4 years and Eastport South Manor High School women’s lacrosse has risen to unprecedented heights. Coach Becky Thorn has not only notched a State Championship onto her belt in just her fourth season as Head Women’s Varsity Coach, but she’s established one of the most polished programs in all of Suffolk County. From the bottom UP, ESM has an abundance of driven girls who want to be a part of the lacrosse program. The dream of competing for the varsity team starts young for the girls in ESM, as High School coaches run summer camps, year round clinics, and training sessions for the youth in the community.

Young girls fill the stands at Varsity games to root for players they personally know and aspire to be.

Parents in the community battle the changing elements of Spring to get skills and drills sessions in after the 9 to 5 grind.

Girls lacrosse at the Middle School level is spreading like a virus.

By the time girls from ESM get to High School, they’ve developed skill, speed, and a clear understanding for the rules of the game.

Eastport South Manor were the 2015 NYS Champions :: photo-credit newsy.com

Now, in most High School Programs on the island, elite athletes leap from Middle School athletics to playing at the Varsity level. Varsity lacrosse coaches cringe at the thought of having their elite freshmen and sophomores spend an entire Spring playing under someone in the district looking to collect a paycheck or simply spend a season “coaching” for the sake of trying something new. At ESM, things are run a little different. Most players entering High School avoid the massive leap towards Varsity Athletics. Instead, they go through a buzz-saw of great coaching, position specific development, lacrosse IQ building, a creative approach towards learning about the game, and a quality introduction to the High School ESM program.

For the past six years, Greg Graziano has led the ESM women’s Junior Varsity team. His quiet, calculated approach to coaching the game, gives his girls an opportunity to think beyond their years and prepare them for the next level. “I don’t just want our girls to put their stick in their outside hand when their clearing the ball up the sideline, I want them to know why they’re putting their stick the outside,” said Graziano in an interview after his team topped Comsewogue 14 to 4. Coach Graziano is a big ‘Why Guy.’ “If the girls don’t know why they are doing what we ask of them, it’s going to make it difficult for them to understand the game on a deeper level. We want the girls to play with a purpose.”

Head Coach Greg Graziano and Assistant Coach Jenna Brocking serve as the last link before the girls get to the varsity level. Running a team that has athletes who are a year or two from playing on and competing for State Championships may seem pressure packed, accompanied with crazed parents, but Graziano says, “I’ve had two negative experiences in six years. Coach Thorn supports me, the families support me, and I really enjoy being a part of this Program.”

Head girls Junior Vasity Coach, Greg Graziano (above), has been helping build the ESM Program for 6 years and counting

Being that so many parents get caught up with the wins and losses, I asked Graziano what his primary role was as Head Coach of a JV team. Also, how important those wins really are?

“My primary goal is to teach the girls about work ethic. They need to develop an understanding of what it takes to be successful in this program and in life. We have great girls coming through our Program. The discipline piece is important, but seems easier and easier to teach considering the quality of kid coming through each year. Secondly, I want our girls to get better. I want them to develop their IQ for the game, I want them to develop their decision making skills, develop their athletic abilities, and develop their preparedness for the next level. The wins will come if we stay true to or goals, and they have, we’ve won a lot of games in a short period of time.”

Overall, it’s apparent Coach Graziano is an important cog in the ESM girls lacrosse machine. “This program is successful because of all the passionate people who have helped develop the girls in the community,” said Graziano “…and Coach Thorn’s willingness to develop coaches and girls within the ESM program.”

The importance of qualified Junior Varsity coaches is underrated and undervalued. As more teams start to figure out the importance of properly guiding middle school athletes to the Varsity, more Head Coaches will find themselves competing for County, Regional, and State Championships. A special thanks to Coach Graziano for his time, perspective, and positive influence on the game of lacrosse.