Dominic Saccomanno pushed through growing pains in the early years of his tenure as head coach of the Huntley boys lacrosse program.
While the wins weren’t coming at the start, they’re certainly pouring in now.
With an emphasis on developing players from the elementary-school level upward, Saccomanno’s program has emerged as the most dominant in the area. Prior to this season, Huntley had won five Fox Valley Conference titles in a row without suffering a single defeat.
The Red Raiders made it six straight Tuesday. Behind a team-high five goals from attacker S.J. Engmann, Huntley celebrated its senior night with a dominant 18-3 win over Burlington Central. Saccomanno, now in his 10th season at the helm, has presided over a six-year run where Huntley (13-3, 9-0 FVC) has won 50 consecutive FVC games.
“The development of our youth has been the biggest asset for us and what’s made us so strong,” Saccomanno said. “When I first got here, I took my licks. We lost games regularly, but the focus was building up the youth program. We have a special opportunity at Huntley where all of the elementary schools feed into one high school. We get all of the kids who’re playing at a young age and who’re getting coached well.”
Over a dozen senior players, many of whom started up with Huntley’s youth program when they were 8 years old, were recognized during a halftime ceremony Tuesday evening. Engmann, one of those seniors, was one of nine Red Raiders to score a goal against the Rockets (12-5, 6-2 FVC), who entered the game ranked second in the conference.
“It means a lot,” said Engmann, who will play collegiately at Iona. “It shows the hard work we’ve put in at practice every day since the fall and winter. We start early and we keep working. We’ve played together for so long. We know how to play with and work around each other.”
Huntley had effectively sealed the win by halftime.
The Red Raiders led 13-0 after two quarters and played the second half on a running clock. With 6-foot-6 senior Giovanni Baggio controlling the face-off circle, Huntley gained possession after almost every goal it scored. The Red Raiders scored their first five goals in under seven minutes.
“I’ve been taking [face-offs] since sixth grade, so the reps over the years have really helped me,” said Baggio, a Mercyhurst recruit. “I keep taking face-offs with the best competition in the country. That’s what prepares me for these games. We have a good team, and we’ve made it far into the playoffs. We’re looking for the final four this year.”
Cameron Abordo scored three goals and dished out a team-high three assists for the Red Raiders, who had three players (Dominic Scarpelli, Joey Ferrara and Jaxon Janik) score two goals. Anthony Taylor posted four saves for the Huntley defense, which held a shutout until Central midfielder Parker Auxier found the net early in the third quarter.
“That’s huge, because that goes a long way in the playoffs,” said Saccomanno, whose team has two sectional titles and five sectional finals appearances in the last five seasons. “Teams get really good at shutting one-dimensional teams down, so having threats from all over the field, we feel we can score from anywhere. That goes a long way.”
Andrew Bending and Lucas Carte chipped in goals for the Rockets, who’ll conclude their FVC slate at home against Crystal Lake Central on Thursday. Reece Parrinello recorded 12 saves on defense.
Huntley, which is seeking its first sectional title since 2023, is now scoring an average of nearly 15 goals per game. They’re allowing less than six.
“They’re really fast, and they’ve got good depth,” Central coach Travis Tranchitella said. ”They have a lot more lacrosse experience than we do. I told my boys not to worry about the score and to control the controllables. The more we can see these better teams, the better."