Two minutes into the second quarter on Wednesday, senior Sam Daly and junior Jeff Galiotto executed a textbook fastbreak for the Maine South boys lacrosse team’s second goal of the game.
The play was a combination of speed and precision, and one Daly said wouldn’t have happened last season. It perfectly illustrated how far the Hawks have come in three seasons under coach Camerin Staffel.
“We used to work on things as simple as passing and catching,” said Daly, a middie and four-year varsity player. “We had to learn so much. This year, we are finally playing lacrosse.”
Daly had another assist on a Galiotto goal in Maine South’s 6-5 win over Evanston, the program’s first in the Central Suburban League, according to Staffel. A year ago, the Hawks lost to the Wildkits 14-1.
Nick Gallo’s first of three goals with 2 minutes, 35 left in the first quarter gave the Hawks (4-1) a 1-0 lead, and they never surrendered it. Gallo scored his other two goals in the final six minutes of the third quarter, leaving the score 6-3.
“We’ve had a constant desire to get better,” said Gallo, a senior attacker who leads the team in goals. “We’ve depended on one another to get better.”
In Staffel’s first season, the Hawks won three games. They won 10 last season, including one in the B-Class state tournament before losing to eventual champion Naperville Central. He said Wednesday’s win over the Wildkits, a state quarterfinalist last spring, was a “huge step for Maine South.”
“We are in a good position now, and I see a big difference in this team from the last two seasons,” said Staffel, who returned every starter from last season. “The No. 1 thing we had to do was improve our stick skills. We couldn’t pass and catch well. No. 2 was learning how to play the game, like running an offense.
“Maine South had a lot of catching up to do in the lacrosse world.”
Gallo arguably has made the biggest jump. A baseball player as a freshman, he joined the lacrosse team on a dare from Daly. The two plan to play college lacrosse at Augustana College in Rock Island.
“He always told me how easy lacrosse was, so I told him to come out,” said Daly, who started lacrosse in eighth grade.
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Staffel said Gallo, a left-hander, had natural ability, but he needed to hone his stick skills. Staffel said Gallo, a two-year starter, continues to add to his lacrosse IQ.
“He mostly played JV as a sophomore,” Staffel said. “He’s just made huge improvements. He’s going to score a lot of goals for us this season.”
For Daly, one of four team captains, the win over Evanston validated all the work the Hawks have put in over the years. Daly scored one goal to go with his two assists.
“This year, we are coming into all of our games knowing we can win,” he said.
Staffel went a step farther, saying he believes Maine South should be considered a contender for the B-Class state championship.
“I think we have a good chance,” he said. “The core group has been with me for all three seasons, and we’ve seen how much they’ve grown. We have the experience, and we also have the skill now. We still have work to do, but I think we are going to be one of the best teams at the end.”
Evanston notes
* The Wildkits (3-1) got within two, 6-4, on senior Thomas Julcher’s goal 20 seconds into the fourth. Junior Christopher David closed the gap to one with his goal with 31.1 seconds remaining in regulation. But the Wildkits didn’t get another shot off.
* Senior Sam Mayne scored a team-best two goals, and junior Jeremy Bryan added one.
Twitter: @harnesspreps