Lacrosse Culture Developing In Dobbs Ferry

Dobbs Ferry has always been known as a football town.

The state championship banners that adorn the gym walls, the standing room-only crowds that emerge on Saturdays at Gould Park, and the seemingly endless tales of the powerhouse teams of the 1980s and early 2000s are indicative of their successes in that sport—

With the evolution of Dobbs Ferry’s first-ever varsity lacrosse program this spring, the seeds of a lacrosse culture have rapidly taken root.

Dobbs Ferry lacrosse had competed on the J.V. level in previous years. In the spring of 2011, however, the Eagles launched their first-ever varsity lacrosse team. The squad was full of all-around athletes who had developed the necessary stick skills—cradling, shooting, and riding technique—to become legit contenders. Few envisioned them making noise in an evenly-matched Class C dictated by those with seasoned programs.

The Eagles surprised everyone in Section 1, advancing all the way to the Section 1/Class C semifinals.

“Our school is filled with athletic kids, athletic bodies,” said incoming senior John Yozzo-Scaperratta, an innate dodger who has been inundanted with NCAA recruiting mail following one year of varsity lacrosse.

 “You put a stick in our hands, it’s like teaching a baby how to walk. It’s bound to happen. We made a lot of strides learning the game, adapting to the established levels of other teams and it was really a seamless transition.” 

Yozzo-Scaperratta's play was an aspect paramount to success for the Eagles' season.

An innate dodger with a proclivity for ripping shots on the fly, Scaperratta surfaced as one of the leading scorers. He found his niche as a go-to option. In addition to leaking out in transition and scoring by way of medium range rips, the kid they call “Scapp” developed a set shot from more than 22 yards out.

Spencer Avalos, Darien Bica, and Yozzo-Scaperratta are a tremendous trio for the Eagles football team. All three also had a hand in leading the Eagles to a berth in the Section 1 Class/B final in basketball for the first time since 1967. The triumvirate of Avalos, Bica, and Yozzo-Scaperratta are key cogs on Dobbs Ferry's football team. They're cognizant of each other's athletic ability and this allows them to create chemistry in lacrosse.

Bica and Avalos have etched names for themselves on the recruiting scene. Both players have evolved into sought after products on the recruiting market, following elite tournaments such as the Peak 200 in Springfield, MA.

Bica, who is leaning towards playing lacrosse in college (as the captain and major plug in the trenches in football, Bica will decide between which sport he wants to pursue at the higher plateau), garnered the interest of four different NCAA coaches, two on the Division-I level.  

The Peak 200, which was essentially a "who's who" of college recruits, helped Bica get the right college exposure. Bica is not equated with the same star status as a player from a traditional lacrosse breeding ground such as Yorktown, Somers, Mahopac, or Lakeland/Panas. Still, he has been the poster boy for Dobbs' ascension from low-recognition J.V. program to Varsity contender.

Bica’s athleticism and high-engine is what separates him from other players of his ilk. He laid out a lot of stick checks and popped 10 goals. His vision stood out as he located open scorers and fueled fast breaks. In the latter stages of the season, he was a holding force on the face-offs.

“We’ve all played sports together since we were little kids and we know each other’s games,” said Bica, a long stick middie. “It helps establish chemistry on the field. We came in this year, we knew people were going to underestimate us from the beginning. We didn’t have a great schedule, but I think we did really well for our first year in the program. We lost to a really tough Bronxville team.”

Dobbs has high hopes for its team in spring, 2012.

 “We had a lot of people come out for our home games, it was a significant turn out for a first year program,” Bica explained. “We had great support and Dobbs is starting to develop feeder programs and teach kids at the younger level the game. There’s the modified program, a youth program, I think Dobbs is starting to buy into lacrosse.”

Spencer Avalos—another essential player—has become recognized for his nose for the net. Avalos can score in traffic, on the fly, and totes freakish athleticism that stood out during the aforementioned Peak 200 showcase.

Avalos, another three-sport athlete who will step into a major role for the Eagles football, is also on college recruiters' recruiting radars. His performance at Peak 200 (where there was roughly 400 players) helped raise his profile. The Eagles additionally return key cogs beyond the trio of Avalos, Bica, and Yozzo-Scaperratta.

Incoming junior Grant Giglio surfaced as one of the Eagles’ feeders, creating offense and delivering pinpoint passes. The shifty Giglio’s innate field vision is what makes him unique player, with a knack for locating the open man. And Matt Latainer helps solidify a solid core of middies.

With the college exposure and performances at top-tier camps profiling the hunted ones, Dobbs Ferry is beginning to feel like a lacrosse town. They may not be at the level of some of the formidable programs up north—but the Eagles are headed in the right direction.