BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa lacrosse program has come a long way since head coach Joe Pollicino took over the helm five years ago.
In that first season, the Scotties finished 5-13. The following year, in 2011, the program made it to its first Class A Section II Final Four. Last season, after being moved to Class B, the Scotties advanced to their first ever sectional final.
“It’s been a nice rise,” Pollicino said. “I don’t care how good of a coach you are, if you don’t have good players, you’re not going to be successful. I’ve been the beneficiary of having a great youth program.”
Now, one season after losing to No. 1 seeded Niskayuna, 20-4, at John Fallon Field at UAlbany in the final, the Scotties bring back 15 returning upperclassmen to the challenging Suburban Council.
“At practice (Tuesday) night, I was saying, ‘This is probably the deepest, most complete team we’ve ever had,’” Pollicino said. We’ve had good teams in the past that have competed with some of the better teams in the section, but I think this is the first year when we’ve had a group of kids who have a lot of varsity experience…I can go four deep at attack right now with all these kids having at least one, two or three years of varsity experience. At the midfield, I’ve got four or five kids with varsity experience and on defense I have six kids who have had at least a year of varsity experience. And our goalie is a four year player and three-year starter. I think that’s huge. It’s definitely a great thing to have.”
One of those returning players is senior defender Kyle Abdellatif. One of Section II’s most disruptive forces in the middle of the field with a long pole, Abdellatif brings speed and length to the Scotties’ defensive core.
In the fall, he committed to play lacrosse at SUNY Stony Brook.
“Last year he was hands down the best long pole in the section as a junior,” Pollicino said of the First-Team All-Suburban Council standout.
Then, there’s senior midfielder John McDonald (Second-Team All-Suburban). The three-year starter burst onto the varsity scene in his first game as a sophomore when he scored five goals against Shen.
“Since then, [McDonald]’s been a marked man,” Pollicino said. “Still, I think he’s climbed the charts. He’s somewhere in the top 10 in scoring in Ballston Spa history. As a midfielder, he’s got almost as many assists as goals. He’s just a tremendous playmaker. The biggest thing I’m trying to get Johnny to realize is to let the game come to him—I think sometimes he tries to force it on himself a little bit too much and try to do a little too much on his own—and realize that when he has his teammates around him he can do even better things. But he’s just grown so much.”
After one year of being classified as a B program, both Ballston Spa and Niskayuna are back in Class A—a class that could very well be the deepest it has been in the last seven years, since Pollicino was an assistant coach at Shaker.
“I think you’re going to see some scores in the Suburban that are somewhat surprising on any given day,” Pollicino said. “I think the top five or six teams can knock each other off.”
Starting with the two programs Ballston Spa has never beaten at the varsity level, Shenendehowa and Niskayuna will again be at the top of the conversation to make a run to the sectional final. Also, keep an eye out for teams like Shaker, Colonie and Saratoga Springs as well.
Ballston Spa scrimmaged Shen and Saratoga Springs the weekend of March 22.
The Scotties will start the regular season at Shen this Tuesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. Last season, the Scotties played the Plainsmen tight in the beginning of both games before “the wheels fell off at different times.”
Just a season after losing a pair of one-goal games to Shen, Pollicino said last year’s team lost the belief that they could run with the Plainsmen.
That mindset will be different this season.
“The focus this year has been having the confidence in believing in yourself,” Pollicino said. “I think that was one of the things the team struggled with last year. Even though we had a pretty good strong senior group and good returning group of juniors, sometimes, mentally, the kids just aren’t ready for that.”
After Shen, the Scotties will also be on the road against Niskayuna and Bethlehem as well. The Niskayuna game will also be held on Shen’s turf at 7 p.m. the following Thursday, April 3.
“I think starting with Shen and Nisky is going to be great,” Pollicino said. “The section isn’t won in March or April. It’s won in late May…It’s a long season. Seeding is going to be very important. You don’t want to have to play the quarterfinal round game against one of the top dogs because it’s going to be tough to get to that final. It’s going to be a long haul and we have a tough non-league schedule as well.”
The Scotties are set to play teams from Syracuse and Maryland in that non-league schedule. The program from Maryland, Bullis High School, is coached by Pollicino’s brother, Bobby.
Hopes are high heading into this season for Pollicino. Getting knocked out in last year’s final has only made the Scotties want it more.
“They’re a really good group of kids,” said Pollicino, who noted his team’s high maturity level. “A lot of smart kids and very good academically. Getting a taste of getting to a sectional final last year has really made them hungry to try and get back again this year.”
