New Egypt boys have emerged as contenders

BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

PLUMSTED - At this point in the season last year, New Egypt High School boys lacrosse team was well under .500 and coach Jay Corby was looking ahead to brighter days when his inexperienced group of underclassmen would mature and be more competitive.

That time has finally arrived.

The Warriors won three games last week to raise their overall record to 9-3. New Egypt has secured a spot in the state playoffs, and, according to Corby, is cashing in on opportunities that last year's squad let go by the board.

"We have most of the club back from last year, and that makes a huge difference," Corby said. "We're on the same page most of the time and they now understand how to handle situations that gave us a hard time when they were younger. They're a year older and much more savvy at both ends of the field."

Of course, there are always going to be areas that Corby would like to see improve.

"We're far from where we want to be," Corby said. "We have played well so far this season, but there are still things we need to work collectively as a group. If we can do the fundamental things well and limit mistakes, we're going to find ourselves in position in the fourth quarter to win games."

New Egypt won its ninth game of the season last Saturday with a 9-4 win over Marlboro.

Shane Angus and Greg Sonday led the attack scoring three goals apiece as the Warriors pulled away in the fourth quarter. New Egypt outscored Marlboro 3-0 in the final frame.

"We really played well in that fourth quarter," Corby said. "Up to that point we hadn't played as well as we are capable. I thought that Marlboro was beating us to balls that we should have picked up and we were dropping a lot of balls. But we hung in there and came up with a big defensive effort in the final period to nail it down."

The Warriors took a 3-1 lead after the opening quarter, but Marlboro cut the deficit to one goal at the half by shutting down New Egypt's offense in the second quarter.

"They made some adjustments defensively and really packed in their zone," Corby said. "They were daring us to do other things offensively. We began taking shots from the perimeter which eventually drew out their defenders. It was then when we were able to free

Angus and Sonday up inside, and get some easy goals."

Earlier in the week, New Egypt knocked off Ewing, 8-4. Again Sonday and Angus propelled the offense.

"Those two guys are a handful for any team that we are going to square off against," Corby said. "Both are quick to the goal. They are very athletic and have good shots."

New Egypt's defense sputtered a bit in a 12-8 win over Lawrence to begin the week.

"We're showing that we can win close games," Corby said. "That is a major improvement from last year. I think our experience is a huge plus. We've had a couple of games this season where we have handled ourselves differently than last year. We're making the extra pass or showing more patience."