Federico hoping to lead Londonderry boys lacrosse to new heights

There is excitement around the Londonderry High School boys lacrosse team.

Coming off a final four appearance last year, the Lancers are optimistic they can do it again this season, and maybe even take a step further.

Nothing would make Londonderry senior Anthony Federico happier.

"Coming into senior year, and seeing all the kids as excited as they are, it feels good because you know you’ll leave on a legacy that’s going to last longer than you," he said. "That’s cool to see, especially with all the younger kids coming up and being excited.

"Everyone knows we have the talent to do what we did (in 2018) because we only lost four or five seniors. We filled those spots with talented underclassmen, so the team is ready to go."

Wherever the Lancers end up going, coach Roger Sampson knows that Federico will have to be leading the way, both on and off the field.

"He’s not a yeller or a screamer, he is a doer," the coach said. "He gets things done. He’s fun and friendly and the kids migrate to him, they like to be around him. Having a kid like that in your program, at any level, it’s huge.

"When you say to kids ‘lead by example,’ we want you to be positive and upbeat, they don’t always get what that means. To do it naturally, like Anthony does, it makes a world of difference. When he speaks, they stop and listen."

Londonderry is going to need Federico to be more than just an inspirational leader if the Lancers are going to have a successful year. While they didn't lose a lot of players from last year's team, they did lose quality guys, including some who didn't come out for the team this season.

That means Federico will have to carry more of the load on offense, at least early in the season.

"I want Anthony to be more of a shooter, but he’s a facilitator," Sampson said. "He likes to feed other people and drive the offense. From that perspective, he’s a very unselfish player. When you have a kid who is respected and is unselfish, everybody sees that kind of contribution can work for them. This year, I’m looking for him to bust out and be aggressive and take some for himself."

A hockey player for as long as he can remember, Federico picked up lacrosse in fifth grade, after trying out baseball and finding he needed something more fast-paced. The similarities between hockey and lacrosse had him hooked right away.

"I think a little bit of that physicality and that grit, not afraid to go and get that groundball and get slashed and hit," he said. "I think that’s a big part of it. Always keep your eyes up looking for that pass because in hockey it’s so quick. In lacrosse, it’s the same thing."

Since he plans on trying to play hockey in college, Federico knows this will be his last opportunity on a lacrosse field, and he's hopeful that things will come together for the Lancers.

"We always have that end goal of getting to the championship but it’s going to be tough," he said. "We’re a close-knit team. Kids definitely took the offseason more seriously because they saw what we can do. After seeing what we could do and seeing what it was like to play in the final four, with all the fans there, people took that to heart."