Down to the Final Four!

Intro

SPEAKER_03 0:11

Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of In the Crease with Danny and Kevin, a coast-to-coast discussion of D2 Men's Lacrosse. I'm your co-host, Kevin Stenstrom, and with me as always is that loquacious lyricist of D2 Men's Lacrosse, Danny Moran. How are you doing, Danny? The loquacious lyricist. It's always good to have a little alliteration now and then. I can't even spell that, Kev. That's the one thing I excelled in school. I probably don't know what it means, but I could spell it. Kevin, I'm doing great.

SPEAKER_04 0:47

How's it doing? You back home in Northern Virginia?

SPEAKER_03 0:50

I am back. I am back from our son's graduation from college. So that was awesome. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 0:57

Another it was uh one one more to go, and then you're one more to go.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

One more to go. But uh, we digress as usual. A lot of playoff lacrosse, Danny, since we last broadcasted. A lot of good games. So if you're ready, I'm ready to get into them. It was it was great, great to watch.

SPEAKER_04 1:18

Yeah, it was a great, great week of uh NCAA tournament, lacrosse and division two, having a really good

Week in Review

SPEAKER_04 1:26

week.

SPEAKER_03 1:26

It was so let's start with the South region. We'll start off with the first round of games, then go right into the quarterfinals. Let's talk Lyndonwood Wingate. And just a few quick notes. It was back and forth first half, and what I saw was that Lindenwood, I think, got your message that the SAC was aggressive and physical because they were very aggressive and physical, and they made it a an eight-half game. But then Wingate opened it up in the second half and and went on a 6-1 run in the third, a 6-2 run in the fourth to close it out 20 to 11 in the final.

SPEAKER_04 2:07

Yeah, midfielder Danny Riley had himself probably the best game as a Wingate Bulldog. He really had some game that night. Um, wingate was just the better team that night, Bev. You know, last week on the podcast, I said I like I like Wingate in this one. Um, Lyndon was a really, really good team. You know, they they had some uh some big boys on their schedule, but they haven't had a big boy on their schedule in a while. And you know, Wingate coming off this thing and losses to Lenore Ryan. You know what? I think they made a statement. They flew out to St. Louis and um they played, you know, we kind of forgot how really good Wingate is, man. They're a really good team.

SPEAKER_03 2:44

Yeah, their offense played well, but I think their defense in the second half really picked up from the from the first half. And like we talked about last week, there were two things we said they needed to get something out of their special teams, both goalie play and face-off. Faceoff they're at 44%. We said they had to be around 40. They did that. Their goalies, both Carlson and Capone had seven saves apiece. So they did what they needed to do in this game to seal the win.

SPEAKER_04 3:14

Yeah, and it's the second NCAA win in uh wingate program history. So last year they won in their first round, and and this year they won in their first round. So Wingate's doing really, really good things. Coach Poyle's got the team well oiled. You know, we kind of forgot about them a little bit. They kind of were dropping off. We thought, you know, maybe thought we might not get in there, you know, and they got in and they took care of Lindenwood pretty good. 20 to 11. 20 to 11 was the final score.

SPEAKER_03 3:44

Yeah. They the the the second half, they just put the the foot to the gas and didn't let up. So let's let's go on to the next opening round in the South, and that was Lenore Ryan versus Undy. Another close game against those two. 11-10 final. Lenore Ryan pulls it out. And unlike last time, it was opposite of the first match where Undy came out fast. Lenore Ryan came out fast fast this time and had a four-goal run to go up four and one, four to one. Um, UI responded, but realistically, Lenore Ryan's offense took over in the third quarter, and they were 10-7 after three. Uindy rallied in the fourth and tied it even. So it was it wasn't like it was over. Lenore Ryan pulls ahead, and then all of a sudden, 46 seconds left. Lenore Ryan won't be denied. I thought Undy had the momentum by that point, but Lenore Ryan came back and won.

SPEAKER_04 4:44

I bet right now, dollars to donuts that you indie hates playing at Lenore Ryan, hates it because they just can't get the W there.

SPEAKER_03 4:52

They did the first game this season. That's where they played. But last year they didn't. So they're they're they're one of three.

SPEAKER_04 5:00

You're right. One and three. It's the listen, Lenore Ryan is tough between the really, they're a really, really great home team. Not a good home team, they're a great home team. And Coach Paradine does a phenomenal job, you know, at Lenore Ryan. He's got those players playing on all that. They're a really good team, but so is you indie. So is you indie. And you indie made it close. They made it close. But you know what? Noah Johnson again.

SPEAKER_03 5:28

I was gonna say that. 16 saves. Undy had more shots and more shots on goal. But Noah Johnson once again, 16 saves, and Undy was 0-3 man up.

SPEAKER_04 5:40

Yeah, big, huge. That's huge.

SPEAKER_03 5:43

That's huge against, but Noah Johnson once again was lights out in the game.

SPEAKER_04 5:47

He's been playing great this this whole past five, six, seven games. He's just been one of the best in the in the country playing the last couple of games. So he's been great. So that was another close game, and Lenore Ryan pulled it out. 11-10 was the final, and you Indy goes home crying again.

SPEAKER_03 6:07

Right. And so now Lenore Ryan goes on to the quarterfinals against Tampa, who had to buy, and then Wingate meets limestone. So let's get into those games. Lenore Ryan versus Tampa. Tampa pulls it out 13-11.

SPEAKER_04 6:21

You know what? Another Tampa's a very, very, very good team. There, you know what impressed me in this game was Tampa's defense, because Lenore Ryan they can score and score in punches, and they got a lot of different guys. Pricey's Eckelson, Kanada. They have so many different guys that can score. And Tampa did a good job of making those guys work, work for goals. Those goals didn't come easy. Tampa took a two-goal lead, then LR came right back, and they kind of went back and forth. They did.

SPEAKER_03 6:56

It was a it was a their multi-goal runs in the first quarter, and then they kept on trading back and forth. It was seven, six at half. Yeah, and then Tampa goes on that three-goal run in the fourth to give them a five-goal cushion. And that was kind of the difference. LR did not give up, they came back.

SPEAKER_04 7:13

You know, at when it when it hit halftime, Kev, I was like, This is a game. Oh, yeah. It's seven, six. I'm like, this is a game. Yeah, this is a game. And then Tampa scored on that man up in the beginning of the third. They Tampa scored on that man up, got him up eight, seven, and then Tampa scored the next four goals.

SPEAKER_03 7:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 7:32

You know, and then it was like, Oh, they had a cushion now, like, okay, here they go.

SPEAKER_03 7:36

I will tell you, I thought when they had five goals, I thought it was over. And LR did not give up. They lost by two goals, but they were on a run. They were coming back. And Blake Ulmer, once again, he had some unbelievable saves in the third. And then overall, he had 21 saves in the game.

SPEAKER_04 7:55

He had he had two big saves in the end of the game. When Tampa, I mean, LR could have came back within one. He had two big saves back to back. LR is a good team, they had their chances. They run, they're running into a brick wall in that Tampa defense. Those guys are good. And and and Blake Homer in goal. God, geez, this kid is just what a year he's having. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 8:24

Yeah. Defensively wins championships. You've said it several times. And when you've got a goalie like that, just think about the safety net you feel as your whole defense, your whole team when you've got a guy like that in between.

