Greyson Vorgang’s return from a preseason foot injury at the tail end of April elevated a very good Niskayuna boys’ lacrosse team to another level.
The US Lacrosse All-American is that impactful because of his ability to find gaps in a defense, score in so many ways and hit teammates with well-placed set-up feeds.
“It makes a difference,” longtime Niskayuna assistant coach Chirs DeLano said of having the junior attackman back in the lineup. “We look different.”
That is a good thing for a Niskayuna team that is intent on making a deep playoff run after last season’s surprising 9-7 Section II Class A semifinal loss to Shaker. Niskayuna now has three Division I-bound juniors to anchor its offense in Vorgang, fellow Denver commit Lucas Klokiw and Rutgers commit Davey Carroll.
“It’s not just his play. It’s also his leadership abilities on the field,” said Niskayuna head coach Mike Vorgang, Greyson’s dad. “He’s become more vocal, and he understands everything we want to do. He helps us organize. Obviously it’s great to have him back out there.”
A stress fracture in his right foot kept Greyson Vorgang out of action until an April 20 game against reigning Class A champ Guilderland.
“It was that morning I got cleared, and I wanted to give it a go against Guilderland,” the 17-year-old said. “I didn’t care if I didn’t touch the ball. I was excited to get back with my friends doing what I love to do.”
The youngster did touch the ball, though, and — in limited action — collected two goals and two assists in Niskayuna’s 14-12 win over Guilderland, which was the first of four consecutive wins with him in the lineup. Not only did it mark the return of one of New York’s top junior players, it was also the 450th victory for this dad, the program’s founder.
“I wanted to be back for 450,” Greyson Vorgang said. “I wanted to be there with him.”
Greyson Vorgang has been a fixture on the Niskayuna sideline since he was a little kid running around with a mini stick in his hands. He joined his dad’s varsity team late in the 2019 season as an eighth-grade call-up from the school’s JV.
“Growing up, I’ve seen it,” Greyson Vorgang said. “I’ve seen the undefeated seasons and the back-to-back-to-back titles.”
Niskayuna has won 17 Class A and B titles inside Section II, and Greyson Vorgang is eager for an opportunity to help the Silver Warriors win another this year at the Class B level. He watched from the sideline in 2019 when Niskayuna topped Bethlehem 11-6 for the area Class A crown, and the 2020 season was never played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year Shaker kept Niskayuna from playing in a Section II title game for the first time since 2002 when it stunned the Silver Warriors in that semifinal matchup.
“A lot of sleepless nights over that,” said Greyson Vorgang, who had two goals and two assists in what was Niskayuna’s only loss in 15 games, and its first loss against a Section II foe since the 2016 campaign. “We couldn’t finish it.”
That is among the chief objectives for Niskayuna (8-4), as well as Ballston Spa (8-2), which lost in last year’s Section II Class B final to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake 15-9. Ballston Spa and Niskayuna are currently ranked No. 8 and No. 13, respectively, in the state sportswriter’s Class B poll and appear to be on a postseason collision course. They’ll measure themselves Tuesday in a league matchup at Union College.
“If I get 12 goals or no goals, or 12 assists or no assists, I just want my team to win,” Greyson Vorgang said of his teams’ postseason potential. “I can see us being successful. I believe it can happen, but we’ve got to keep getting better every day.”
That sounds a lot like his pop, who, aside from those 17 area flags, has led Niskayuna to nine state final four appearances, three state championship games and the 2015 New York title.
“We need to get better in all facets of the game,” Mike Vorgang said. “We’ve seen signs of progress in one spot and another one falls off a bit. By late May, we’ve got to have everyone playing well.”
Greyson Vorgang was just getting started with his return for the Guilderland game, and sat out a 14-9 win over Saratoga Springs and a 12-9 loss to Bethlehem afterward due to some discomfort in his foot that he injured during a preseason scrimmage. In his second game back, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound attackman scored five goals and assisted on four more in a 21-4 win against Colonie.
“He had an awesome behind-the-back goal,” DeLano said. “It was vintage Greyson.”
While the first-team Suburban Council all-star had 65 goals as a sophomore, he also piled up 46 assists. Vorgang set school records with 11 goals and 16 points in a 19-5 win over Bethlehem last season.
WHAT A COMEBACK
The Scotia-Glenville boys’ lacrosse team showed great grit Thursday when it scored two goals in the waning second to tie Johnstown, then completed a 9-8 overtime win with another tally.
Dante Bianchi scored with 26 seconds left on a feed from Nick Coons. Coons won the ensuing faceoff and scored with 21 seconds left to knot the game at 8-8. After the teams traded possessions in the OT, Bryce Layton made a key save for the Tartans at one end and Coons delivered the game-winner at the other with 2:03 remaining.
Bianchi finished with four goals, Dylan Bzdell had three goals and an assist for the Tartans, Coons had two assists to go with his two clutch goals, and Layton totaled 23 saves.
“As a team, the boys gave every ounce that they had and I’m proud of their efforts even when we were down by two goals with under a minute left in the game,” Scotia-Glenville coach Brett Campbell said. “It shows a lot about their character and determination.”
Johnstown trailed 6-5 after three quarters in the back-and-forth Foothills Council game, and strung together three unanswered goals in the fourth before Scotia-Glenville countered with its three. Ryan Hoyt had five goals and an assist to lead Johnstown.
NUMBERS GAME
9
Goals scored by Scotia-Glenville senior lacrosse standout Morgan Nichter in a 16-3 Foothills Council win over Johnstown Monday. The RIT-bound Nichter tied a school record shared by several Tartans with her nine goals, and also had two assists. Nichter scored eight goals in an early season game and three times has scored seven goals this season.
21
Consecutive batters sent down by Queensbury junior pitcher Adrian Caron — after giving up a game-starting single to Joe LaPan — in a 7-0 Foothills Council win over Hudson Falls Monday. Caron struck out 18 of those 21 batters. Bill Anderson set the Queensbury record with 19 strikeouts in a perfect game against Johnstown in 1988.
32
Points accumulated by Middleburgh senior Kaurice Bell at the Maple Hill Invitational last Saturday with wins in the 100, 200 and high jump, and a fifth in the long jump. Bell was the only Middleburgh athlete to score in the boys’ track and field competition, and his 32-point total put the Knights in sixth place out of 18 teams that entered.
41
Runs scored by the Amsterdam and Johnstown softball teams in a 21-20 Foothills Council win for the homesteading Rams Tuesday. The teams combined for 33 base hits and 16 errors, and both scored in every inning but one. Rams’ senior Shelby LaMont hit two home runs including a three-run, walk-off shot that lifted her team to its second comeback win over Johnstown this season.
200
Wins for Guilderland boys’ lacrosse coach Sean McConaghy after his Dutchmen topped Averill Park last Saturday 21-5 in a Suburban Council game. McConaghy took over the Guilderland post in 2005 and since then has guided his teams to three league championships, five Section II title-game appearances and two area flags (2021, 2009). In the milestone win, Tommy Tyksinski scored his 100th goal for Guilderland, and Danny Macchiarella reached 100 points.
Categories: High School Sports, Your Niskayuna
