PREDS 2031's

Heather Raniolo graduated from Yorktown High School in 2012, where she played Lacrosse and Volleyball, and was an All-Section First Team Defender/Draw Specialist, Team Captain, and Section Champion in Lacrosse.

After high school, Heather played collegiately at Springfield College, where she was a four-year starter and Captain during her Senior Year, playing both Defense and Midfield. She was a 3X All-Conference First Teamer and was named Athlete of the Year in the NEWMAC Conference in 2015, as well as First Team IWLCA All-Region. Heather was also a part of two NEWMAC Championship Titles and led her team to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA tournament for the first time, while earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education.

Heather later spent time as a graduate assistant at Sacred Heart University, where she coached and earned her Masters Degree. She has also coached both volleyball and lacrosse at Westlake High School, before being named the Varsity Head Coach for the Yorktown girls’ lacrosse program in 2021, which she led to the Class B Section Title in 2023.

Heather has coached for the Predators since the girls’ program was founded in 2018 and currently serves as the Camp Director and 2031 team coach. She was previously the head coach for our 2024 Preds team, which was nationally ranked for years and has seen over 15+ college commitments, including UVA, Stanford, Georgetown, Villanova, Brown, Lehigh, Cornell, Middlebury, and more.

JJ Nunes is a Baltimore, Maryland native, who attended Concordia Prep HS, where he was named All-MIAA Conference multiple times in 3 sports (Football, Basketball, and Lacrosse). In Lacrosse, JJ was also a part of 3 straight MIAA Championship teams in the uber competitive Maryland area.

After high school, JJ went on to play Division 1 Football at Valparaiso University, earning All-Conference honors 3x and serving as a Team Captain 2x. In 2018, he was also named a top 10 small school NFL Draft prospect. While pursuing a career as a professional athlete, JJ served as a graduate assistant in the athletic departments at Brown University and Cal Berkeley in numerous roles.

In 2020, he and his family founded the organization, Backyard Athletics, which is holistically committed to the physical, social, and intellectual development of amateur and professional athletes. The program has served over 300 athletes from Kindergarten to college, all over Westchester and Connecticut, including many Predators student-athletes. Backyard Athletics is best known for offering its elite speed, agility, and defensive training, but also works with many lacrosse players.

JJ has recently been pursuing professional lacrosse opportunities and was invited to participate with the Jamaican National Lacrosse Team and the Premier Lacrosse League Player Pool. JJ joined the Predators program in Summer 2023 and currently serves as the program’s Youth Director.