No Mattituck boys varsity lacrosse team this year

Mattituck’s varsity lacrosse team is taking this spring off.

The Mattituck-Cutchogue Board of Education voted Thursday night not to field a varsity boys’ lacrosse team this spring because so few juniors and seniors plan to participate this year.

The upperclassmen who do want to play lacrosse will be allowed to play on the junior varsity team, athletic director Greg Wormuth said at the board’s meeting Thursday.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of potential JV players. In fact, the district plans to field two JV boys’ lacrosse teams this year because about 50 junior high students have expressed interest in playing.

But only seven potential varsity boys lacrosse players are juniors and seniors, Mr. Wormuth said, and while there are only 10 players on the field at a time, a full team requires at least 18 players and a truly solid roster would need about 26.
Varsity lacrosse coach Tim Corcoran felt that it would be dangerous for a varsity team dominated by young players to face older, bigger competitors from other districts, according to Mr. Wormuth.

“It’s a safety issue for them to even be on the field,” said Mr. Wormuth.

The board’s decision does not affect the varsity girls’ team, which has a healthy roster.

Mattituck alone couldn’t field a full varsity boys’ team last year, either. Students from Southold and Greenport, neither of which has its own varsity lacrosse team, filled out Mattituck’s varsity squad last season. That team had a tough year, with 1-13 record, which helped contribute to the department’s decision to temporarily shut down the team, said Mr. Wormuth.

The district will likely reinstate the team next year if there is more interest among upperclassmen.