Girls lacrosse: Kingston sees added competition in taking on Section 1 matchups
This season, the Kingston Tigers girls lacrosse team is taking one game at a time.
Led by seniors Arianna Burns and Norah Prizzi on the offensive end, the Tigers are looking for their 18th section title in program history.
"It’s rare to have two players on a team that both have over 100 career varsity goals, which is pretty crazy," coach Clayton Bouton said. "The scariest part about that is they both missed their 2020 year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which could have added to that overall total goal scoring and assist count."
Bouton said the team has really just looked to sustain the momentum it built last season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tigers were unable to advance to regionals in the NYSPHSAA tournament, which was not held in 2021.
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They have also gained experience in three games against strong Section 1 and Section 2 teams. Kingston faced Mamaroneck, John Jay-Cross River and Niskayuna, in which it went 1-2. (A fourth game against Tappan Zee was canceled.)
Bouton said since he has been at the helm, he has wanted to add more cross-section games.
"I think our program has been getting better and more and more kids are starting at a younger age, which really helps their development," he said. "We have to play these teams and get used to playing these teams if we are going to be able to become a state contender.”
"The matchups definitely bring more competition overall. A lot of the time these teams look like they’ve been playing for a long time. They have good team chemistry, and I’d imagine it’s probably a similar situation where they have girls who probably play travel together, so they really have a good feel for each other and how to work off of each other, and you can tell they’re experienced lacrosse programs.”
And the Tigers themselves have good chemistry this season, making things difficult for any opponent. The offense seems to initiate fastbreaks with ease. And, as Burns explained, the team uses their speed well, giving each other a lot of opportunities and staying unselfish.
With 10 seniors, including Donatella DeCicco, Grace Uhl, Hannah Timbrouck, Niara Franklin, Delisianna Naccarato, Sophia Georges, with goalkeepers Julianne Louie and Kara Houston, along with two seventh-graders in Brooke and Reese Longo, everybody contributes.
A majority have played on travel teams together, and work off of each other, which is crucial for a team sport such as lacrosse.
“Section 1 teams are very aggressive, and they’re definitely strong, so they definitely give us a run for our money," Prizzi said. "And those teams are only helping us get better and just play at a different level. So taking in the games from Section 1 to Section 9, it’s just making us a better team.’
She described one matchup specifically from April 29.
"We played John Jay-Cross River, who was a really strong team and we were able to just step up," Prizzi said. "At the time, they were fourth in the state, (and) we only lost by five, so I think it was a good test for us, and I think we just really stepped up and showed that we can compete at that level.”
But no matter the opponent, the Tigers have stayed focused toward their ultimate goal.
"Each section game we’re going as intense as we play the Section 1 teams," Prizzi said. "Every ground ball, we’re going as hard as we can. So we’re taking every game at a time, but we also are looking at hopefully a regional run and a state championship.”
MKramer1@th-record.com
Twitter: @MKramerTHR
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Section 9 girls lacrosse: Kingston seeks 18th section title
