The Eagle Academy For Young Men II boys’ lacrosse team’s first year in the Public School Athletic League’s top division came to a heartbreaking end on May 15.
In a game where momentum shifted back and forth, second-seeded Eagle Academy wasn’t able to put it together one final time. No. 3 Tottenville put together a scoring run of its own in the second half for a 7–5 victory in the Class A semifinals at Boys & Girls last Friday. The Eagle program, which is four years old, won the league’s Class B crown last season.
“It’s been amazing,” said senior attack Kernell Warner. “At first, we didn’t want to play. Then we realized we could actually do something with each other, and we played every day after school. Nobody was going to stop us from what we were striving for. We finally won last year, and from there we have only grown as a family.”
Warner was the driving force that kept his team in the game. In Warner scored four of his team’s five goals in final high school game as he blazed past the Tottenville defense all night long. Tottenville’s offense was able to do just enough when it mattered to out-play Eagle Academy.
“If you ask Kernell, he’s going to say he should’ve had three or four more, because that’s just the way he is as a kid,” said Eagle Academy coach Timothy Omeara. “He’s a hell of a player. But it’s not a one-guy thing. We’ve got all sorts of great kids out here.”
Tottenville scored two quick goals early from junior Vincent Badalamenti and Drew Andersen to put Eagle Academy in a 2–0 hole. Eagle appeared to get itself back into the contest when senior midfielder Peter Miles put one past the Tottenville keeper, but the Pirates cut the momentum short with a goal by senior Thomas Herz to grab a 3–1 lead after one quarter.
Tottenville came out with the same aggression and Miles scored a quick goal to put his team ahead 4–1. Omeara called his final time out of the half after that goal and was able to spark his team. Warner scored two quick goals to cut the Eagle Academy deficit to 4–3 at halftime.
Warner continued to dissect the Tottenville defense in the third quarter. He scored his third goal of the game to even the score at 4–4. But even with the three-goal comeback, Eagle Academy just wasn’t able to ever take the lead. Tottenville’s Christopher Giasi scored, and the second of three goals by Herz gave the Pirates a 6–4 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Eagle Academy may not have gotten a chance to play for a city title, but its rise to being one of the top teams in city is remarkable for a program that started four years ago.
“We had a bunch of kids that never even played lacrosse,” Omeara said. “They’ve been playing for a few years now, and we’re in the best division in the city. But we’re not done.”