SPEAKER_04 8:38

You know, I mean, he's just been playing great all year. And though, and well, not for nothing. You know, Luke McAnee is some player on offense. Wow. He's fun to watch. I actually really like watching him play. He is. It's like whoop, whoop, whoop. He's like that energizer bunny. He just keeps going and going and going. He doesn't stop. You know, he's just really fun to watch. And yeah, you know what? Tampa is they're really, really good. And they're a fun team to watch. They're well coached. They got athletes all over the field. You know, there's studs. You know, that game, there were studs on both sides of that field. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:19

And and I think in every quarterfinal, there's studs on both sides of the field.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

Here we go. We're going to talk about D2 again, you know, uh, the stigma of D2. And let me tell you something. These kids are big, strong, fast. They're 6'3, 6'4. They run a 4'5, 4'6 40. You know, these guys, they're legitimate athletes and they're really, really good ball players, and they're so well coached.

SPEAKER_03 9:45

I I told you before we came on, Danny, I was at one of the games this weekend, and I'm sitting near the fence, and you forget when you're watching it on my monitors in the command central here, how big these guys are and how fast they are. And then when you when you congratulate them after the game, you they come up to you. And you know, I'm a small guy, but I never consider myself small until I've got a 6'3 defender come up to me and give me a hug, and they just envelop me. You know, it's just it's yes, it's like, oh yeah, these guys are big, fast, and strong. Really cool, and so much fun to watch. So much fun to watch when you can watch it live and see how damn fast, strong, physical they are. And that gets to the next game: limestone wingate. I think limestone took a page out of what Linenwood did in the first half because it was basically all limestone for the first 53 minutes of the game. And they were faster on offense and they were more aggressive and physical, especially in transition.

SPEAKER_04 10:44

Yeah, um, wingate started out real slow. Um, were we making some mistakes on defense, but they were having trouble clearing. I thought limestone's ride was very, very good. They were really causing havoc and making making a really good Wingate Bulldog team, making them work to get the ball to midfield. I mean, they were making them work. Yeah. Um the goalie, uh, KC Carlson had a tough, had a tough day. Um kind of lets he let seven, eight, nine goals go in.

SPEAKER_03 11:14

Nine goals in, and and and they had a huge weather break for about an hour and 30 minutes. And I thought maybe that gives them just the respite to to come back. They actually brought John Capone in to take over, but realistically, limestone didn't miss a beat, and they came and they ended up having a seven-goal lead at one time in the third, 15 to 8. But just like LR against Tampa, Wingate refused to give up. And that last seven minutes of the fourth quarter, they went on a six-two run and they got it within two. And you thought for a second they were going to get it within one.

SPEAKER_04 11:56

Yeah, I mean, again, we kind of kind of forgot about Wingate because so many other teams were playing kind of better towards the end of the season. And then we watched what they did against Linden, wouldn't you? Like, oh my god, they are they are. I forgot how good they are, forgot how good they are. You know, they're young on defense, but they're good and they're big and they're physical. And you want to talk about that attack unit? That attack unit may be the most prolific attack unit in all of Division II. Those two kids with Bedovnik, Bobby Patton, and and Willie Greco.

SPEAKER_03 12:29

So, and and two of them Bobby Patton, most career points in program history, Willie Greco, most points in a season in program and sack history. That'll tell you how prolific they are.

SPEAKER_04 12:50

Yeah, two of the best in the country, hands down. So now you forget about those guys, and then why wouldn't they put a 6'2 run on Limestone? Why wouldn't they? Why wouldn't they?

SPEAKER_03 13:01

You know, exactly. And to be honest, the other thing that helped Limestone, we talked about Blake Homer, William Baxter, 16 saves. It was great.

SPEAKER_04 13:12

He was great because you know, Wingate gets their shots off.

SPEAKER_03 13:15

Yeah, and he had some saves in the first half that that I thought were going in. And it's like, oh, nope, another save.

SPEAKER_04 13:24

Yeah, yeah, and a couple of pipes, a couple of pipes, too. I mean, I he just played really good in goal. Limestone's a very good team, and I think that matchup between limestone and and Tampa is gonna be wow. Wow, that's gonna be good. That's gonna be so good game. It really is gonna be a really good game. If if anybody is interested in any type of high quality lacrosse, you gotta watch that game.

SPEAKER_03 13:52

I wish I I wish I could get to that game live. I'm actually traveling that day out to San Diego for work, and I'm praying that I can watch some of it because Tampa never puts theirs on demand afterwards, so I've got to be able to do some of it. Come on, that's a little shout out to Coach Clark. Please, Coach Clark, please. If I don't get to watch the whole game, put it on demand. I'm gonna call you for the link, the private link. He's not gonna do it.

SPEAKER_04 14:23

But you know what, Tampa? I mean, um uh limestone is a very, very good team. They're where they should be in as the final four.

SPEAKER_03 14:34

If you asked me when this started, actually, if you asked me several weeks ago who would end up in the semifinals in the south, in the in the finals in the south, but semifinals, I would have said limestone Tampa. Yep, and that's nothing against any of the other teams, they were great games, but just the way I saw them playing, I thought that those two would be in it. And it came it came to fruition. Not that I'm smarter or anything, but those that is going to be a great matchup. Okay, you want to talk. You want to talk North Region? Yeah, let's talk north. Let's talk about the opening round, first round Mercyhurst versus Seton Hill. Seton Hill pulls this one out eight seven. This was the rubber match, remember? Yeah, every game was damn close that they played. Every game, every possession, and you know what possession, yo got. You know what? The funny thing is, Danny, Mercyhurst did exactly what I said and thought they had to do. They didn't let Seton Hill get up to a fast start. They controlled the temple in possession, they were they were very aggressive in the first quarter, caused a lot of turnovers. The only problem was they could not convert a lot of them to goals. So it was only 2-1 after one.

SPEAKER_04 15:53

Yeah. Yeah. You know what? Seton Hill has been playing phenomenal ball. And we've been talking about them for the past month now. Yeah. And it it did not surprise me to see Seton Hill pull that one out. That was that was a close game, another 8-7. 8-7. Yeah. Low-scoring game. Hey, there you got you got Ethan Landemore and Miles Ham on the other side. So it was more of a defensive game. You know, when you're holding teams that can score 17-18 goals a game to less than 10.

SPEAKER_03 16:30

And you have to give Seton Hill a lot of credit for that that first quarter, that first half when Mercyhurst controlled it so much to be able to stop them from making goals. It got to be 5'2 at half. Just I think like Mercyhurst would have wanted it. But Seton Hill, okay, it's only three goals. That's nothing. Yep. They came back. They win the game. Lakers made it close, but they scored with 106 left to go eight seven. They they got the face-off, but Saint Seton Hill D shut them down. So hats off to Seton Hill. They were off to the off to the quarterfinals uh with that win. You wouldn't have said that. You wouldn't have said that five, six weeks ago, Kevin. When they were not even ranked anymore. That's right.

SPEAKER_04 17:17

And look at them, look at them now. They're going, they went into the quarters.

SPEAKER_03 17:21

Which is why we're having Coach Novotny on in a little bit. I got talked to him about the season like this. Yeah, what a season.

SPEAKER_04 17:27

Just awesome to see the season. Absolutely. So Seton Hill goes on after an 8-7 win in that in that opening round.

SPEAKER_03 17:34

Right. And then the other matchup to get to the quarterfinals was Lemoyne versus St. Anselm. It was close first half, tied 6-6 at half. Hawks actually had a two-goal lead, but the Dolphins came back, and then they went on an 8-0 run. Lemoyne did, went on an 8-0 run. Two to tie it up in the in the first half. And then they kept St. Anselm's scoreless for 23 minutes. Exactly. Not that they ever lost it, but they got back to their script of holding teams back and then scoring more. Now they poured it on against St. A's in the second half. Ben McCreary had a career day with five goals.

