Where are they now? Pat Perritt

As a boy growing up in Holtsville, Pat Perritt roamed his backyard with a Syracuse lacrosse jersey. While others his age pretended to hit a homerun in the bottom of the ninth to win the World Series, Perritt was busy dodging imaginary defenders and scoring to win a national title with the Orange.

The major difference between Perritt and the others – he won the national title.

He witnessed his brother Bill win two championships at Syracuse in 2000 and 2002, making his goals exuberantly clear. He wanted the same hardware. So he rose through the ranks of Sachem lacrosse, scoring goals at will and quickly becoming one of Sachem's greatest athletes in the recent era.

Though his high school career was chock full of big goals and important games, Perritt said one of his most memorable moments came as a freshman.

"We played under the lights against Massapequa," he recalls. "It was my first taste of high school lacrosse."

He also recalls the time he had his stick knocked out of his hands against Farmingdale.

 "It was the most embarrassing moment of my life," he says, "but I saw how much better I had to get."

All was well until Sachem split prior to the 2004-05 school year. Perritt was forced to attend Sachem East, leaving the history and legacy of Sachem lacrosse behind. Former head coach Rick Mercurio went with Perritt to East, knowing he was a special player destined for an award-filled senior season. Still, it was a hard move for everyone.

 "My whole family had gone to Sachem and they all played sports there," he says. "It was always a big deal for me to play sports there. Splitting was tough. It affected the team. All of a sudden it split in half. Early on it was difficult for us."

He scored 52 goals and recorded 34 assists his senior year at Sachem East. Perritt was awarded the Lt. Ray Enners Award in 2005 as Suffolk County's top player. The two-time All-American finished his high school career with 174 goals and 102 assists, and was a three-time Long Island Empire State Games team member. His 276 career points are 10th all-time in Suffolk County history.

"I've had some great players," Mercurio says, "but Pat could do anything. You could give him a long stick and he could score just as much. He's a great athlete."

The recruiting process was a piece of cake for Perritt, who chose Syracuse right away – and like wise for coach John Desko and the Orange staff. All the glory and dreams of playing college lacrosse suddenly changed for Perritt though when he moved upstate.

 "The feeling goes away and you're not satisfied at all," he says. "You step on the field with those guys and it's not so fun anymore. Everybody's an All-American in high school. Everyone's a star. This was the place where they expect you to win a national championship."

The expectations were met in 2009 for Perritt and his teammates. It was a dream come true, but one that almost didn't happen. On March 11, 2007, he was arrested for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. He only played in seven games and was suspended for the remainder of his sophomore season. With little choice but to stay home on Long Island for the year, he took classes at Suffolk County Community College. He returned to the Hill in January 2008 and the rest is history.

During his junior year he played in all 18 games, and scored a goal in the National Championship against Johns Hopkins. Syracuse won that game, and beat Cornell in 2009 when Perritt was a team captain and fourth on the team in points (18 g, 14a). He was named to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team.

 "To come back that next season and be a part of the team," he says, "come back and win a championship. I went to the lowest of lows to the highest of highs."

Today, Perritt is a student assistant at Syracuse, where he is completing his Bachelor's work. He hopes to land a teaching and coaching job on Long Island.