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\u201cI am really proud of him,\u201d Niskayuna coach Mike Vorgang said. \u201cTo understand what that commitment is, to visit the school and to see what it actually is like, and then to actually do it is something I am really proud of him for. I couldn\u2019t be more proud of somebody that wants to play our sport at the highest level and also represent our country. This is a great opportunity for John, for sure, and it is not easy to attend a military academy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Niskayuna attacker John Mooney winds up a shot against Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake on Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Niskayuna, NY.<\/p>\n
Jim Franco\/Times Union<\/p>\n
Mooney\u2019s current commitment is to once again help lead Niskayuna to the state playoffs. In 2025, Niskayuna captured the Section 2 Class A championship with a 14-3 triumph over Shaker. The team then dropped a 16-7 decision against West Genesee in the state playoffs to finish up at 16-3 overall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat hurt pretty bad. It is definitely the main driver for our success this year,\u201d Mooney said.<\/p>\n
This season, Niskayuna is competing at the Class B level and owns a 2-0 overall record after posting a 19-1 win against Columbia Thursday in its Suburban Council opener. Mooney, a senior attack, paced the offense with six goals and three assists.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe have a great group of guys. A lot of seniors, so it\u2019s the last chance for a lot of us,\u201d Mooney said. \u201cI grew up on Long Island, so I would love to (get out of Section 2 again) and play against the guys I grew up playing with and against. No one can say no to trying to win a state championship.\u201d<\/p>\n
As a junior, Mooney tallied 72 goals and 28 assists to earn Times Union first team all-star honors. He was also named to the Class A all-state third team. He is looking for even better results from himself and the team this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had some big shoes to fill with players from the past, but I would like to say that I am handling that well,\u201d Mooney said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a senior now. It is time for our seniors to step up,\u201d Vorgang said. \u201cIt is time for our younger guys to take care of our seniors, but the season is dedicated to the seniors and John is a huge part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Vorgang heaped healthy praise upon Mooney for his tireless work ethic and overall desire to excel in everything he does. The veteran coach knows how important Mooney\u2019s play is on the field, but he added that the way the senior goes about his daily tasks sets a tremendous example for the rest of his teammates.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is one of the best leaders we have,\u201d Vorgang said. \u201cHe was at every single thing we did during the offseason. The most important was the weight room and he is there every single time. The biggest thing I respect about John is his relentlessness. Whether he is playing, in the weight room or training, it is 100%. Not all the guys are like that.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn\u2019t change the way he plays for anything or anyone. I truly respect that.\u00a0He plays unbelievably hard in everything, and with everything he does, he does it full speed.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the victory against Columbia, Mooney scored two of the team\u2019s first three goals in the second quarter to help Niskayuna establish a 10-0 advantage. Mooney’s second goal came on a low, whistling shot taken from well below his waist.<\/p>\n
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Niskayuna attacker John Mooney takes a shot against Shenendehowa on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, in Clifton Park, NY.<\/p>\n
Jim Franco\/Times Union<\/p>\n
\u201cHis efficiency has improved over time, which is expected,\u201d Vorgang said. \u201cHe is a really good shooter. When his hands get free and he puts it on cage, it is really tough for the goalie to stop it or track it. He is a huge piece of the puzzle for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vorgang wanted to see Mooney improve the quickness of his decision-making this season, and the veteran coach believes the\u00a0senior has made positive strides in that area.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAt the next level,\u00a0those windows (to make plays) are a little smaller,\u201d Vorgang said. \u201cI want him to pay attention to the details. The guys that make decisions the quickest are the guys that are going to play. For me as a high school coach, the best gift that I can give to them is the tools to go into college and be ready to play.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Niskayuna attacker John Mooney takes a shot during the Section II Class B finals against Bethlehem on Tuesday,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[153,155,154,71767,1215,296,71768,726],"class_list":["post-158524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem","tag-bethlehem-headlines","tag-bethlehem-news","tag-hs-lacrosse-boys","tag-latestnews","tag-local","tag-skco","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}