SPEAKER_04 18:32

Hey, you know what? If you're St. A's and you're tied at halftime against, you know, one of the top two, three teams in the country in the uh first round of the NCAA's, I'd be pretty happy with that score if I was St. A's. I'd be ecstatic. I'd be ecstatic. So Coach Shimana's had a good year, had a hard schedule. We talked about you know saying A's a couple of times. I went to see them play against the Delphi. They're a really good team, but Lemoyne's a really, really good team. And especially on defense. When they have when they gotta lock guys down, they lock guys down.

SPEAKER_03 19:10

Yeah. And I think the last few games that they played and the loss to a Delphi just made them, Lemoyne, hungrier. I talked about that last week. They wanted to get back and play a Delphi. They not that St. A's didn't, but there was a mission from Lemoyne. And let's talk about that going into the quarterfinals. Lemoyne now goes and plays a Delphi, and they pull it off. 9-4 win over a Delphi. But it's interesting because it was like a carbon copy of the NE10 championship for most of the first half. A Delphi goes up 3-0, not didn't go up 6-0 like they did. Then Lemoyne scores two in the second after they were shot on the first quarter, just like they were in the championship game. A Delphi then scores to make it 4-2. And I was kind of like, are we going to see the same thing we did before? But that was it. There was no more resemblance to the championship game. LeMoyne takes a 5-4 lead to end the half. Then they score four more in the third. And they shut out a Delphi in the third and the fourth quarter. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:31

Completely almost like the game before where what a Delphi did to them. Shut up for three quarters. That's why I was so shocked because they shut down Dugnowski. Shut down Joe Degnowski. That kid's a stud, man. And he they held him goalless. I think he might have had assists, maybe two assists, but he didn't get a goal, man. That kid could not. Le Moyne's short stick D-middy's played real well. They're their their LSMs played well. You know, Le Moines, they at tournament time, they just dig down on defense, man. They just dig down. And they play on a different level of defense.

SPEAKER_03 21:12

It seems to be and some of the stats show that Lemoyne had 24 shots to a Delphi's 13 in the first half. And that's defense. That's holding a Delphi to 13 shots in the first half. It ended up being 39-26 overall. So a Delphi came back a little bit, but actually this they shot the same amount, 13. And then and then Lemoy settled down a little bit. And then ground balls, 29 and 19, Lemoine.

SPEAKER_04 21:42

Listen, I'm not gonna say that I I I think I have to say is that Delphi didn't play well. I just don't think they played well in that game. I think they're a better team. You know, they haven't they've been playing at a high level. All season long. And they smoked Lemoyne in the NE 10 championship. Smoked them. Yeah. And they didn't look like the same team to me. They were just making making some bad passes, threw the ball away a couple of times, having trouble clearing. They were, you know, Lemoyne was causing turnovers, getting stick sticks on sticks, getting the ball in, you know, and just making havoc on the Delphi. And the Delphi just couldn't find them real. I mean, they got first the first two quick. Steinback and Diggle, you know, threw up two quick ones. And that was pretty much it for them. They scored two more in the rest of the game.

SPEAKER_03 22:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:42

Again, Coach Sheen's defense. And and probably a combination of a little bit of what you said. I really think Coach Sheen's defense stepped up. A Delphi did not play at the level they'd had before. But it's we've talked about this. It's tough to beat Lemoyne three times in a row, which is what a Delphi was going to have to do. A hundred percent.

SPEAKER_04 23:08

It's you know Lemoyne. Come on, to beat them three times in a year is gonna be really tough. And those there's some seniors on that Lemoy team are like, uh uh we ain't done. You know what? We can let's dig in. Yeah, and they dug in. And again, I don't think a Delphi played their best, but Lemoyne, Lemoyne's defense again, Coach Sheehan amps up that defense. They they play on a different level in the tournament, Kevin.

SPEAKER_03 23:35

Without a doubt, without a doubt. So let's move on to the other quarterfinal. And Seton Hill always seems to be in these one goal games. Mercy versus Seton Hill. Mercy pulls it out 11-10. That was another back and forth battle, Danny.

SPEAKER_04 23:53

Mercy, slow defensive kind of slow game. It wasn't like fast-paced, like like the you know, the Tampa Lenore Ryan game or the Wingate Limestone game. Those are fast-paced games. This game was kind of on the slow side. There's a little bit of sloppy play.

SPEAKER_03 24:14

This is a but this was a slug it out. Mercy seemed to take a little bit of control, goes up 5'2 in the first half, but then Seton Hill scored the the first three goals in the third to tie at 5'5. And then it's just back and forth.

SPEAKER_04 24:28

I mean 5'2 after after the first quarter, like there was no scoring going on. Yeah, you know, there were the teams who shooting wide, losing possessions, you know, and that type of that type of play was going on. Neither team was super, super sharp. Let's put it that way. Neither team, I felt, was super, super sharp. I felt like both teams were making kind of silly mistakes. Teams, you know, that they this is NCAA tournament time. You expect maybe a little faster-paced game, or maybe just maybe better play altogether. This game had a slow, lethargic uh kind of ebb and flow to it. Did do you agree with that or not?

SPEAKER_03 25:12

I do. We talked about that uh before we started. I I saw the same thing that it just seemed like a slower pace. And maybe it was just the defenses doing a good job, and the the offenses couldn't really get in that rhythm of where they were gonna go, but there was just always a back and forth battle. I mean, all the way up to a nine-nine until Mercy scored two to pull ahead 11-9. And then Cho scores with 136 left, but the Mavericks held him off in that last minute, you know. So it was it was it was a different, it was a different pace game than what we saw in the South region for the quarterback. 100%, 100%.

SPEAKER_04 25:53

And you know, when it when when Seton Hill tied it up at eight, I was like, okay, we got a game here, man. This is like okay, you know, this is gonna go down to the wire. Who makes the least amount of mistakes? And you know, at the end of the game, Seton Hill had the ball. Yep with a chance to tie it, shot it wide, lost possession. Mercy comes down, they couldn't clear Seton Hall. Seton Hill gets the ball back to save the game.

unknown 26:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:28

Like there was two turnovers back to back.

SPEAKER_03 26:30

You're just waiting. You're waiting in that last minute for it to be tied and going overtime.

SPEAKER_04 26:35

I thought for sure Seton Hill. Yeah, I thought for sure Seton Hill was gonna because they had like two or three opportunities in that last minute, just from some silly, again, silly mistakes and just not the sharpest play. But hey, at the end of the day, what do we always say about Mercy? They they always have uh they always find a way to have teams stay in it somehow, but they close them out.

SPEAKER_03 26:59

Yep, just like Tampa, but they you you're exactly right with Mercy. We've seen that where it doesn't seem like they've had a full game uh of good play. Now, this one I think it was even all the way through. It wasn't like you saw uh all of a sudden Mercy drop off, but they in those other games they close it out and they close it out here as well.

SPEAKER_04 27:22

You know what? If you look at the team stats between the two teams, it's practically even. It's dead even almost every remarkable how almost even it was. I mean, 48 to 45, Seton Hill led the uh advantage on shots. They were practically even in shots on goals, they were practically even in saves and ground balls. Seton Hill dominated on the face-offs, though. They had more face-off wins than and than Mercy. But I mean, that was an even, evenly played. Like again, it was almost remarkable how even the stats were.

SPEAKER_03 27:58

It was really crazy how close they were. In fact, I didn't even write down the stats. All I all I wrote was a note, like you said, they were dead even. And that's how the game played out.

