Kastner Leads Hoosac Valley Past Lenox
CHESHIRE, Mass. – Hoosac Valley’s Kamarion Kastner is having some success against the Lenox Millionaires.
So is the entire Hoosac Valley boys lacrosse team.
Kastner scored five goals Tuesday to lead the Hurricanes to a 9-4 win over Lenox and a 6-0 start to the season.
Coming into the game, Kastner had just four goals in five games, but he was the center of the offense on Tuesday, something that is getting to be a habit against the Millionaires.
“That was the most I’ve scored in a game,” he said. “Last year in Western Mass, I scored four, but this one topped that.”
The four goals last May helped the Canes take a 14-12 win over Lenox at BCC in the regional final. Tuesday’s win gives Hoosac Valley win its third straight against the Millionaires after a pair of two-goal wins in the last couple of meetings.
“My teammates moving around really helped me get wide open shots,” Kastner said. “I’ve got to really give it up to them. Them moving around, creating open spaces really helped me get my shot going in that game.”
Hoosac Valley coach Jacob Anderson-Hall was happy to see Kastner get his offensive game untracked.
“Mar, he’s a special player,” Anderson-Hall said. “He’s a physical player. He can score 10,000 different ways.
“I think it’s all just about confidence with him. The passes, they’re not where he wants them to be, but we’re just telling him, ‘You’ve got to get it done no matter what.’ I don’t think we win this game without him in the second half.”
Kastner and Jayden Tatro helped Hoosac Valley take control in the first quarter.
After Luke Gamberoni (three goals) scored in the second minute of the game, the Hurricanes struck four times in a span of 6 minutes, 20 seconds to close out the quarter.
Tatro (two goals, two assists) tied it, and Kastner scored twice in a span of 24 seconds off assists from Owen Taylor and Tatro to make it 3-1. Tatro closed the quarter with a goal to send Hoosac Valley into the first break with a four-goal lead.
It went to half-time with a 5-1 advantage after Tatro set up Brady Auger for the only goal of the second quarter.
After trading goals in the third, Hoosac Valley scored three straight to start the fourth quarter, taking a 9-2 lead with 6:32 left to play.
Kastner scored twice, and Cam Odvar scored with an assist from Auger to make it a seven-goal game midway through the fourth.
The margin would have been even greater without the 14 saves Lenox got from Jeffrey Larmon.
“[Against Wahconah, a 7-6 Lenox win], Jeffrey was a wall,” Millionaires coach David Hilfinger said. “He needed to be a wall, and was. He’s a good goalie. He understands angles, and he’s got a quick stick. He’s an asset for us, definitely.”
Lenox was without some of its regular assets on Tuesday due to student-athletes being out of town for the April vacation.
“We have some players out and some players gone,” Hilfinger said. “We didn’t have many subs. We had to be creative. We did our best. We have to work on some things. Obviously, there are some weaknesses we need to work on. But [Hoosac Valley] took advantage and came out with intensity and beat us.”
Anderson-Hall said he expects to see a different Lenox team when the teams meet on May 7.
“It was an important game for us,” he said. “But I don’t think we played our best game. I don’t think Lenox gave us their best game. I think when we go down there, it’s going to be a different story. Hopefully, we get our guys ready, because that isn’t the best that Lenox gave us.”