Trio to lead Lenape Valley lacrosse

STANHOPE — There are many, many difficult choices that a head coach may have to make during the course of the entire season. That may or may not include selecting which student-athletes will be picked to lead the team as captains.
Choosing captains was not a tough decision for Lenape Valley High School boy’s lacrosse coach Justin Meeth. Troy DuPont (senior), Jack Varian (senior) and Dominick Falleni (junior) are the captains this spring for the Patriots.
“Picking these three guys to lead this team was actually an easy decision for us," Meeth said. “Jack and Troy were both captains as juniors last season, so I knew they had already gained all the respect needed by their teammates. Not only is Jack a leader for this team, but he is the heartbeat of our defense. He embraces the role of leading them every game and wants to be matched up with our opponent’s strongest attack men each game.
“Troy and Dominick are both the same thing just on the offensive end of the field. Troy tends to lead more as a vocal leader while Dominick is more of an on field coach with how he sees the game. The biggest quality displayed by all three of these young men is that they represent what a true student athlete is. They represent this program in a positive way on the field, off the field and in the classroom."
All three players have made their presence felt on the field this spring.
“For Troy, he actually just scored his 100th point this past weekend against High Point (a 16-2 win on April 21)," Meeth said. “Dominick is off to a strong start this year, being one of the state leaders in assists and continues to be on pace to break the all-time points record held here at Lenape Valley.
“Jack's stats go a little unnoticed. Jack has been causing turnovers all over the field this season and is the reason why we have had such a strong defensive unit this year."
Improvements have been made by the trio of captain on both an individual and team-wide basis.
“Troy has expanded his range as a shooter which has made him a little tougher to guard on offense," Meeth said. “Somehow, Dominick came in this year with even better vision than his shown the last two years. He embraces playing X for us and loves setting his teammates up for easy goals. Jack seems to get better every single game as an on ball defender and makes big plays in just about every game.
“As I said before, they are all three the cornerstones of their position. Dominick leads the attack and uses his IQ to help correct things that could go wrong on certain possessions. He also sets his teammates up for easy goals day in and day out. Troy is our motor of the midfield. He shows what kind of hustle it takes to be a two-way middie and when big plays are needed offensively, he always seems to be in the middle of those plays. Jack is our QB on defense. When things go wrong on the field, Jack brings the whole defense together, they talk it out and quickly move on to the next play."
All three truly embody the meaning of student-athlete at Lenape Valley
“Dominick and Troy are both members of National Honor Society here at Lenape Valley," Meeth said. “Jack and Troy are both off to college next year. Jack is going to Utica College where he will continue his lacrosse career. Troy is off to the University of Pittsburgh where he plans to study pre-med."
The Patriots have a home game scheduled on May 8 versus Phillipsburg. In matches played through April 27 Lenape Valley had an overall record of 6-5.
“Big contributions have also come from our other two attack men, freshman Drew Togno and junior Joe Hill. We have also had massive contributions from our freshmen goalkeeper Jake Spada. In our first nine games, Jake has found himself up over 100 saves on the year."