SPEAKER_04 28:09

Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's exactly how the game played out. And congratulations to Mercy. They're going into the you know, the championship weekend. We have our we have our championship weekend uh set and ready to go, Kev. The 2022 season has uh pretty much come to an end. And it's been a remarkable, remarkable year. We saw some teams come into the league like Flagler and Diouville, and we just it's it's been one heck of a year.

SPEAKER_03 28:41

And I think these games from the opening round, the first round to the quarterfinals, once again prove to me why D2 is so great.

SPEAKER_04 28:56

I couldn't agree with you more. I couldn't agree with you more. Division two is legit, you know, and and they got players that can play and coaches that can coach and programs with uh that support uh the lacrosse programs and the schools that support the programs, and it's just it's very good lacrosse, very good, as competitive as anybody else. We've said it before, I think it's quality lacrosse, Danny. Yes, I don't have my bell yet. You see, you got me yet. I wasn't ready. But yeah, it's been a lot of quality lacrosse. All all season, there's been some great games, and just uh it's uh it's it's been a really good season, you know. We didn't have the COVID stuff really too much, you know. It's been kids were able to travel and stay in hotels again and and get back to you know playing uh quality lacrosse. I got my bell.

Coach's Spotlight

SPEAKER_03 29:55

Okay, Danny, let's move on to our coach's spotlight. You know, we had this coach on just before their first game, and we talked with him. He was, in your opinion, and my opinion, was being a little too humble on the podcast about where his team was. They knew with the size of the field, et cetera, et cetera. And we both were like, Yeah, right, coach, you're always the top five. I think you're ranked uh number seven in the preseason, and then they end up you know going about four and four, going back and forth, actually had a time when they were not even ranked, yeah, and you think this isn't their season, they make it all the way back to the NCA tournament by how they played the second half of the season, and that's why I wanted to bring them on. It's such a cool story. So if you're ready, I'm ready. Let's bring in ready, Coach Brian Novotney of Seton Hill. Hey coach, how you doing?

SPEAKER_05 30:50

Hey guys, uh, thanks for having me on. It's been great to follow you throughout the course of the year. You know, we love the uh the attention that you give to Division II lacrosse. Invaluable.

SPEAKER_04 31:02

Well, thank you so much, Coach. We really appreciate you taking the time. Um, like Kevin said, uh, you've had quite the year this year, uh, the Seton Hill Griffiths. And uh tell us what do you think about this year? I mean, again, like Kevin said, started out four and four and then just showed a lot of fight and a lot of fortitude and kept fighting in big games and you know, might have lost one year, but you were competitive. And and the next thing you know, you're you're in the conference championship. And the next thing you know, you're getting bids to the NCAA. What a year, huh, coach?

SPEAKER_05 31:40

Yeah, I mean, I I would be lying if I didn't tell you that uh, you know, the start to the year was not quite what we were planning. We didn't we didn't want to start out four and four, you know, we certainly don't set out to lose any games, but uh it was a it was an awesome year. I mean, you know, having the perspective that it's it's now over for us, um, you know, really proud of this group and proud of what they accomplished and and proud of how they fought. I think you said that a few times in your your intro there. You know, um we're we're a proud program and we've got a bunch of proud guys in in that locker room. And uh the start was challenging. We we battled a lot of adversity throughout the course of the year. We dealt with a lot of injuries, uh, weather was what it was early in the year. I think that was everywhere, but you know, battled a lot of adversity and and the one thing that we stayed true to was just let's let's stay together and let's keep fighting. And at the end of the year and win a conference championship and get to the NCAA tournament and advance past the first round. I mean, those are those are great moments to be a coach. And and for me this year, you know, I've I've expressed this to my team over and over again. I was just extremely proud of them and the fight that they showed and the commitment that they made. And, you know, with that sacrifice and with that commitment, which was great, you know, comes great reward. And uh it's great to see them get that payoff at the end of the year.

SPEAKER_03 33:01

Yeah, that was well deserved the way they they fought and and they got the fruits of their labor, like you just said, being able to get in the NCA tournament, not only that, but win the first round and go up against Mercy. But I have to go back to the three games against Mercyhurst, which were battles. And I've it I talked about we've talked about this on the podcast. The first two games, even the first game you lost, you guys came out, it seemed like on fire. And yet Mercyhurst was able to turn that around. Second game, you guys came out on fire, they couldn't turn around. Then in the NCAAs, it looked like they did what I thought they needed to do, keep holding you back, and yet you still pulled it off. So talk about those three games against Mercy Hearst.

SPEAKER_05 33:54

Well, I mean, Mercy Hearst is a great program, and and Coach Ryan and his staff do a great job up there. Their players are unbelievable. You know, we're we're super familiar with them, you know, they're our biggest rivals, they're in conference, we're we're close, you know.

SPEAKER_02 34:07

Right.

SPEAKER_05 34:08

Um, so so those games, no matter who's had good years or bad years, I mean, those games are always intense, you know, no matter what. And um, you know, I would say that playing them three times in one year, like this is a first. Like we've never done that in our program's history before. Um, so a little bit of uncharted waters, you know, and and in the first the first meeting went the way it did, man. It was a great battle. Again, that was a great division two across game. Um, you know, super high level, super clean. Yeah, I mean, it was a just showed two really skilled teams going at it and battling. Um the second game, obviously, was a bit of a of a revenge game for us, you know, getting an opportunity to win a conference championship on your your biggest rivals field is obviously a great moment. And um the third game, you know, we when we were going into the third game, I just kept telling the guys, like, we've been in every situation you could be in. You know, we've been up big and seen the lead dwindle away. We've been down big and fought our way back. We've been in tie games late, you know, like we had seen every situation that a team could see. So going into game three, it just uncharted waters for us. I just said, hey, like, let's just take it for what it is. Man, let's have no preconceived notions going into it about we're gonna jump up, they're gonna jump up like whatever. Let's just keep playing the next play, you know. And uh our our guys did a great job of that. You know, I think we unfortunately we had played behind a few times throughout the year. Um, but but we showed fight. I mean, every each and every time, you know, we showed fight.

SPEAKER_04 35:39

And uh yeah, definitely, definitely.

SPEAKER_05 35:41

I think that was what you know stuck out about that game. And that was such a short turnaround, and you know, having to travel back up to their place again, man. Like there, there's a lot going on there, you know. And um, you know, I was just really proud of of the the uh the fight that they had, and and again, the this the togetherness and the selflessness that they showed.

SPEAKER_03 36:02

So I have to ask you about the GMAC championship. Did you guys go in say it's all or nothing? We've got to get obviously Danny and I talked about this. You had to win that game, in our opinion, to get a chance at the NCA tournament. Were you guys looking at it that way, or were you just looking at like, let's let's win this championship? I were you trying to think ahead, or was that like a another chip to say let's this is what we needed?

