2015 V845 boys lacrosse all-stars
First team
Cody Geidel
School: Warwick Year: Junior
Position: Goalie
Credentials: After spending his sophomore season as Warwick’s backup, Geidel earned the starting job this spring. He won 17 games with a 7.3 goals-against average and a .607 save percentage. Warwick held opponents to single-digit scoring in 14 of its 19 matches.
The highlight: “Winning the section championship against Valley Central. It capped off our great undefeated season before taking on Niskayuna in the state playoffs.”
The future: Will return for his senior season.
The player: “Last year he kind of had to earn his stripes a little bit. He was just as good last year but he was behind a senior captain (Evan Floreck) and I know that was tough for him. Coming into this year, I knew he was going to be able to step right in. He goes to a lot of camps and he does everything he can to make himself a better player.” – Warwick head coach Graig McElroy
Connor Filipowski
School: Warwick Year: Junior
Position: Defense
Credentials: A force on the defensive end of the field, Filipowski had 113 ground balls, 36 takeaways and 24 interceptions. He also contributed with the short stick, adding 15 goals and 10 assists, becoming a dangerous weapon in man-up situations late in the season. A two-time Section 9 U.S. Lacrosse All-America selection, Filipowski also served as a team captain.
The highlight: “When I had a hat trick against Valley Central and the last one was the game-winner in overtime.''
The future: Will return for his senior season.
The player: “Connor impresses me every day. There’s something that he does in practice that impresses me every single day. In terms of what he can do being a shorty (short-stick midfielder) he can basically do it all. That’s not limited to lacrosse, either.” – Warwick head coach Graig McElroy
Donovan Murphy
School: Valley Central Year: Junior
Position: Defense
Credentials: Murphy had 89 ground balls, leading a unit that allowed double-digit goals only twice, both in losses to Warwick. He also had one goal and one assist.
The highlight: “Beating Pine Bush to get to the championship game. The previous two years we had lost to Minisink and Warwick so it was a big step forward for the program to get to the championship game this year.”
The future: Will return for his senior season.
The player: “He’s super smart. He’s tough, he’s athletic. He’s just an all-out competitor. He just loves to compete and he doesn’t like to get beat. He’s just an all-around lockdown defender.” – Valley Central head coach Bill Miller
Joe Rice
School: Warwick Year: Senior
Position: Defense
Credentials: An equally tough defender for Warwick alongside Connor Filipowski, Rice had 68 grounds balls, 40 takeaways and 13 interceptions.
The highlight: “Probably going back-to-back, winning the section championship. We really showed in the final game against Valley Central how dominant we were, using a huge third-quarter run to give us the championship.”
The future: Will play at Salisbury (Md.) University, a Division III member of the Capital Athletic Conference.
The player: “He was a big part of our defensive success. He really just goes about his job. He doesn’t say much. When he does, he’s pretty darn funny, but he’s a kid that came up with some big plays. He really helped limit the other teams in terms of what they were able to do. He’s great on team defense and he did a good job on the clear game for us.” – Warwick head coach Graig McElroy
Alec Tocco
School: Rondout Valley Year: Senior
Position: Long stick midfield
Credentials: A team leader with a wide range of skills, Tocco, a two-time All-America selection, shone on the defensive end with 103 ground balls. He also added 25 goals and 17 assists, finishing his four-year varsity career with 91 points and 370 ground balls.
The highlight: “Probably when we won the regional game against Greenwich. It was the first time in a while since Section 9 did that, so I was really proud of my team. We worked really hard through the season, so it paid off in the end.”
The future: Will play lacrosse at SUNY Plattsburgh, a Division III member of the SUNY Athletic Conference.
The player: “We don’t get to where we’re at without him. He’s not the glue that holds the team together because that’s not accurate. He’s the ramrod that forced us forward. He’s always been that way.” – Rondout Valley head coach Tony Tocco
Chris Schlappich
School: Highland Year: Junior
Position: Midfield
Credentials: One of Section 9’s top playmakers, Schlappich had 48 goals and 64 assists, an average of 6.2 points per game. He also gathered 43 ground balls and will enter his senior season with 264 career points. He led Highland to its first Section 9 title in program history.
The highlight: “When we won the Section 9 championship. I had the ball in my stick and I was able to throw it as far up in the air as I could and take my gear off and run and celebrate with everyone on my team.”
The future: Will return for his senior season. Has already verbally committed to play at Marist College, a Division I member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Lacrosse League.
The player: "Chris is the smartest and most complete player I have ever coached. He is like having a coach on the field. Defensively, he is my best on-ball defender. Offensively, he not only creates his own shots, but many scoring opportunities for his teammates. Simply put, he makes those players around him better." – Highland head coach Tom Schlappich
Hunter Cocks
School: Valley Central Year: Senior
Position: Midfield
Credentials: One of the most prolific scoring midfielders in the section, Cocks had 42 goals and 42 assists and also won 64 percent of the face-offs he took for the Vikings. A tough competitor, Cocks played four matches with a broken jaw.
The highlight: “Our second game against Warwick at their home field. Even though we lost in overtime, it was such a wild and intense game to play in. The atmosphere from the fans and the players was just incredible. I think that matchup, Warwick vs. Valley Central, always has a lot of emotion in it and a lot of intensity.”
The future: Will play lacrosse at Western New England University in Springfield, Mass., a Division III member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference.
The player: “He’s that old-school kind of middie. He faces off, plays offense, plays defense.” – Valley Central head coach Bill Miller
Nick Daigle
School: Warwick Year: Senior
Position: Midfield
Credentials: A goal-to-goal midfielder, Daigle used his speed to contribute on both ends of the field. A four-year varsity player, Daigle finished with 37 goals and 14 assists and won Warwick team MVP honors.
