FPC's Dylan Toriello having explosive senior lacrosse season

When lacrosse player Dylan Toriello wants to work on his game, he can just walk next door.

“My next-door neighbor, I was fortunate enough to have him open up a lacrosse store when we were a little younger,” the Flagler Palm Coast senior midfielder said. “So, that’s closed down now, but all the equipment he had in that shop is at his house still. So, he has a cage in his backyard with a shot clock, netting in the back, everything like that. So, any time I want to go outside and shoot around, it’s there for me.”

Toriello has been working on his game since he first picked up a stick at a young age. Now, he is one of the leading goal scorers in the state with 42 in nine games.

“Dylan is obviously one of the best midfielders in North Florida,” FPC boys lacrosse coach Tom Morgello said. “Many teams can attest to that, because many teams can’t guard him. With stats, they know who the guys are, and they try to lock him off. Dylan is an all-around athlete, whether he’s doing mountain biking, running, surfing, whatever. Everything he does, he excels at.”

Toriello has been in love with lacrosse since he picked up that first stick.

“My uncle played in high school. He left one of his sticks at my house one day and I found it in the garage and just picked it up and started messing with it, and ever since then I’ve had a stick in my hand.” — DYLAN TORIELLO

“My uncle played in high school,” Toriello said. “He left one of his sticks at my house one day and I found it in the garage and just picked it up and started messing with it, and ever since then I’ve had a stick in my hand.”

Toriello has been playing lacrosse since he was 8 or 9 years old. He and a few other FPC seniors have trained with high-level club teams to raise their game.

Toriello is one of 14 seniors on FPC’s team. With next year a likely rebuilding season, the Bulldogs have set a goal this year to win the district championship. Last year, they lost to Creekside, 18-6, in the district title game but earned a spot in the regional playoffs.

“Our schedule is a lot tougher this year,” Morgello said. “We just played Creekside (March 9) and lost in overtime (8-7), so our team is definitely better than last year.”

The Bulldogs (5-6) followed the overtime loss with a 14-3 win over Matanzas on March 15 and another close loss, 13-11, to Orlando Boone on March 16. Toriello scored eight goals in the two games, including five against the Pirates.

“We’re doing all right this year,” Toriello said. “But we tend to come together more in the second half of our games, and we need to come out in the beginning and play hard.”

The Bulldogs have four games left before the district tournament. Their next game is at home against Cocoa Beach on March 27.

Morgello knows he can continue to count on Toriello down the stretch to be a leader on the team.

“He’s obviously a senior leader,” Morgello said. “He rallies the guys real well. A lot of the energy that Dylan puts out gets spread to the rest of the team. What he does definitely boosts the rest of the guys’ morale and their ability to play.”