SPEAKER_05 36:32

I think from uh from a coaching standpoint, you know, we certainly were were understanding of the situation that we were in and the position that we were in. We really tried to keep our team focused on just one game at a time. And throughout the entirety of the year, it was next game, next game, you know, next game mentality. And you know, for us, you know, having an opportunity to to one compete against our rival to you know win a conference championship, like those things I think were more than enough motivation for us in that game. I I don't think that it required any more, you know. So we didn't we didn't really talk about the NCAs, you know. I at one point, maybe the week before that game, I think I told the guys, okay, every, you know, every goal that we had set forth in the beginning of the year for ourselves was still available to us, you know, but we had to win games. You know, we had to win games. So, you know, with that being said, I mean, I think it was implied that that that was going to be a a win that would help us get into the tournament, but I don't think we needed any extra motivation. You know, I don't think that was one where we were like, hey, let's get into the tournament. I think, you know, truthfully, I think our our desire to beat Mercyhurst and to win a conference championship um might away getting into the NCA tournament a bit. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:47

Yeah. So so Danny, coach just pointed out why I am not a lacrosse coach and only a lacrosse dad. Because of that, I'd be thinking about the next game instead of thinking about the game. And so, coach, one other thing, uh Danny, I'm stealing all the questions here, but go ahead. Go, go. You you said the thing about the mentality of one game at a time. Did you, if you look back now, was there a game where you saw a turning point that you saw things starting to click? I I have a couple in my mind, but I'm just curious from your uh perspective, if there was one or a time frame.

SPEAKER_05 38:27

Yeah, I I I think there was a couple throughout the year, man. I mean, um, you know, just early on, like we we were not playing our best lacrosse early on, and we were kind of struggling to find our game and dealing with some injuries and things like that. Um, but we kept fighting, you know, and and we know we lost, you know, overall we lost seven games this year, sixth in the regular season and and the seventh in the NCA tournament there against Mercy last weekend. But you know, we were playing a really competitive schedule, you know. I mean, the the teams we were losing to, the teams, the teams that were they were close to the city.

SPEAKER_03 38:58

They're all top 20, most of them top 10.

SPEAKER_05 39:00

Yeah. Yeah. For for most of them, man. And you know, I liked our fight throughout the year. I think the the first Mercyhurst game, even though it was a loss for us, the way we played was much more reminiscent of who we are and what we're what we thought we were capable of. So, you know, the message coming out of that game for us was hey, like you know, Mercy Hearst is one of the best teams in the country, and we just went toe-to-toe with them. And you know, we play a little bit better, we clean up our game a little bit, which we knew we could do, then then we can beat teams like that. You know, I think similarly coming out of the Tampa game, even though that was a loss, you know, we came back from 9-1 down in the early second quarter. Like if we could do that against that team, then then we could compete against anybody in the country, you know. So I think some of those were losses. And then obviously the the wins, man, like once you started stacking wins and and kind of gaining some confidence and um, you know, those things, man, that was really good. I'd say the game that kind of maybe the opposite of that, the game that that we were really feeling bad about afterwards was the the Florida Tech game. You know, like you know, Florida Tech put it on us, man. Like kudos to to them and their coach and their players. I mean, that was as good of a of a whooping as we've had in a long time, man. And and I know I just said that on a podcast.

SPEAKER_04 40:22

16-4 or something, right? I think it was I think it was 14-6-7, maybe was the final goal.

SPEAKER_05 40:27

14-6, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:28

Okay, yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_05 40:29

They held us to one shot on goal in the first half of the lacrosse game. Like, that's I don't know if that's ever happened, right? I I mean, yeah, you know, so I think for us that was like a moment following that game was when we kind of had to make a decision, like, hey, we're gonna we're gonna continue to fight or we're just gonna go through the motions here. And and after that game, I mean, the guys really responded in a in a positive way. And you know, collectively, we made the decision that we were gonna stay in it, we were gonna stay in the fight. And, you know, from that point forward, I thought just our our practices were were much more intentional. Our uh, you know, our our our attention to detail was much greater, and and then our our fight, you know, just continued to get stronger and stronger throughout the year. And you know, all those hard moments that we went through throughout the year, I mean, they they hardened us, right? I mean, they made us a better team at the end of the year, you know, and you know, we felt going into the NCAA tournament that we had as good of a chance as anybody to make a run. And and unfortunately, we fell just a little bit short in that uh that quarterfinal round. But you know, I really wish we would have gotten through that game because I'd love to still be playing right now. And I know our guys would love to still be playing too.

SPEAKER_04 41:39

You know, coach, and when we if you've heard the past podcasts, we were like, you know, this is not the Seton Hill we're used to seeing. We're used to seeing that top five, top six in there, you know, and just balling out. And and all of a sudden, you started to play better and just play better. And I would say to Kevin, hey Kev, did you see Seton Hill this weekend? Did they play well? You know, they're starting to start to put it together now, they're starting to put it together. And and as the season progressed, I was like, hey Kev, did you see the Griffs this week? They put one on the, you know, they're like they're they're playing better ball. And and then you you got to the championship and you and you and you took Mercy Hurst out, and it was such a great game. And how were the players, what did they feel like? What were they like in the locker room after that championship game?

SPEAKER_05 42:30

Well, man, anytime that you you win a championship, you know, we we've done that a few times now, but anytime you win a championship, what one of the best feelings as a coach is watching your players rush the field, man, like that dog cobble, you know, and they're running down and they're jumping on each other. And, you know, for me as a coach, those are some of my favorite memories, some of my fondest memories from from years past, is just seeing those guys have that tangible payoff to all the hard work and and all the dedication that they put in year after year. So, you know, I yeah, those moments are unbelievable, man. I mean, just being with them and and you know, winning the trophies and and all that kind of stuff, man. Um, and being in the locker room with them. I mean, those those moments are truly special as a as a coach, true moments that I truly, truly cherish. And and they're there's some of the moments that I'll never forget. I you know, there's a picture floating around somewhere of one of our guys, McGardy Harper, hopping into to Thomas Hanulak's arms, and there's five or six guys in the background, and they all have this ecstatic look on their face, and they're celebrating. And like those, those are the moments while you coach, right? And what we do is is not a it's not an easy job. You know, it's it's it's challenging in its own right, and it has some stressful moments in it. Um, but it's it's the the payoff when you see moments like that are is just, you know, it's unbelievable. It's it's indescribable.

unknown 43:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 43:57

Phenomenal. Phenomenal. Yeah. Must be really cool. I mean, I I love watching it. That's one of the things I do when I watched every conference championship. A lot of games when they end, I'm I'm going off to the next game. I literally watch the celebration of every team because I think two things. One, it's really cool to watch. It's really cool to watch. I'm sure you're you're trying to duck sticks and helmets that are flying in the air. And at the same time and Gatorade bats. And at the same time, I think every team deserves the fans to watch them celebrate because of the hard work and commitment. Danny and I both know our son's playing, what it takes, the sacrifice it takes to play at that level in D2 and be a true student athlete. And so when you get to that level, I feel like they deserve us to watch them revel because they deserve it.

SPEAKER_05 44:56

Yeah, that's the uh, you know, having the fans there this year, that that was a big part of I think all of our games, but but certainly our championship run and then our NCA run, man. Like we had great fan support, man. And it was awesome to have them around. It was awesome to have the other teams' fans there, even though they weren't as friendly to us. Yeah, you know, it's that's that's part of it, right? That's part of college athletics. That's part of what you love. And yeah, um, you know, it's it's just it was really cool to have that because we we haven't had that environment in a few years, you know, it felt pretty normal as we went through this year and and maybe even everybody having a little bit more perspective and a little bit more appreciation for it, you know, players, coaches, fans, and everybody, you know. Um, but it it was it's awesome to celebrate and awesome to have your fans there, you know. And and and whether you win or lose, man, I think that like our we have we have a great parent group, a great alumni group. You know, when when we win, it's great to celebrate with them and great to share those those moments with them. And when we lose, you know, we need them, you know, like it hits our guys hard, you know. It hits you hard, you put a lot of time and effort into it. And when you fall short, you need to have those those people that support you unconditionally there for you, you know.

