Iona Prep’s Luke Wooters had four goals and three assists. (Denis Gostev)
Luke Wooters and Iona Prep have watched rival Fordham Prep rally past them for thrilling wins more times than they would like to remember. The Rams were rolling in the second half again Friday, but even down three goals the senior couldn’t help himself.
“I was like, ‘Hey maybe this can be our time,’” Wooters said.
The Nazareth-bound attack made sure of it.
Wooters exploded in the fourth quarter, scoring two goals, including the winner, and dishing out two assists in a span of 3:51 seconds. The outburst gave the Gaels a 10-9 come-from-behind win over visiting Fordham Prep in the NYCHSAA Class AA title game in New Rochelle. The game was the rubber match as the teams split two regular-season meetings. Iona faces Long Island winner Kellenberg back in New Rochelle on Tuesday at a time to be determined for the CHSAA downstate title. They own a 12-8 win over the Firebirds this year.
“I knew it was going to be him that was going to do it,” defenseman Ross Schnitzer said of Wooters. “It was just when it was going to happen. He is always the one who steps in at the end of the game. He is just this little guy who moves in and out of people. He always gets it done.”
The 5-foot-7 Wooters had four goals and three assists for the game and the four-goal outburst came after Iona had gone more than 17 minutes without finding the back of the net. The title is Iona’s fifth in the last six years. The Rams rallied past Iona in two of their last five meetings.
“I challenged them and said, ‘Is this how you want to end the year?’” Gaels coach Rich Trizano said. “We played terrible lacrosse for three quarters.”
Iona (10-4) led 6-4 at the half after scores by Shane Fee (two goals, two assists) and Wooters. The Rams then scored the next five goals, including three in a span of 1:48 in the fourth, to grab a 9-6 lead with 9:18 left in the game.
It was all Wooters after that.
He fed Billy Trizano for his second goal, scored one of his own and found Phil Logerfo for a score to tie the score at 9. Wooters, who missed three weeks and a loss to Fordham with a hamstring injury, then gobbled up a loose ball along the right side and made a mad dash to the cage, beating Fordham goalie Conor Gowan to the his stick side with 2:59 remaining. As the shot went in, he unleashed anemphatic fist pump.
Wooters, who said he drew from his experience winning a Class A city basketball title this year, called the shot “terrible.”
“Luckily it somehow found the cage,” he said.
Fordham Prep had one last chance with 23 seconds remaining after an Iona turnover. Star attack Ben Andreycak saw Connor Smith (two goals, one assist) bobble his pass to the top of the box and Schnitzer jump all over it. The ball knocked free, Schnitzer scooped it up and watched his team run out the final seconds.
Rams coach Len DeLucia couldn’t have been move proud of his team, feeling they shouldn’t have even been in the game without Rob Grinnell (concussion), Colum Sleeper (torn leg tendon) and Taylor Smith (broken hand). Louis Depaolis added three scores. DeLucia felt his club won the third quarter, but couldn’t maintain the momentum throughout the final period.
“We gave them the ball too much in the fourth quarter and we paid for it,” he said.
Mostly because of Wooters.
“When the game is on the line I want to be the one to finish it,” Wooters said. “That’s what I did today.”