A 29-2 lacrosse final the latest score to raise questions

A tweet, an email, a direct message — that is the way it usually starts when the score is “way too much” to “way too little.”

From there, the bobbing, weaving and counterpunching ensues. If not careful, the messengers can find themselves taking one in the chops for daring to bring it to the public’s attention.

So yes, this one started Wednesday with an email from Mike Voucas: “I read with great interest your article (4-11-22) regarding the Fairfield Ludlowe baseball team’s victory of 36-0 over Wright Tech.

“I have another example of a team running up the score that being the Ridgefield HS boys lacrosse team’s 29-2 victory over Fairfield Warde at Ridgefield HS.

“As the JV coach at Warde with over 52 years in the game, I have never witnessed what I saw firsthand last evening. Simply put — no justification for this type of outcome. At any level — college, youth or high school.”

Voucas wrote he could provide me with an accounting of what transpired, and the level of poor sportsmanship exhibited by Ridgefield coach Roy Colsey.

A phone call ensued. “What was particularly upsetting to me as a coach on the sideline,” Voucas said, “was the fact that Ridgefield was ahead I believe, 18-2, at the half with all their starters on the field and all their starters remained on the field until the fourth quarter.”

Our Mike Fornabaio got ahold of Colsey.

“It’s a large margin,” Colsey said. “I don’t think it’s crazy compared to some of the basketball scores I’ve seen, 40-point margins, or a football game that’s 55-0. It’s a question of what you compare it to.”

Warde had a 6-0 record heading into the game, although none of the six victories came against top-echelon teams. Ridgefield was ranked No. 2 in the state poll at that point.

Colsey said his starters played in three quarters and every kid on his team played at least a quarter.

In going through every score on the CIAC website on Wednesday, the 29 goals and the 27-goal differential were the most this season. There was one 21-goal differential.

29-2? That, to me, reads like 65-0 in football or 10530 in basketball. 29-2? Ironic, in that Ridgefield and Warde, the No. 1-No. 2 teams in state, were locked in a taut 2-1 baseball game Wednesday.

“Clearly we were overmatched, which we understood,” Voucas said. “What made it even worse, and I saw this firsthand, was the taunting by Roy Colsey who was glaring at our head coach Tom Cunningham throughout. And pretty much saying, ‘This is your fault, Tom’ … ‘This is because of you.’ ”

Although Voucas said he couldn’t figure it out ini

tially, he said on the way home Tuesday he heard what Colsey meant. Voucas said he heard Colsey believed Cunningham didn’t vote for one of his players for state All-American.

Fornabaio talked to Colsey before I had a chance to talk to Voucas, so he called the Ridgefield coach back after what we heard.

Did you say anything in particular to Cunningham?

“Nope, we didn’t have any words,” Colsey said.

Anything along the lines about him being to blame? “No.”

“I don’t even know his name was Tom.”

Cunningham has coached in the FCIAC for a decade and a half.

I reached out to Colsey on Thursday. It was important to ask him directly about the voting assertions by Voucas. Without a shot clock in high school, it should be noted, Colsey’s teams have proven themselves to be extremely efficient at holding the ball when needed against dynamic offenses in key games.

“We played six straight games to start the season that were very competitive and lost three of them,” he texted back. “About half my roster had not touched the field up until the Warde game. We played a lot of freshman and sophomores beginning in the second quarter and subbed liberally through the third period. The fourth quarter was all young guys with no game experience.

“With 18 minutes left in the game, the score was already 22-2 and I didn’t tell the guys who subbed in not to score. In hindsight, I probably should have, but I don’t have any issues with coach Cunningham or the Warde program.”

We’re not talking about lacrosse novices or lax neophytes here.

Colsey was a multi-year All-American and national champion at Syracuse before going on to a long, distinguished professional career. He was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2012.

Voucas, meanwhile, played at the University of Maryland; played in Europe; was a founder of Sticks for Soldiers, which has raised more than $1 million for wounded troops; and was named 2011 Connecticut Lacrosse Foundation Man of the Year.

Voucas, the Warde junior varsity and freshman coach, helped out at the varsity level early in the year because Cunningham had surgery and was on the sidelines Tuesday when Warde’s defensive coordinator was in COVID protocol.

The Connecticut High School Lacrosse Coaches Association nominates players for All-American selections, and last year 16 were named All-Americans. No Ridgefield players were selected.

As a matter of comparison, GameTimeCT picked two Ridgefield players as second team All-State for all classes. Both were Colsey’s sons: Kyle, then a freshman and Ryan, now a senior committed to play at Virginia.

When Fornabaio texted Wednesday to Fairfield Warde athletic director Dave Schulz, who is also FCIAC commissioner, he was greeted by “Hi, Mike. Call Ridgefield.”

When I tracked down Cunningham on Wednesday night, he texted, “I believe Mike spoke to Dave Schulz our AD already. Thanks, Tom.”

After not hearing from Ridgefield AD Dane Street for 24 hours, he emailed Thursday: “This is a situation that I am still dealing with, and I do not have a public comment at this time. I will look to connect with you in the next 24-36 hours.”

Fair enough. Connecticut high school athletics has faced tragedy this spring, including deaths. Each is a tragedy. A 29-2 lax score, a 92-4 girls basketball score, a 36-0 baseball score is not a tragedy.

Nor is discussing it a waste of space.

Most of what appears on GameTimeCT is the glorification of young athletes. Victories are celebrated. Individual mistakes are downplayed. The biggest complaint usually is why this this team, this sport or this individual hasn’t been highlighted.

Until the real world intrudes or something perceived as negative happens. And then too many times the adults in the room — ADs, principals, superintendents, even coaches — go into hiding. Or they run misdirection. Or they blame the messenger.

You beat a team into submission. You take your foot off the pedal. You brush the opponent off and wish him good luck. It’s common decency. Every high school adult in sports must understand he’s not in the business of breaking spirits.

“Ridgefield just kept pressing for goals,” Voucas said.

It is your impression Colsey wanted this?

“No question about it,” Voucas said. “Look, we’ve had experiences like this. Darien will get up 10-0 in the first quarter and they’ll put in second- and thirdstringers. John Wiseman at Wilton, Howard Benedict at New Canaan. These guys were gracious. This is something I’ve never seen before and it’s really upsetting.

“You see these scores across the country. You shake your head and go what’s going on around here?”

Wait. A boys lacrosse score just came in early Thursday evening.

Joel Barlow 28, Immaculate 2.

What is going on around here?