SPEAKER_04 46:10

100%. Yeah, it's a it's a great program. I've been watching you guys since 2009, really. Again, uh, we've talked about that in our when the first time you came on, and uh you're just a fun program to watch. And this this year was no different on a different scale. Like, hey, what happened to them? And then all of a sudden, here they come, here they come. And the next thing you know, they got the bid. I was like, Oh, how cool is that for the Griffiths, man? They really, you know, put it together. Those kids must it must have been even more fulfilling, especially the seniors, you know.

SPEAKER_05 46:44

Yeah, we had we had a pretty big group of fifth-year seniors and and and just regular seniors as well. And um, you know, it was it was extremely rewarding for them. You know, our fifth years had won the conference championship their freshman year. Um, but we haven't won since then. You know, we lost a close one, a heartbreaker in 19. So like the seniors, the juniors, the sophomores, certainly the freshmen, like they had not won a conference championship yet, you know, and and um it is there's a you know, you don't really know it until you win it. But when you win one, there's a tangible feeling, you know, there's that celebration and that that outpouring of emotion and joy. And to have to to experience that, you know, I think is is really important for for programs and for teams to just understand what it is and why you're doing what you're doing, you know, why why you're putting all that time and effort in, why you're getting up in those early mornings and hitting a lifting, and you know, why you're sacrificing on the weekends, you know. Um it could be uh a lot, you know, college might be a lot more enjoyable for guys that don't play high-level lacrosse, you know. But for guys that are playing high level lacrosse, man, there's a there's a lot of sacrifice that comes with that, and it's just great to see them get rewarded. But I I would agree. They the uh the celebration in the locker room was was probably just a little bit more amped up. The uh the bus ride home, we had some some pretty fierce battles of freshman karaoke going on, man. Um, there was a lot of a lot of celebration going on, and and it was you know, it was it was earned.

SPEAKER_03 48:23

That's awesome. That's awesome, coach. And I just want to say thank you so much for coming on. Like you said, you'd much be rather be playing than talking to the in the crates knuckleheads, but we really appreciate you coming on. I I really wanted to have you. We both wanted to have you on to talk about the season and and how it transpired. So we really are grateful for you to come on again with us.

SPEAKER_05 48:46

Well, I really appreciate that. And thank you for inviting me and staying persistent with the invite. Um, you know, that's needed this time of year. And and thank you again for for all you guys do, man. I mean, you really are. You're you're shining a light on our student athletes and our programs and our sport. And uh it is invaluable for for our programs and our student athletes to have the exposure that you guys are giving them. And it's great to have fans like you and supporters like you guys in our corner, man.

SPEAKER_04 49:18

Thanks so much, coach. That means a lot coming from you. We really appreciate it. And once again, thank you so much. Congratulations on a great, great season. I know it might might not be what you really, really wanted, but you know what? Pretty successful nonetheless, and continued success. And I'm sure we'll have you on the program again.

SPEAKER_03 49:36

Great, thank you guys.

Final Four Match up

SPEAKER_03 49:38

All right, Danny. This week's segment on games to watch this week is very tiny. Two games to watch, both at the same time, but it's gonna be great. It's the final four. Lemoyne seeded number three versus Mercy at number one on Sunday, May 22nd, and at the same time in the south, limestone seeded number two against the number one seed, Tampa. So, which one do you want to talk about first? You pick them, Kev. Go ahead. Let's go. We went south in the earlier segment. Let's go north. Let's talk Lemoyne and Mercy. I think Mercy's got to step up a little bit. The way Lemoine played against the Delphi, they're gonna have to step up almost like they did the first game against Lemoyne during the season to be able to pull it out.

SPEAKER_04 50:27

Mercy's a very good team. Lemoyne's a very good team. Two different styles, two different styles. Um, Mercy likes to move the ball a little quicker. Lemoyne kind of likes to play, you know, move the ball, get the guys involved, kind of use the clock a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 50:45

They like to set it up a little bit more. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 50:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah. They're very well coached. Both teams are very well coached. Um I don't know what to say. I really don't know what to say with this one. Because I know that Mercy, if they can put it together, can beat Lamar. I know that they can because they have the players, they have the defensemen, they have everything that they need. You know, Armano and goal there. Uh they're they're a good team. Dominic Scorsan, Brady Keenan, and those kids are good.

SPEAKER_03 51:15

DJ Heider, they've they've got the offense that can put in the goals to put them to win it. And their defense is really good. I mean, we talked to Justin Gerdville last week. They have a really good defense. And like you said, with Tommy Amano, it's gonna be a good game. I will tell you, if you look at last week in the quarterfinals, just based on that, if I said like if they're going in with that, I'd have to give the nod to Lemoyne. But it's I think it's gonna be close.

SPEAKER_04 51:44

I I honestly think it's a pick'em game. If Mercy can get out to if Mercy can get out to a quick start and and and and throw three, four, five goals up on Lemoyne quick early, and hang in there, because you know that defense is gonna settle in at some point. They're gonna make it difficult for Mercy. Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 52:04

Can Mercy keep keep Lemoyne up, they're gonna have to keep the pressure up on him on offense.

SPEAKER_04 52:11

Yeah, you know, can they keep McCreary from? Can they keep, you know, Sheehan? Can they keep you know those guys from scoring? That's gonna come down. It's gonna be a really good game. Yeah, both teams are gonna have to play, both teams are gonna have to play really well to beat each other. That's why I say it's a pick'em game.

SPEAKER_03 52:28

Because Lemoyne is beatable, they're beatable. We've seen it this year, exactly. So I think it's gonna be, I agree. I think the next game in the South, the other semifinal, is a pick'em game. I think Tampa Limestone, like we said in the earlier segment, what I thought a few weeks ago that there would be these two, and limestone came on. I think they played better and better after they played Wingate the in the regular season until they played Lenore Ryan in the sack championship. And I think storier has them ready to go. But I'll tell you what, Tampa always closes out. They did it last year and they've done it this year.

SPEAKER_04 53:10

Hey, just remember this real quick before we get in that limestone and that limestone Lenore Ryan game. They, you know, they they ran into Noah Johnson, they outshot them, they outplayed them. And the the game before that, Wingate outshot them, right? And they ran into Noah Johnson. So, you know, you gotta give that, you know, limestone's that loss to Lenore Ryan.

SPEAKER_03 53:34

But now Limestone's gotta go against Blake Ulmer.

SPEAKER_04 53:37

Yeah, yeah. Limestone's a good team, Tampa. They're a good team. They're you know, they're fast, they're physical, they're physical. But you know what? Tampa's a physical game team, too. They gotta get through it.

SPEAKER_03 53:50

Good matchup. It's it's better than a good matchup, it's a great matchup.

SPEAKER_04 53:54

I think the speed of this game is gonna be phenomenal. That's what I think. I agree. I think I think the speed is gonna be high energy, you know, high energy lacrosse between two really well coached and studs on both sides of the field. All Americans on both sides, on both sides, on offense and defense. It's amazing how many really, really great ball players are on both of these teams.

SPEAKER_03 54:22

I know. I just wish these games were on Saturday instead of Sunday because I'm traveling. Damn it.

SPEAKER_04 54:28

And you know, Tampa doesn't put their stuff on on demand, so Coach Clark, please.

SPEAKER_02 54:34

I'm begging.

SPEAKER_04 54:35

Yeah, have to have somebody like record it for you somehow. I know, you know. So it's gonna be a great week. And like I said, Kevin before, it's been a great year. Um, a lot of good stuff has happened. Um, look at just the S you know, the Sunshine State Conference, what they did this year. I mean, that they had a phenomenal season. And then look what happens in the Peach Belt, all that stuff going on in the parody in the peach belt, and new teams coming in, like Flagler, like Diuville, and look what GLBC getting two teams into the NCAAs.

