Groton — It was after the third straight time that East Lyme's Matt Valakos fed Ryan Whaley for a goal that one of their teammates yelled from the sideline, “the dynamic duo!”

Every spring high school program in the state didn’t just lose last season due to the pandemic — they lost continuity and chemistry.

East Lyme has benefitted from the longtime connection between Valakos and Whaley. The two seniors accounted for the majority of unbeaten East Lyme’s scoring in Saturday morning’s 19-11 win over Fitch in an Eastern Connecticut Conference Division I boys' lacrosse game.

“Me and him have been playing together since third grade,” Valakos said. “We play in the offseason all the time. He’s my best friend. I know where he’s going to be all the time. He just gets there and I find him. It’s fun.”

Valakos had three goals and an absurd 10 assists for the Vikings (8-0, 5-0) while Whaley had seven goals and two assists. Classmate Wes Williamson added four goals and two assists.

“Last game Wes scored a bunch of goals because they were feeding him,” East Lyme head coach Gary Wight said. “It’s fun having three guys that definitely click together. ... They’re starting to get the other guys involved as well.”

Freshman Drew Sager scored twice for the Vikings while seniors Cooper Pazzaglia and Garisen Wiese and junior Anthony Gesino added a goal each. It was the third time that East Lyme scored 19 in a game, matching a season high.

Senior Josh Letellier had three goals and three assists for the Falcons (5-3, 3-2) and sophomore Evan Salen scored four times.

Fitch also got offense from seniors James Deichler (two goals, one assist), Ty Peters (one goal, two assists), Nick Pasqualini (one goal) and junior James Miner (one assist)

“Our seniors had played a lot when they were sophomores,” Falcons head coach David Sabilia said. “Leading from the front is the only way to do it, and those guys have been crucial for us.”

East Lyme led 8-5 with 5 minutes, 21 seconds left in the first half when it scored six straight times stretching into the third quarter.

Valakos fed Whaley for the last three goals of that run to give the Vikings their largest lead, 14-5, with 4:37 left in the third.

“As we’ve been playing, we’ve learned each other’s skill sets and I think we’ve been developing a great chemistry,” Valakos said about his team. “I know where these guys are going to be when I’m dodging, and they know where I’m going to find them.

“Coach instills in us that he wants to get everyone involved. The way we play our offense, it makes everyone get opportunities to get open and score. I think we run it pretty well.”

n.griffen@theday.com