Jaguars hope to build off last year's success
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

JACKSON - Following a season that included trips to both the Shore Conference and state tournaments, the Jackson High School boys lacrosse team finds itself in a state of rebuilding.

The Jaguars finished with an overall mark of 10-7. Despite a second-round loss in the SCT and a first-round setback in the states, fourth-year coach Nick Caruso was very satisfied with his team's accomplishments.

"We had a really solid season," Caruso said. "We talked about qualifying for the postseason at the start of practices and we achieved that goal. We lost a couple of significant players, but we should be all right if we can find consistency at both ends of the field."

Jackson is scheduled to open its season April 3 at home against North Brunswick. Caruso is optimistic despite some inconsistent play during scrimmages.

"We'll have the kinks worked out by then," Caruso said. "We're working hard and have looked very good at times. We just need to make sure that we focus for an entire game. We can't afford to play well for half a game."

Gone from last year's club are leading scorer Kale Mabey, midfielder Matt Bell and defensman Nick Farrar.

"Those guys provided us with a lot of leadership and consistency," Caruso said. "It will take a while to find guys to fill their shoes, but we have a number of solid players who have the potential to step up and lead us."

Key returnees this year include seniors Steve Sharac and Anthony Dzienkiwicz. Junior Mike Grisanti and Ben Wisler, along with sophomores Chris Farrar and Tyler Distefano, should provide Jackson with a solid foundation.

"We have guys with varsity minutes," Caruso said. "Now it's just a matter of them working with the newcomers and finding the right mix of guys. That could take a few games to figure out."

Newcomers juniors Rob Krais and Jeff

Benintente, and sophomore Matt Riley will all see plenty of action at midfield. Caruso has been impressed with the play of his midfielders in the team's two scrimmages.

"We have looked very good in that spot," Caruso said. "We have good speed and have a couple of guys who can put the ball in the net. We're hoping to get strong play out of our midfielders. We have some depth there, so that should be a plus."

DiStefano notched 14 goals last year from his midfield position, and Sharac has shown the ability to put the ball in the cage in the preseason.

"It looks like those two guys are going to have to lead us offensively," Caruso said. "We'll try to create stuff for them and get them scoring opportunities."