SPEAKER_03 55:08

I was just gonna say that.

SPEAKER_04 55:09

Now, look what Meryville and U Indy and Lyndonwood and Lewis and Lewis are doing out west. And then you got you know the sack, you know, you you got your Lenore Ryan's your wingates, and and and now you have an up-and-coming Anderson squad second year in the and then they have limestone in the in the newberry behind that. I mean, it's it's never ending. And then you have then you have the NE 10 with Adelphi and Lemoyne and and Pace and St.

SPEAKER_03 55:38

Ace and Bentley playing well, and then you got Wilmington in the CACC that almost made it into the NCA tournament. So I guess what we're saying, Danny, is everyone should watch D2 lacrosse. Yeah, 100%, 100%.

Player's Spotlight

SPEAKER_03 55:57

All right, Danny. It's time to move on to the player spotlight. My favorite part, Kev. My favorite part. I'm excited for this one tonight. I am too. You know, we recently taught goalie and then we talked defense. But you know, my son played offense. I love offense. So it's time to end our in-season player spotlight back on that side of the field. And this player really has been making waves since his freshman year. Now that was his COVID year, so we didn't have a full season. But this is how we followed up the following year, which was last year, first team USA Lacrosse, all American, second team, USILA, all American, first team, USILA all region, along with first team all sack. And this year, he's adding, he's just adding to that. So let's welcome him in.

unknown 57:02

Good.

SPEAKER_03 57:03

How are you doing tonight?

SPEAKER_00 57:04

Doing good, excited to be on.

SPEAKER_04 57:06

Willie Greco just got home an hour ago. Moved out, had a big game this week, just got home. Mom got him some pizza. How are you feeling? You're tired or what?

SPEAKER_00 57:17

Pretty tired, but I'm excited.

SPEAKER_04 57:19

Excited for the summer. Hey, you're one heck of a ball player, my friend. Um, I I've been watching you play since you got into the into the into the school. And I have to ask you, how did how does a kid from Georgia get started in lacrosse?

SPEAKER_01 57:37

It happened when we when I was about like nine years old, we were at a baseball practice.

SPEAKER_04 57:42

And and you were bored to tears with baseball, right?

SPEAKER_01 57:47

Exactly. Basically. So my brother started playing, and then about a year later, after he was done with his first season, I was like, I'll give it a shot. And kind of played like baseball and lacrosse for like about a year, and then just stuck lacrosse the whole time.

SPEAKER_04 58:00

Wow, because you know what? I'm I'm a New York guy, Long Island guy. There's a lot of Long Island guys on your squad. I'm sure you heard the accent a lot around practice, having a lot of chicken parm. But you know what? La Crosse has been primarily a northeast kind of sport, especially at the younger ages. And to see a young man come from Georgia and playing as well as you are is almost unbelievable to me. And and how what did you get on youth teams? Did you have travel teams in Georgia? Like, I don't know what goes on at the youth level in Georgia.

SPEAKER_01 58:37

They brought our like rec program started in I think 2000. I played the first year our rec program had a team, and it was like U9, and there's only two teams, so we played each other every week.

SPEAKER_04 58:47

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 58:49

Battles, battles at the U9 level. Yeah, and then we got a couple more teams the next year. And I think my high school team got a team like 2011 or 12. That's like when the first like my county, that's like about the first time we ever had the cross in Legends. So that's kind of it's really young.

SPEAKER_04 59:06

Yeah, that's really interesting. So, how did you wind up at Wingate?

SPEAKER_01 59:13

I was at a sophomore year, I was at some inside the cross thing in Atlanta, and Coach Turner was my coach for the team. Like, we just got random coaches for our head coach. He was my coach, and I just kind of really liked him. He was a fun guy, knew what he was doing. And then after the tournament, he was like, Yeah, I like you, and I was like, Yeah, I like you too. So then next summer we started talking more, and yeah, just kind of went fair.

SPEAKER_04 59:40

That's awesome. That's awesome. So, did did you go to a prospect day? Did you come up, you know, uh into Charlotte?

SPEAKER_01 59:46

And I think I went to two prospect days, and both of them are pretty fun. I never like I never like like an overnight there. I just kind of prospect days was cool with it, did a tour.

SPEAKER_03 59:58

That's the real thing. And so let's just talk. I have talked a little bit about you again. So this year, what you've added on already is USA Lacrosse All-American, you were the SAC offensive player of the year, and you got the most points in a single season for I think your program and in sack history with 46 goals and 67 or 68 assists, something crazy like that. You you've built every year. Is how has that happened? How have you progressed? Because when you came in, you were really good, but you were much more known for your vision and assists. And if you look at your progression, your stats, you're building more your goals. Is that something you've worked on? And and is that what you're trying to do? Just to balance it out some more.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:46

That's like what I practice most of the time. Obviously, I'm normally by myself, so I can't work on like passing, so it's more just I shoot the ball every time.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:53

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:55

I expect to get better at shooting, and it's like obviously last year I had I think just under 30 goals, so that was like I thought I could do better than that.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:03

So I just kind of kept practicing and as I but the first five, your first five games, like you were just dishing the ball, you were just dishing. And I was like, you know what? This this young man, Mr. Greco from Georgia, is actually very, very good. I want to see him start attacking because he was just sitting behind X, you'd get the guy held up, and then you start dishing the ball. And I was like, wow, this guy can really pass the rock. It's really kind of cool to watch this young player come in and and really play at a high level quickly on a team that's not easy to break in on offense. Um, how's it like now that Coach Grimwood has taken the offense to a new level where you know the Bulldogs are scoring 16, 17, 18 goals a game? What's it like to play under Coach Grimwood's offense?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:55

It's really fun, it's really free-flowing. And obviously, this year and last year we had a bunch of really good guys I was playing with.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:02

Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:03

He he gives us an idea of what to do, and we he just lets us kind of play freely. That's that's really playing our best because we're all we got some really good chemistry, so we're just kind of running around and playing confidently. That's when we're at our best, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And and it shows, and it shows, and you guys just play well together, the you three, you know, and it's it shows. Um, it's been really a fun watching you grow as a player and just do what you're doing, and you're setting these records. And I know that you don't you don't want to talk about that so much, but it has to be talked about. I mean, we're on a national podcast here, you know, and you're and you're just blowing the the rest of the field away. How's mom and dad taking that? They must be really proud, huh?

SPEAKER_00 1:02:54

They're proud of me.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:55

I'm sure they are. They've got to they've got to spread their time though, don't they? Don't you have a sister that plays lacrosse at the same time?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:03

Twin sister plays at Lindenwood. Really? Yeah, they're always busy.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:09

Wow, they're very busy.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:11

Yeah, yeah, they like it. They'll complain about it, but they like it deep down.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:15

No, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:18

That's good. That's great.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:20

Deep down. They mom and dad love it. They love it. So let's talk about your team really quickly. Last year, you guys made it to the Final Four in Division II. This year you make it to the Elite Eight. First of all, that's very tough to do. What's it like, I guess, going through that as a team? And how is it to play on a team like Wingate?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:44

It's awesome. We have really good coaching staff that is very like they have a very professional way of going about it. It's like Coach Boyle starts with him, and he's super experienced. He won a national championship in Dowling in 2012. So he knows what he's doing. And I think he it starts with him and then goes to Coach Grimwood and the seniors, and we just kind of create a really good environment for like confidence, I guess. Because we all want to win.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:11

And they just kind of give us the tools to do it. And so, like last year we made in the final four, that was cool. And then last year was also our first NCAA tournament win.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:21

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:23

So, I mean, baby steps. So we're getting places, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:27

Without a doubt. Without doubt.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:30

And we've got another tournament win this year, so that's another good step from the right direction.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:35

Absolutely. That's the second one in program history.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:38

And still young.

