July 5, 2009 E-MAIL PRINT

Rivers scoring stars Fitzgerald, Greenfield forge special bond

by Lenny Megliola/

Rivers junior John Fitzgerald (left) scored 74 goals in leading the Red Wings to a 14-2 record.

Rivers junior John Fitzgerald (left) scored 74 goals in leading the Red Wings to a 14-2 record.

They have been teammates for what seems forever, and soul mates, too. You could easily draw that conclusion, watching John Fitzgerald and Jordan Greenfield plot and interact almost as one on the lacrosse field.

They met up as 11-year-olds, playing on a summer select team. “We just had the chemistry right away,” says Fitzgerald. “Real quick.”

Fitzgerald was the scorer, Greenfield the feeder. It’s been that way ever since, as they await their senior year at the Rivers School in Weston, Mass., where Fitzgerald broke the school’s league goal-scoring record this season. “I know before I beat my man Fitz is going to be open,” says Greenfield, the top scorer in the Independent School League.

They shared more than a symbiotic thing in lacrosse. They trusted each other on many levels. Greenfield started at Rivers as a seventh-grader, Fitzgerald not until ninth grade. “Jordan told me about Rivers,” says Fitzgerald. That was good enough for him.

The bond kept growing. The Greenfield family vacations in Aruba. Since he was 13, Fitzgerald has gone with them. “We bring our [lacrosse] sticks,” says Greenfield.

Fitzgerald and Greenfield also have in common a famous coach they played for. Bill Belichick.

The New England Patriots coach is a lacrosse devotee (he played in college at Wesleyan) and has a son, Brian, who played at Rivers. For two summers Belichick helped coach a summer select team on which his son, Fitzgerald and Greenfield were teammates. “I learned a lot from him,” says Greenfield. “He was definitely strict, but it was fun playing for him.”

Fitzgerald’s take: “A great guy. Quiet. But he knew how to get it done.”

So, you see, there is much to enrich the commonality Greenfield and Fitzgerald share. But a split is coming, at least on the field. Fitzgerald has committed to Syracuse, Greenfield will attend Fairfield. Senior year at Rivers will be their last hurrah.

Their legacy at the ISL school is already solidified. The Red Wings had their best year ever this season, finishing tied for first with a 14-1 ISL record (14-2 overall). Greenfield, on the strength of his 68 assists, led the league in scoring with 106 points. Fitzgerald finished with 74 goals, 69 in league play.
And consider this: Rivers coach Justin Walker estimates that his two stars

“only played seven full games. Sometimes we were ahead 10-0 after the first quarter. John and Jordan were out of the game by halftime.”

Walker will cherish next season, knowing a tandem like this won’t be coming along for some time. Maybe never. He’s watched with great joy and satisfaction as Greenfield played John Stockton to Fitzgerald’s Karl Malone.

Fitzgerald and Greenfield on the same line was as good as it gets. “Most people considered it the best in the state, those two on the same team, same line,” says Walker. “And they were both juniors. You’re not going to see that again.” Rivers opponents can breathe a sigh of relief, after next season.

Walker knew about Greenfield and Fitzgerald before they got to Rivers. He saw what could be, he just didn’t know it could be this good. “John has a remarkable nose for the goal,” says Walker. “His stick faking makes him good at scoring in close. He’s very much a heavy hitter. He might have the best shot of any high school kid I’ve ever coached. And it’s pretty darn accurate.

“He and Jordan just have a sixth sense. They’re both very creative. Jordan’s probably the best feeder I’ve ever coached. It comes natural to him. He has poise, and stick fakes well.”

Here’s something Walker’s sure of. “Jordan’s overall understanding of the game, his IQ, is the best I’ve ever seen.”

Greenfield’s a dynamo from the start of the game. “He’s a spunky kid, and talkative,” says Walker. “If there’s a group of kids around, you can always hear him. He’s certainly not shy. He’s charismatic.”

Off the field, “They’re both pretty loud and spunky,” says Walker. “They laugh a lot; they have a good sense of humor.

“I’m a good coach for them. I’m more permissive. They’re not kids that would do well in a regimented program.” The coach lets their spirits soar.

Fitzgerald is from Hingham, Mass., known for producing fine lacrosse teams. A brother and sister (they’re twins), Connor and Caitlin, both nine years older than him, played on state champion teams at Hingham High. Connor was an All-American at Bowdoin. “I learned everything from him,” says Fitzgerald.

Lacrosse became attractive to him as he watched his siblings’ games. He decided to give it a whirl. “I realized I had a special knack for scoring,” says Fitzgerald. “I really liked scoring a lot.”

While Fitzgerald and Greenfield made indelible impressions at Rivers this season, they both point out that the Red Wings were a complete team. Mark Cornacchio finished as the ISL’s fourth-highest scorer. Steve Manning had a terrific season. “I couldn’t get open if it weren’t for kids like Steve,” says Fitzgerald. “This was my best year. It was Jordan’s best year. It was everyone’s best year.”

Fitzgerald credits Walker for “getting rid of some of my bad habits.” Greenfield says Walker “definitely got me to where I am today.”
Fitzgerald sat in a Gillette Stadium luxury box when Syracuse won the NCAA title in May. “I couldn’t be more proud to be a Syracuse recruit,” he says. “Next year, they’ll be even better.”

The choice to attend Rivers was easy for Greenfield, who lives in nearby Dover. Two older sisters had attended the school situated in a woodsy area of Weston, in suburban Boston. He played hockey and soccer before “lacrosse became my main sport. The summer before my sophomore year I knew I wanted to play college lacrosse. That was my coming-out year.”

He was first exposed to lacrosse in the third grade. “It was what everyone was doing. I jumped into it. Other kids had more experience. I was just an athlete, playing. I had quickness.”

It paid immediate dividends. “I scored three goals in the first game. I was excited. I went home and got in the hot tub, bragging on myself. My dad said, ‘Don’t get too full of yourself. It was beginner’s luck.’ ”

There was sort of a wink-wink thing on the field between Greenfield and Fitzgerald, brought on by all the years playing together. “I give him a little head nod, nothing big, but he sees it,” says Fitzgerald. The nod whispers: Feed me the ball. I’m ready!

“He knows the spot I like to feed from, and I know where he likes to shoot from, where he likes the ball, and where he’s cutting,” says Greenfield.

The result is inevitable: goal, Fitzgerald; assist Greenfield. Over and over again. A beautiful thing.

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