Game Time - A look back at week 6 and a preview of Week 7 of the 2022 season

Intro

SPEAKER_04 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 the Cross. I'm your co-host, Kevin Santram, and with me as always is the great Karnak of D2 Men's the Cross, Danny Moran. How's it going, Danny? Yeah, that's a shout-out to our older listeners who remember John Carson. Yeah. You know the answer before the questions are even asked.

SPEAKER_02 0:37

He would hold it up to his head and then the a bing and fling and a singing and he'd play that was great. The Karnak of D2. Well, yeah, sometimes, sometimes. Yeah, Kevin, I'm doing I'm doing great here on Long Island tonight. How are you doing in Northern Virginia this evening? I'm doing well.

SPEAKER_04 0:53

I'm doing well. But what a week of D2 lacrosse, Danny, from last Wednesday until now.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

Dude, it's getting crazy out there in D2 land. Huh? We had some really crazy games that you know we didn't expect.

SPEAKER_04 1:12

No, we've got a lot to cover in this coming segment on the week in review, but there's so many good storylines. I don't feel like we can let any of them go. So, all right.

SPEAKER_02 1:22

But yeah, there's a lot going on in D2. This was another really good week in Division II lacrosse. We have two stellar weeks in a row now, yeah. Of really great lacrosse in division two.

SPEAKER_04 1:36

Yeah. So before we get into that in the weekend review, we have to give a shout out to Newberry Goalie Griffin Broad. Their game against Mount Olive was being played while we were recording last week, so we didn't get to talk about it. Anyway, Griffin in good in the crease fashion went coast to coast burying a goal to seal the win against Mount Olive 13 to 12. What a way to win.

SPEAKER_02 2:05

Yeah. A goalie going coast to coast. You know how you love them goalies. You know how you love them goalies. I love them goalies. And to to go coast to coast in a big game against, especially against ranked team like Mount Olive and to bury one at the end of the game to seal a win. Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome. Okay. It's a good shout out, Kevin. It is good one.

Week in Review

SPEAKER_04 2:28

Let's move on to the week in review. I will tell you that this week to me developed in true bookends and why I love D2 lacrosse from what we saw from last week, Wednesday, until this past Monday. So let me go through that a little bit. The first was Malloy against Georgian Court. I was watching the game into the third quarter, and Georgian Court was up 14 to 5. So I thought, oh, that's it. You know, the game's well on hand, Georgian Court's got it. I turned to something else. I saw that the final score was 19-15. And I'm like, what the heck happened? So I went back and watched later that night. Malloy never gave up. They rallied with six straight goals to make it 15 to 13. They just fought and fought through that second half. So I give credit to Coach Dunn's team for not giving up. I know he wants the W and he doesn't go for moral victories, right? That's not the kind of coach he is. But his team showed why D2 is so great.

SPEAKER_02 3:31

Yeah, you know, two teams that are kind of like struggling a little bit right now, both teams. So, you know, a win from either team is a big win for them. And yeah, you know, carrying care carrying confidence forward, moving forward with a young team. And um, you know, you think a coach done coach team is gonna give up? Heck no. No way, no way. That tough he's gonna bring that tough Long Island, yeah, that tough Long Island, you know, uh attitude, you know, and and and and and they almost they almost did it, you know.

SPEAKER_04 4:04

So the next one was Rollins Westminster. I was really looking forward to watching this game, but I had to go to an event Wednesday night. And by the time I got back and I was able to log into my computer, they were into the fourth quarter of the game. So I'm trying to see what the score was, and I noticed that it's 18 to 7. I'm like, damn, I thought it could be a closer game than that, but again, Rollins is balling out, like we've been seeing. Right, still, Westminster does not give up, they're down, and their defender, Tim McGuire, scores on a breakaway, making it 18 to 10. He starts pounding his chest, not for him, but you can see what he's saying. He's like, Come on, come on, guys. He's trying to pump up his team. Now they were, mind you, there were only five minutes left in the game. 18 to 10, five minutes left. In my mind, there's no way they're gonna come back.

SPEAKER_02 5:00

But in their mind, and Tim McGuire's mind, they always had a shot, and that is why I really love D2, having tough mindsets like that, yeah, and just having players like that on your team looking to pump the guys up, and you know, and you know, you're hey, you you got a little mini run, hey, you're down eight, but you're like, hey guys, five minutes. We we can do this, we can do this. So you love guys like that on team. Good shout out for him. Good job.