SPEAKER_04 1:04:40

You know, just getting to the net, you know, the NCAAs at the division two. Um, again, no automatic qualifiers. So, so every game is a must-win. Every game. Every single game. And you know what? You guys balled out. Maybe that that that one loss to Anderson kind of hurt you a little bit. I know that you probably want that back. But you know what? Anderson's a good team now. They're you know, they don't speak, and Cam Weeks is a beast at the face-off, you know. He's another first, you know, first team All-American again. So, I mean, it's not so shabby to lose to a guy like that, but still something you'd want. But what does it been learning experience? What what yeah, no doubt. I bet. I bet. But to watch you play has been, I would say to Kevin, I said, Kevin, have you did you see what Mr. Greco did this week? And he'd be like, Of course I did. Of course, I was at the game. And I've just I'd just be uh dumbfounded and astounded. I've been around the game a long time. You know my son Sean, right? Yeah, so you know, been around the game a long time. So I've just been uh I I really enjoy watching you play and especially doing what you're doing.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:55

Thank you. It's been fun the past couple years, and I'm excited for excited for next year. Even though it just ended.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:01

Yeah, it's it's always a little bittersweet. For us as fans, it's bittersweet because no matter who loses, we know we're getting down to the to less and less games to watch in Division II. But I think we've got one more thing. Now that you know he's been home now for probably an hour and 15 minutes because we've been on with it for a little bit. He's warmed up and he's ready for the firing line, Danny.

SPEAKER_00 1:06:23

Let's do it.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:24

I love it. I love it. Him and Justin, two, two in a row. Like, let's just let's do it. Bring it.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:30

Bring it, baby. Let's go bring it. Bring it. Okay. Willie Greco Tackman from the Wingate Bulldogs. First team All-American. Kid is just bawling out, balling out in all kinds of different ways, setting records and snack records and program records. And and folks in podcast land. He's a kind of a humble kid, but he's got that little smirky smile on it. He's feeling pretty good right now. I'll tell you right now. I could see it in his face. So here we go. Willie, first question. What was the first sport you picked up?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:03

Baseball.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:05

Baseball. And you didn't like it and moved right to lacrosse, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:09

I played for probably five years, I think.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:13

So I guess I liked it, but I was also just had nothing else to do.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:16

Okay. All right. There you go. Um favorite pro team. Any sport, any sport. I don't care. It doesn't matter. Football, basketball, Georgia Bulldogs.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:28

Football.

unknown 1:07:29

Georgia.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:29

Georgia Bulldogs football. Okay. Very interesting. Um PlayStation or Xbox?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:37

Xbox.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:38

Xbox. Okay. Favorite TV show.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:43

Friends.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:44

Friends, okay. Oh. Old school a little bit. Yeah, they're black man and there and there and there and there. Okay. So who's the phoniest guy on the team?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:59

I'm gonna say Johnny Capone.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:01

Johnny Capone. Is that what AJ and those guys said too? No, they had different ones.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:07

They had different ones, I think.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:08

Who'd they have?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:10

Who'd they say? I'd have to go back and listen. I get carrying them.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:14

Okay. Okay. Who's the who's the best all-around athlete on the team? John AJ Lo Mueller. AJ Lo Mueller said it was him.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:25

AJ's close, but I think John Atoly hasn't beat.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:28

You know what? That's that's what they said. They said John Natoly was just a crazy, crazy good athlete. That's pretty cool. Um, what kind of music do you listen to?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:38

Kind of everything.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:40

A little bit of everything, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:42

Rap country. Yeah. Everything.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:46

You know, because where he lives, Danny, when he where he lives is kind of that you'd think New York City, but Georgia, since my family, a lot of my family lives down there too. It you get that that crossroads from country to rock to rap. All that if you're if you're especially if you're if if you're Willie's age.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:06

If you're a 20-something. Yeah, okay. So what was the last song you listened to?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:13

Let me check.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:14

You drove home, right? So you drove home.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:16

So I got I got bored and started listening to everything.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:20

Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:22

It was Mount Joy Strangers.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:25

I'm clueless on that one. And being a music guy myself, I'm surprised.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:30

So now it's an alternative category.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:32

Oh, okay. All right. There we go. He does hit them all. All right. Definitely, definitely. Okay. Give us your best impression of Coach Grimwood. He's got to see his face, folks.

SPEAKER_00 1:09:49

All right. I'm just going to do this.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:52

Oh, it's like settle down.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:53

Every time I turn the ball over, he just looks at me and goes.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:56

Settle down, palms down, two hands up, palms down, like settle down. Or thumb up. All right. Okay. He's not as vocal as yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:06

He never really gives us the hard time.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:07

He just and what's your plans for the summer?

SPEAKER_01 1:10:13

I don't really know yet. I gotta find a job. And then I think I'm going to upstate New York for a couple weeks.

unknown 1:10:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:23

Hey, if you're ever on Long Island, come by, stop by.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:26

I think I am going up there in uh mid-July. Oh, yeah. What are you gonna be doing on Long Island? A couple of our teammates' birthdays. They share a birthday.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:35

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:35

Bunch of us are gonna go there and hang out.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:37

Oh, sounds good. It should be fun, man. It should be fun. Well, Willie, you're a phenomenal player, setting records, um, setting South Atlantic Conference records. You're uh an amazing player and and an even better young man. I'm very impressed with you tonight. And um I really appreciate you coming on. I know you drove home from school today a little tired.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:00

No problem.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:01

But yeah, I really appreciate you coming on and give mom and dad a big hug. Thank them for all those practices that they took you to. All right, don't forget that kind of stuff, you know.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:11

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:13

Good man,

Final Thoughts

SPEAKER_03 1:11:15

Danny. That was a lot of fun ending up our last in-season player spotlight with an offensive player like Willie Greco. Perhaps the country's best, Kevin.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:27

And who who better to have him on than us? Right? And we're now what a what a humble young man and a great, great player he is. I mean, he's just setting records left and right, his his vision is extraordinary, extraordinary. And I've been around the division two game for a long time now, Kevin, and he might be top two or three that I've seen at this level, just what he can do with the ball.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:59

And and like you said, when we talked to him, his vision and the way he was dishing it his first year and beginning of his second year last year. But if you watch him now, his cuts and his first step when he goes, it's almost unguardable.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:18

Yeah, he gets his men hung up all the time. Yeah, he breaks ankles at least twice a game. I mean, he's an amazing, yeah, he's very fast, he's very shifty, but that's not his whole game, you know. His game is his vision. It's his vision, it's what he sees, yeah, and how he sees the game. Yeah, and again, like the first year or two that he was he was dishing the ball, and I was like, wow, this kid can dish. I want to see him attack. I'm like, and once he started getting gaining that confidence that you need at the NCAA level, and gaining that confidence about the speed of the game and and gaining the confidence uh of his teammates, he's perhaps maybe the best attackman in the country right now. Yeah, arguably. Without a doubt.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:08

Okay, Danny. It's time to close out for this this episode, and we've got a great semifinal matches coming up. There's nothing much else to say, but I can't wait to watch it.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:23

Me neither. It's gonna be great.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:25

And with that, Danny, that's a wrap. That's a wrap, yeah.