TOP CORNER CLUB — Fordham Prep Lacrosse News and Updates

We’re excited to kick off another Fordham Prep lacrosse season and are looking forward to once again keeping the Prep lacrosse community abreast of all things FP lax related. We welcome for his first season new Varsity Head Coach Tom Prior, who along with returning Assistant Coach Connor Brown ‘09 and new Assistant Coach Mike Courtney, will lead the Varsity boys. JV Head Coach Seann Farrell, in his third season leading the underclassmen, looks to build on last year’s success where the Rams lost a close battle to Iona Prep in the CHSAA Championship. Assistant Coach Thomas Sluka returns to help Coach Farrell as well as new Assistant Coach Dylan Mayo. The staff and teams have already been putting in work with off-season practices, lifts, and participating in the ultra-competitive Chelsea Piers winter league.

We also welcome our new goalie coach, James Corasaniti ‘18, who has already been working with our keepers. Coach Corasaniti ‘18 was an All-American at the Prep before playing at Fairfield and then as a graduate transfer at Providence, where he was 1st Team All-Big East and Big East Goaltender of the Year. Faceoff coach Dan O’Connell returns to work with our boys at the X, looking to fill the hole left by graduating All-American FOGO James Spring ‘24. Coach O’Connell carried a top-10 faceoff win percentage during his college career at Holy Cross and Duke, winning an ACC Championship with the Blue Devils. All have distinguished lacrosse playing and coaching pedigrees and you can read the coaches bios (here) and specialist coaches bios (here).

We would like to highlight that the Varsity team will be headed up to Rhode Island the week after Easter to face the Providence area’s Moses Brown, Bishop Hendrickson, and Barrington HS. This annual Spring trip is a great bonding experience for the team and always generates lasting memories. In between their contests the boys will be attending the Providence vs. St. John’s game and meeting with the Friars’ head coach, and getting a tour of the school. We will be hosting two out of state teams to start the season with Belen Jesuit (FL) of Miami and Mountain Vista (CO) coming to the Bronx this weekend. We’ll be giving our Jesuit brethren from Florida the full Arthur Ave. treatment with a post-game dinner for all Belen and Fordham players and parents.

Our annual Season Kickoff and Hall of Fame Dinner will be on Saturday, March 29th at Rory Dolan’s in Yonkers. This year we will be inducting Kevin Duffy ‘99 into the Fordham Prep Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Last year over 120 lacrosse players and family, alumni, and alumni parents attended and we know this year will be another resounding success. You can register for the evening (here).

Midseason we will be having the annual equipment drive, benefiting Bronx Lacrosse and CityLax, so keep your eyes out for that update. But remember, don’t donate everything…..you’ll need something to play with in future alumni games.

Any parents or alums who would like to help us with the Top Corner Club, please reach out at fptopcornerclub@gmail.com. If you would like to support the program, or learn more about the recently launched Lacrosse Endowment, you can donate (here). We are just below our initial $100,000 Endowment goal. So far this season, through the Endowment, the Top Corner Club has brought in the specialist coaches, bought new gameday goals, and will be subsidizing additional season expenses.

Please follow FP lacrosse on Instagram (@fordhampreplax), Twitter (@fordhampreplax), the Top Corner Club on Facebook, and subscribe to our distribution through the website if this was forwarded to you (www.fordhampreplacrosse.com).

Season Preview:

The Rams lost eight players to graduation, including the top two scorers in 2024, accounting for over 51% of the Prep’s goal scoring, as well as All-American FOGO James Spring ‘24. So there is lots of room for players to step up and contribute this season. Sebastian Zarkowski ‘25 (Hastings-on-Hudson) and Drew Pagen ‘26 (Rye) are the returning leading scorers with a combined 30 goals and 25 assists in 2024. Cash Berner ‘27 (Rye) will be in the cage again, following his freshman season where he recorded 100 saves, while 1st Team All-CHSAA pole Jakob Gilbert ‘26 (Bedford) leads the defense around him. This year’s roster consists of 26 boys from across Westchester and Manhattan from a diverse 15 towns with Manhattan and Rye leading the way. Congratulations to this year’s captains: Ryan Bracchitta ‘27 (Scarsdale), Bobby Brock ’25 (Valhalla), Jakob Gilbert ‘26 (Bedford), and Rory McGrath ‘25 (Rye). The recipient who will have this season’s honor of wearing the the recently unretired #41 jersey in tribute to Chris Duffy ‘96 will be announced at our Hall of Fame and Kickoff Dinner. This new tradition will continue going forward as a player will be chosen to wear the #41 jersey each season.

The Rams look to build on their 8 - 8 2024 season, where after starting out 5 - 1 they lost five out of six before finishing at .500. The schedule was certainly tough, facing national ranked Chaminade and St. Anthony’s, eventually Section 1 champion and state semi-finalist Rye, as well as the usual top level CHSAA foes. A highlight was the Rams OT time win against Connecticut power Wilton at Manhattan College’s Gaelic Park. The season ended with a tough loss to Stepinac in the CHSAA semi-finals. 2025 presents another strong schedule including games against top ten nationally ranked Chaminade, Colorado power Mountain Vista, Long Island’s Half Hollow Hills, Section 1 stalwart Bronxville, and usual CHSAA foes Stepinac and Iona Prep.

The Rams season opens tomorrow at home versus Belen Jesuit (FL), followed by hosting Mountain Vista (CO) on Saturday. After a couple scrimmages the Rams then defend Murphy Field against Half Hollow Hills before heading to Brooklyn for their first away game against Poly Prep. Early April consists of a homestand of Hackley, rival Iona Prep, and Long Island Lutheran before a gauntlet of eight straight away games. Games against Bronxville, St. John the Baptist, and Chaminade will give the boys valuable experience before heading up to Rhode Island to face Barrington HS, Moses Brown, and Bishop Hendrickson. April ends and May begins with contests at Stepinac and Bethlehem HS in Albany. Up next is The Duffy Cup against Cardinal Hayes at home and then two trips to Long Island to face St. Dominic and Kellenberg, always an exciting opponent. Then it’s off to the playoffs.

Looking ahead to Friday, Belen Jesuit (FL) is an opponent the Rams know well, having played three times the past few years including in Miami last year. The Prep holds a 2 - 1 advantage but lost last year 6 - 4. The early start down South has the Wolverines already at 7 - 3 on the year. Mountain Vista (CO) is a new opponent for the Prep and the second time we’ve hosted a team from Colorado (2013 Columbine HS). The Golden Eagles come into the game at 2 - 1. Home games, and some away games, will once again be streamed on Local Live so be sure to check them out.

Alumni:

Best of luck to our alums playing in college as they continue their lacrosse careers at the next level - Sean Miller ‘21 (Holy Cross) and Charlie English ‘23 (Middlebury). Keep an eye out for Stephen Zupicich '19 (Ohio St./Villanova), our first Prep alum to play in the professional ranks, as he and the Maryland Whipsnakes look to win a PLL Championship. Alums and alumni parents please keep sending in updates so we can highlight them. We’re eyeing 5/31 or 6/14 for our annual Alumni Game, so keep those dates on your calendar.

Thanks again for all your support to Fordham Prep Lacrosse and good luck to all the players and coaches. We’ll see you on the sidelines!!!