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Wolves Start 2-0: Seniors ‘setting the tone’ for boys lacrosse squad

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Wolves Start 2-0: Seniors ‘setting the tone’ For Boys Lacrosse Squad

By BRAD EMERINE 
THISWEEKSPORTS.COM 

Posted Mar 27, 2018 at 2:42 PM

With eight starters back in the fold, the Worthington Kilbourne High School boys lacrosse team is looking to improve on last season.

The Wolves, who are under the direction of first-year coach Mike Lippert, finished 11-11 overall a year ago after losing to Watterson 7-6 in four overtimes in the Division II, Region 7 final. They went 4-2 in the OCC-Cardinal Division to place third behind Dublin Jerome (6-0) and Delaware (5-1).

Lippert spent the past four seasons as an assistant under Drew May, who led the program for eight seasons.

“We’ve got a great senior class that has collectively played a lot of minutes within our program,” Lippert said. “Several of these seniors played extensively since their freshmen or sophomore years. I don’t think any of the 11 seniors are satisfied with the season we had last year, and all have done a great job pushing the pace and playing with a sense of urgency thus far.

“I expect these seniors to continue setting the tone on a daily basis, while at the same time continuing to impact our developing culture. We’ve got a number of young guys that will contribute heavily, but I expect that we will go as far as our seniors take us.”

The Wolves opened March 17 with an 11-6 win over Watterson and defeated Hilliard Davidson 12-3 on March 24. They begin league play April 5 at Hilliard Darby.

Among the returning seniors are midfielders Sam Biglin, Ryan Hester and Ryan Wesolowski and attacker Nick Clay. Last season, Wesolowski was named first-team all-league, Clay was second team and Hester made honorable mention.

“Nick is a four-year starter for us at attack and has been a very consistent player throughout his career,” Lippert said. “He’s got great hands and continuously finds a way to put the ball in the back of the net. I’m excited for Nick as he has worked tremendously hard to come back from an injury that he played through in 2017. He brings a lot of experience to the table and is someone we can lean on in high-pressure situations.

“Ryan is also a fourth-year varsity player and is the fire starter for this team. We look to him for that spark of energy every day. He always plays at a fast pace and his teammates feed off of that during practice and in games. Ryan models a great work ethic and practice habits for the younger players in our program.”

Joining Clay in the attack are junior Jake LeVette and sophomores Carson Kott and William Alban. Junior Jack Ellis is expected to see time in the midfield and the top defenders are expected to be senior Joe Wasik (long-stick midfielder) and juniors Adam Clay and Hayden Sydnor.

LeVette was first-team all-league last season.

Junior Dane Jackson returns in goal.

“Dane is a two-time captain in only his junior season and is the leader of our defense,” Lippert said. “He’s played a lot of lacrosse for us in his first two seasons and is a very good communicator, both on and off the field. He is a natural leader and someone that his teammates gravitate to and look toward in times of need or encouragement.”

Vying for playing time in the midfield are seniors Max Anderson, Marino Gasbarro and Stephen Maverick, juniors Aidan Cameron and Eric Campbell, sophomores Manny Herraiz, Max Kott and Riley Lewis and freshman Harrison Kline.

Senior Mikey Gandert also is seeking action in the attack, while other defenders include senior Alec Bickell, juniors Carson Dougherty and Nate Mitchell and sophomores Paul Jarvis and Brodie Shearn.

Senior Cortez Ratliff is the backup goalkeeper.

“This team is both deep and experienced,” Lippert said. “We took our lumps last year with a lot of inexperienced players and a smaller graduating class. We also played in a lot of very close ballgames, several of which went into overtime. I think these factors allowed us to develop some depth at key positions and we hope to collect on that investment this year.”

 

At a glance

BOYS LACROSSE

*Coach: Mike Lippert, first season

*Top players: Sam Biglin, Nick Clay, Ryan Hester, Dane Jackson, Carson Kott, Jake LeVette and Ryan Wesolowski

*Key losses: Liam Graney, Curt Grawe, Grant Snodgrass and Jack Trombetti

*Last season: 11-10 overall

*2017 OCC-Cardinal standings: Dublin Jerome (6-0), Delaware (5-1), Kilbourne (4-2), Thomas (3-3), Dublin Scioto (2-4), Hilliard Bradley (1-5), Hilliard Darby (0-6)

*2017 postseason: Defeated Johns-town 18-4; def. Columbus Academy 15-6; def. DeSales 12-10; lost to Watterson 7-6 (4OT) in Division II, Region 7 final

 

bemerine@thisweeknews.com

@Brad_ThisWeek

 

 

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