SPEAKER_04 5:30

Now let's fast forward to this past Monday. To be honest, I thought we would be focusing on the double overtime win by Tampa on this podcast. We'll get to that later on. But Florida Southern did something that no one has done since 2019, and that is beating Lemoyne.

SPEAKER_02 5:50

Yeah, number one goes down for the first time since 2019. That it was an amazing game. Did you watch it, Devin? I did, I did. That took a total team win to get there. Absolutely, absolutely, absolutely. I mean, uh, my man um Max Freestone and goal was just amazing for Florida Southern that night. Uh, made some doorstop saves late in the game to save it, to save, help save the game.

SPEAKER_04 6:17

Oh, without a doubt. I mean, he was standing on his head in that fourth quarter.

SPEAKER_02 6:22

Oh, he was really good. And Lemoyne had their opportunities. I mean, they had some doorsteps, doorstep goals, and and and he made saves.

SPEAKER_04 6:32

So and yeah, if you look at it, you know, it looked to me when they started that dolphins opened up again, moving the ball so well. You thought they'd almost like, okay, this is gonna be easy for them. But Florida Tech, I mean, Florida Southern, they they buckled down, they made some changes, and then they fought back. And when I say a total team win, Kevin Horowitz with head went 15 out of 25 face-offs. He's good, he's good. Yeah, you talked about Max Freestone, Jeff Atlas, Matt Flamenspec, and Bryden Robichau, each had two goals of the Canadian.

SPEAKER_02 7:08

We have to say it like a flexible.

SPEAKER_04 7:11

And then Nick Shannon on D with five cost turnovers and six ground balls. I mean, that's the kind of effort you need. It's was all across the board.

SPEAKER_02 7:22

Well, you know, to beat a team like Lamorne, absolutely you're gonna need a total team effort. But Florida Southern's got the the the studs to do it, they they're yeah, studs on the field.

SPEAKER_04 7:33

And did you see? We have we've said this before. We've had people come to us in person like, why do you love Florida Southern? Well, I think we can say now why do we love Florida Southern again?

SPEAKER_02 7:44

You know, there's just teams that stand out, they're just stand out. You're not supposed to. Why is this team standing out? You know, there's some other teams, and let me tell you something, Sunshine State Conference is doing very, very well right now. They are dangerous, yeah. And and we'll get into that maybe a little later on in the podcast, too. But again, did you see the goal that Jeff Atlas had at the end of the game to put it up by two goals? Yes. What what a move did he threw? Went down the alley, got past his man, drew the slide, looked back into the middle of the crease, like he was looking for the to pass, and he just let it rip when he probably should have held on to the ball, maybe another 25 or 30 seconds into the shot clock because they had the lead.

SPEAKER_04 8:35

Well, I almost think I almost think that the Lemoyne defender thought that's what he was gonna do when he was gonna go on the down the lane past X. Even the even the slide when he did that that little pass, the slide then was late. He almost slowed up.

SPEAKER_02 8:52

Yeah, yeah, he did. He slowed up that little head look, yeah back into the crease made him made that defender just stop that one second. I got the shot, bang, top left. You know, what was that like a minute and 23 seconds left? And I put him up by two goals. Yeah, and then Kevin Harwood comes back and gets gets the the next face off, and that was pretty much it. Yeah, it was a great game, and you know what? And like you said, like you said, 100% total team effort, and congratulations to Florida Southern. That's a big win for the program.

SPEAKER_04 9:24

Yeah, a team going in four and three was their record when they were facing Lemoyne and they didn't back down. Just phenomenal to watch. But let's go on to some others. Um, last Friday, it was moved to Friday. Several games were moved to Friday. Uh, one of them was Pace Wilmington. Yeah, Pace Wilmington that we talked about last week. It wasn't a close game, 15-4. Pace just dominated. They got some unbelievable offensive play from Kyle Casey. He had six goals, three assists, and Timmy Cairo had five goals, one assist. And his first goal of the game was a blistering stinger into the top left. I was like, whoa. But was even more impressive to me, Danny, was their defense. I mean, they were just stifling. They continually were on Wildcats' hands and sticks. Their sticks were in lanes, disrupting and stealing the ball. They had 36 ground balls to Wilmington's 19 and had 19 cause turnovers to Wilmington's 12.

