When the Shoreham Wading River boys lacrosse team took the field this week there was an entirely different feel to this regular season game. This was one of those rare games that winning and losing didn't seem to matter, because just taking the field was already a huge W.
Don Ricciardi was diagnosed with group 3 medulloblastoma brain cancer in 2022, but when the 7 year old ran onto the field with the boys team, he looked healthy and ready to lead them to a victory. His family was one of three local families chosen as recipient families at Shoreham Wading River’s Lax Out Cancer annual event last week. Don has special ties to Shoreham Wading River with his brother Noah playing on the football team. The team, initiated by head coach Mike Taylor, invited Ricciardi to meet the team this year and you can see the smile on his face meant everything to them.
The Ricciardi family, along with the Williams and Aguanno families were selected for funds raised by Lax Out Cancer this year by Shoreham Wading River. The Lax Out Cancer annual game began in 2008 by former Shoreham Wading River boys lacrosse coach Tom Rotanz. The team has been actively engaged in fundraising efforts with their goal to provide financial assistance to alleviate the burdens they face during this difficult time.The financial side is important but the emotional lift a game like this provides is immeasurable. The players have pledged to continue supporting Don emotionally with emails, text messages, and calls.
While a win in the record books was certainly secondary to the event it was a nice cherry on top of a banner day for the fans to watch Shoreham Wading River defeat Hauppauge 8-6 and improve their record to 10-4 overall and 10-2 in Suffolk II play.