Andrew Kupson, Simon Collette, Luca Ubaldi and Joey Honcz captain Foran's boys lacrosse team.
Foran High Athletics / Contributed photoForan boys’ lacrosse coach Brian Adkins brings back a bulk of the scoring from a team that made it to the state tournament.
“We return over 84 percent of our scoring. Because of that COVID season in 2020, a lot of kids who would have been JV players got thrown in and had to play varsity. They got experience on the fly,” said Adkins, now in his 10th season with the Lions. “Our top three scorers last year were from the attack. Now we feel we can score from our midfield too. Each game we try to figure out where the matchup is and how to attack that.”
Joey Honcz, Chris Adkins, and Eli Gomes were Foran’s top point producers. Adding offense from midfield are Jack Cushman, Andrew Kupson, Matt Miller, Liam Young, Max Howland and Jack Pietrosanti.
“Matt Miller and Craig Mager, both juniors, take faceoffs,” Adkins said. “Matt took most for us last year and he was 56 percent (success). Craig was new to the sport. They have both worked hard to improve their stick work. They are successful athletes in their other sports (Miller football; Mager wrestling). Those are the type of kids you look at for your faceoff guy. They are tough kids, get the ball out, and are both able to score from there.”
Luca Ubaldi anchors the defense.
“Luca Ubaldi is a returning All-Stater. He is the glue for entire team,” Adkins said. “Luca will play at Western Connecticut next year. He goes up and plays wing on faceoffs. He draws the top matchup whether it is a midfielder or an attackman. We are very, very happy to have him back.”
Simon Collette, a team captain with Honcz, Kupson and Ubaldi, will play in goal.
“Simon Collette has started for us every season since he was a freshman,” Adkins said. “He has the perfect mentality for the position. He never gets too high or too low. Simon is a great ball stopper and a great leader. He is so rock steady. We know what to expect and have been lucky to have him.”
Jason Burwell, Ryan French (seniors) and Jimmy Cobain (junior) are veteran defenders.
Adkins said: “We made states and played a very competitive game against Notre Dame-West Haven. Our goal every year is to make states. We are trying to take that next step forward as a program. We are up to 50 kids, the largest roster we’ve ever had. We have a big freshmen class.
“The new field at KMT (Kelly Martin Tighe Memorial Field) has been a huge help to our program,” Adkins said of the on-campus double-lined soccer and lacrosse turf fields “Kids were out with the mild winter going to the new field. We came in more ready to go this year. Those fields have been a tremendous help.”
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