The highlight: “Getting the opportunity to play against the eventual state champion, Niskayuna. Getting to see that kind of caliber of lacrosse and being on the same field with them was really a great experience for me. It showed us how far we’ve come as a program. We were playing with the best in New York state. It shows how much we’ve built over the last four years. It was a great team we had. I’m going to miss these guys.”
The future: Will play both soccer and lacrosse at SUNY Cortland, a Division III member of the SUNY Athletic Conference.
The player: “He’s got a huge heart. He’s the kind of kid who basically never came off the field for us. He could play offense and defense and he was a real emotional leader for the team. He definitely stepped up in the huddle and helped lead the guys.” – Warwick head coach Graig McElroy
Aaron Ackerman
School: Warwick Year: Senior
Position: Attack
Credentials: Ackerman scored 73 goals and assisted on 25 for 98 points this season. He finished his four-year varsity career with 206 goals and 114 assists, leaving as the leading scorer in school history.
The highlight: “Going undefeated through the section and beating all the Section 1 teams that we did to repeat as Section 9 champions.”
The future: Will play lacrosse at SUNY Cortland, a Division III member of the SUNY Athletic Conference.
The player: “He’s very analytical of the game and he acts like a coach sometimes in terms of thinking things through and scheming things out. He’s got a great lacrosse I.Q. He wants the ball in his stick and he wants to be the guy who makes things happen.” – Warwick head coach Graig McElroy
Brad Howell
School: Valley Central Year: Senior
Position: Attack
Credentials: Howell missed the final three matches of the season with a torn ACL and LCL, but he ended the year with 37 goals and 43 assists. He holds the Valley Central school record with 115 career assists.
The highlight: “When we beat Arlington. It just showed that Section 9 teams are really growing and progressing and that we can handle other teams outside the section.”
The future: Will play lacrosse at Nichols (Mass.) College, a Division III member of the Commonwealth Coast Conference.
The player: “He was kind of the quarterback of our offense. He has a extremely high lacrosse I.Q. He always plays with his head up. He really understands the game.” – Valley Central head coach Bill Miller
Joe Sessa
School: Minisink Valley Year: Senior
Position: Attack
Credentials: The most prolific scorer in Section 9 history, Sessa had 76 goals and 58 assists as a senior, finishing with 235 goals and 287 assists for his career. He ranks fifth all-time in state history with 522 career points.
The highlight: “Being named the captain for the second year in a row. Being named a captain meant so much to me. I feel like it’s probably the best accomplishment of my career. Just being able to lead my teammates and trying to win games meant so much to me.”
The future: Will play lacrosse at Yale University, a Division I member of the Ivy League.
The player: “I think his presence in the games and on the field was consistent for four straight years. But I think he was most effective this year in practice helping the younger kids and getting on their case when they didn’t practice hard and when they didn’t take things seriously. As a captain and as a leader, I think that was his most important role.” – Minisink Valley head coach Chad Lakeman
Angus Wolfe
School: Rondout Valley Year: Senior
Position: Face-off specialist
Credentials: Voted on by local coaches as Section 9’s top face-off man for the second consecutive season, Wolfe also played a key role in the Ganders’ midfield. He had 138 ground balls and added five goals and five assists. He holds school records in all face-off categories as well as career ground balls (533).
The highlight: “Winning the opening-round game. It was the first time we’ve ever won a state playoff game as a program. It’s always fun winning a section final but I was really fired up about that opening-round game. It was a great moment for our team’s history and hopefully we’ll push on from there and win the next game in years to come.”
The future: Will play lacrosse at St. Lawrence University in Canton, a Division III member of the Liberty League.
The player: “He’s a highly focused and driven individual. He’s very singularly focused. Every moment I see him, he’s working on some aspect of his face-offs.” – Rondout Valley head coach Tony Tocco
G, Joe Falco, Valley Central, Jr.: Falco stopped 66 percent of the shots he faced, the third-best mark in VC program history.
D, Brendan Boles, Goshen, Sr.: The leader of a new-and-improved Goshen team, Boles helped lead the Gladiators to the postseason in just the program’s second season.
D, Aidan Gaffney, Monroe-Woodbury, Sr.: Gaffney guided a defense that routinely held opponents to fewer than 10 goals a game.
D, Zach Dunning, Cornwall, Sr.: With Dunning in the back, Cornwall reached the Section 9 Class B championship game for a third consecutive season.
LSM, Brenden Shust, Valley Central, Jr.: Shust scooped up 108 ground balls and also won 57 percent of the face-offs he took.
M, Luke Hanson, Minisink Valley, Jr.: A versatile all-around athlete, Hanson had 62 goals and 30 assists for the Warriors this season.
M, Brett Jennings, Valley Central, Jr.: Jennings had 49 goals and 29 assists this year and already holds school career records in points (260) and goals (150).
M, Tim Schof, Pine Bush, Jr.: Not only was Schof a dangerous scorer (40 goals, 38 assists), he also had 138 ground balls and routinely defended top players on other teams.
A, Gabe Carbone, Rondout Valley, Sr.: The Ganders’ leader on the offensive end, Carbone had 76 goals and 46 assists.
A, Nick Pampalone, Delaware Valley (Pa.), Jr.: The offensive Player of the Year in the Wyoming Valley Conference, Pampalone finished with 59 goals and 21 assists.
A, Kyle Bacon, Pine Bush, Jr.: Bacon finished with 60 goals and 36 assists, helping lead the Bushmen to an OCIAA Division I title.
FO, Brandon Boccia, Pine Bush, Jr.: Boccia won 209 of the 277 draws he attempted for a face-off percentage of .755.
Second-team all-stars
