trick.

 

BASEBALL

Season-ending losses don’t come much tougher than FOX LANE’s 6-5 extra-inning setback to Section 4’s Horseheads, which rallied from three runs down, possibly aided by an umpire’s controversial call, to walk it off in Saturday’s NYSPHSAA Class AA state final at SUNY Binghamton.

It was tough for Fox Coach Matt Hillis and the state-ranked (No.3) Foxes to accept losing via a controversial call, but nothing can take away the fact that 2025 Foxes (21-8) went further than any Fox Lane team had, reaching the state final for the first time. Its lone NYS regional title win back in 2003 carried Fox Lane to its only previous state final four, so it may take some time but heads will rise and be held high.

“I am super proud of this team and it really was a season to remember,” said Fox SS John Czernyk, who reached safely in extra innings to provide a glimmer of hope. “We brought this program back following our section finals loss last year. Our goal was a section title and we surpassed that and then raised the bar on ourselves and for the future. It means so much to me as I grew up in this program and have given so much blood, sweat and tears into it. It was always a vision of mine to be the shortstop of this team when I was a little middle schooler, and I would’ve made that little boy so proud. Three years of grind to get the program back, become a better baseball player and a person. I’d like to say I have done that as I am now coaching the  seventh and eighth graders, who are the future of Fox Lane and hopefully they will remember watching me play and hopefully get to that stage themselves.”

The stage was set for a Fox Lane victory. Leading 5-3 in the bottom of the eighth, the Foxes had recorded the inning’s first out when Horseheads Micah Hayes chopped a little roller along the first base line. Fox 1B PJ Stonsby didn’t “Bill Buckner” the ball. Instead, he quickly fielded the ball and went to first for an apparent force of Hayes and the game’s second out for Fox reliever Brady Hopkins (3.1 IP, 4K’s, 2 hits), who would suffer the hard-luck loss.

Umpires ruled Hayes’ grounder a foul ball. The Foxes pled their case, and coach Hillis had his brief say, but the officials gathered and upheld the call.

Hayes one-hopped the wall on the next pitch for a double to the wall in left-center, given the extra crack, but many observers thought the previous roller was foul.

“You’re correct,” Hillis said. “It was fair. However, we had our chances. I absolutely love this group of kids and always will. They made history and took us all on an amazing ride.”

Which ended after a hit batsmen, and an intentional walk, which eventually loaded the bases with two outs. Keagan Monahan then tapped a seeing-eye ground ball into hole at shortstop, which was stopped by a diving Czernyk, but his flip to second was late, allowing state-ranked (No.2) Horseheads to walk it off.

Fox Lane starter Will Rudolph was 3 for 3 with two runs and two RBI, including a double to plate C Logan Mammola for a 5-3 lead in the fifth. Horseheads answered with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, and Fox Lane’s seventh-inning rally (bases juiced, one out) fell short.

The Foxes reached their first state final after Friday’s 3-0 win over Section 3’s top-ranked West Genesee (19-3), which could not touch Fox Lane starter Jackson Carroll (8 K’s, 5 hits), the silky smooth soph who threw 63 of his 76 pitches strikes for the complete-game shutout. The Foxes will enter 2026 with a slew of key losses to graduation, but one of the top pitchers in the state at the top of the rotation.

“His combination of talent and composure are unlike anything I’ve seen from a sophomore here at Fox Lane,” Hillis said.

Fox DH Drew Diaz went 2 for 4 and scored on Rudolph’s single to center for a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Fox 2B Danny Spolansky singled to plate RF Sean Singleton for a two-run lead, and LF Logan Provost stroked an RBI single in the fifth. Mammola was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run.

 

Unfortunately, PUTNAM VALLEY left its hitting sticks in Syracuse where the state-ranked (No.2) Tigers (21-4) romped their way to this weekend’s NYSPHSAA Class B Final 4. However, the Tigers couldn’t hit nearly enough in Binghamton’s Mirabito Stadium, despite Friday’s 2-1 semifinal win over Section 4 champion Oneonta, just 12 hours before Saturday’s 2-0 state title setback to Section 8 champion Babylon, the top-ranked team in NYS.

For those that claimed the Tigers emerged from a sub-par Section 1 Class B field (and there were plenty of skeptics), we asked them to judge PV on its state tournament performance, and reaching the state finals – no matter how ugly its state semifinal win over Oneonta was – is nothing to sneeze at. It was in fact, a standard-setting performance under longtime Coach Joe Natalie.

“Overall, I am really just glad that we were able to help make such a big impact on the PV baseball program,” senior C James Sanford said. “Starting with winning the section, then the regional final, and even just making it to the state Final 4 was crazy. Making it to the state championship is definitely something I will never forget. I am so glad that I was able to help these younger guys on the team have this experience and look forward to their upcoming years as baseball players.”

PV sophomore P Eli Pierce (2 earned runs, 5 hits, 5 IP, 2K’s) kept the Tigers in striking distance, but Babylon, which won its second state title since in 2007, never wavered behind P Owen Killeen (7 IP, 8 K’s, 5 hits, 3 walks), who wiggled in and out of trouble with key whiffs.

“I think some of us struggled with the Babylon pitcher just due to how funky his arm angle was,” Sanford admitted. “With a true side arm guy, it is hard to pick up his off speed and other pitches out of the hand. It’s not like a slider will ‘pop out of the hand’ like a higher arm angle will.”

PV IF Louis Peduto drew a two-out walk and LF Aaron Pierre singled in the seventh, giving the Tigers hope for another miracle comeback like they had the night before against Oneonta.

Putnam Valley (21-4) was held hitless through five innings in its semifinal, but came alive with three hits in the seventh. That, coupled with a pair of errors, allowed the Tigers to sweat out an improbable 2-1 walk-off win, in which two Tigers pitchers walked nine and hit two batters before wiggling out of ceaseless jams behind 14 punchouts.

A spark came in the form of Ryan Dinizio’s lead single to open the seventh (Evan Peterson pinch ran). Peterson advanced to second on Peduto’s perfect bunt, and Pierre’s basehit left runners at first and third. Luck would play a part when a dropped fly ball allowed Peterson to score the tying run. James Sanford then rolled an infield single to third, but a throwing error allowed the speedy Pierre to score the winning, walk-off run.

PV stater Dom Benedetto struck out 10 in 4⅔ hitless innings, but the senior ace walked seven and threw 121 pitches before being lifted in favor of senior reliever Sean Carroll, who allowed a hit and struck out four in 2⅓ scoreless innings to earn one of the most far-fetched wins in state tournament history.

 

PHOTO CREDITS; CHRIS SMAJLAJ/WENDY DUNNE PHOTOS