Winning state sectionals is not easy. Winning back-to-back state sectionals in two different sports while beating some of the best teams in your area is even more challenging. 

Pascack Valley seniors Luke Stephan and Dylan Criscuolo have accomplished what most high school athletes strive for. As of the winter of their senior year, they have two state sectional titles, one in baseball and one in soccer. 

“It’s really great to work with [Stephan] as my goalie and to get to work hand-in-hand together,” Criscuolo said. “I got to save him a couple of times and he [had] to save me a couple of times [in soccer].” 

The two champions are not just teammates on the field, but they are great friends off of it. They share a special bond that made them able to achieve success on both teams. Whether it was joking around on the field, or hanging out outside of school, they have always shared a special connection.

The exceptional bond between them and their coaches, soccer coach Luciano Cofrancesco and baseball coach Will Lynch, helped them keep their team in a lot of games and ultimately to win the state championship. 

“I think [Cofrancesco] is a really good leader so he knows how to get us going and he gave us a ‘why’ for the whole year,” Stephan said. “[He] put a chip on our shoulder for us to go out and compete.” 

The two coaches were great at being leaders for their teams, while also guiding others on how to work as a team together.

“We graduated 12 seniors last year and we are going to have a very different team than last year,” Lynch said. “I think Stephan is going to take a big part when he is behind the plate making sure the pitches know how to work [and] Criscuolo is going to make sure everyone knows how to work every day.”

Lynch has also noticed the bond they have and the product they produce as a result of it. 

“They have both been involved in the baseball program [since freshman year],” Lynch said. “Criscuolo played third for us all year long and we were unsure about that position going into the season but he went out there and earned his spot. Luke is probably one of the better teammates you could have around and he is always there, ready to go. 

Cofrancesco also was impressed with the duo’s leadership and bond that helped the team overcome the highs and lows of the season and ultimately end up with the sectional title. 

“As seniors, they really stepped up to the role and did their job,” Cofrancesco said. “As leaders, they were really instrumental and guiding the others and what they do is hard to measure especially from the leadership aspect.”

In addition to their coaches, the fans played a major impact on both of the runs giving the team confidence to accomplish their goals. 

“Something that stood out to me was the atmosphere itself and all the fans lined up around the fences for the game and by the third-base line,” Stephan said. “Obviously Roxbury was amazing (referring to the state sectional final game in Roxbury). It was just great.” 

Coming off of a state sectional title in last year’s baseball season, with Stephan at catcher and Criscuolo playing somewhere in the infield, can they replicate their success in this year’s baseball season?