SPEAKER_02 10:27

That's that's defensive dominance right there, Kevin. Yeah, that's defensive dominance.

SPEAKER_04 10:32

Griffin Shyland, six ground balls and four cause turnovers. Tim January, six ground balls, two cause turnovers. And our man, Lewis Ragusa. Ragu in goal. 75% save percentage.

SPEAKER_02 10:50

It's amazing, man. He's a baller. So coach got himself got himself a squad up there, up in Pleasantville, New York. There. He's got himself a squad, no doubt. And that that kid, Keesey, Kyle Keesey, keep your eye on him. Keep your eye on him. Oh, yeah. I think we're gonna be think we're gonna be talking about him a little bit more. Pace pace is just getting going. What they have during their third game. Their third game. So just keep your eye on that kid. Yeah, you know, pace pace is where they are is because of where they are in the list.

SPEAKER_04 11:21

It's because it's it's so funny, Danny. I remember an earlier podcast um a couple months ago when you said, you know, why do they always put pace? You said it used to always say to yourself, why do they put pace you know, close to the around 12 and they haven't played a game? And every time they play the first couple games, you're like, now I know. Well, guess what? We know again.

SPEAKER_02 11:40

Exactly. No different there. We'll see pace at no, we'll see pace at the end of the season, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_04 11:46

Oh, yeah, yeah, they're they're damn good. How about uh Mercy Bentley? Did you get to watch that game at all?

SPEAKER_02 11:53

I did watch that game, and you know, Mercy's a good squad, Kevin. They're a very good team. Um, they they beat a really good Bentley squad. Bentley does not suck in one way, shape, or form. And Mercy, Mercy kind of had their way with him at 15-9 score, you know, Tommy Umano and goal at 16 saves. The Seaford Long Island kid, right? Not too far from me. And you know what? They had a 4-0 run to begin the game. And, you know, it was just TJ Haider and Brady Kiernan and Jack Gibbons and that offense clicking on all eight again. And that's a good squad. They're gonna be, they're gonna, we're gonna talk about them all year. That's that's how good they are.

SPEAKER_04 12:36

Yeah, and and Bentley's goalie, Keaton Rorick, was making some great saves. But you just when when they're that good, when you're that good, it's it's just tough.

SPEAKER_02 12:46

You know, like I said, Bentley's a good team, man, and they're ranked for a reason, you know, and they're gonna be they're gonna be in the mix, come the end, you know, come tournament time, no doubt. And yeah, you know, Mercy's just a pretty good team, Kev. They're really got I don't have much to say about them. You know, they lost to Lemoine by one, and they had the chance to win the game. They had the chance to win that game, and now they come back and beat a real good Bentley team. So the United States of America, Mercy's Mercy's a good squad.

SPEAKER_04 13:18

Yep. So let's go on to the one we talked about uh as a game to watch. Uh it was a sack matchup. Limestone number eight against Lenoir Ryan, number 10. Limestone beat him 13 to 3. And once again, you're talking about defense. They frustrated Limestone, limestone frustrated Lenoir Ryan all day. Limestone even had eight penalties, but their man down defense held LR to only one goal.

SPEAKER_02 13:47

You know, when I was watching the game and I wrote down on my notes defense, defense, defense, airtight. Yeah, that's what I wrote down. I mean, they Lenore Ryan's got good scorers there, you know. They've got ballers up there, and I don't know what's going on with Lenore Ryan right now. Maybe it's a chemistry thing. I don't know. It's like to hold Lenore Ryan scoreless in two quarters. I know that's crazy. It's mind-boggling.

SPEAKER_04 14:19

It is that's crazy to me. Well, William Baxter, the limestone goalie, had an 84% save percentage. I mean, he was balling out too. Once again, but I but you know where he's from. You know where he's from? Where is he from?

SPEAKER_02 14:32

He's from Manchester, England. He's from the other side of the pond, my man. He comes, he comes to the states. He comes to the states and he's balling out. So congratulations to him. But you know, that defense, yeah, they were stifling, stifling. Lenore Ryan couldn't do anything, they couldn't get any any rhythm whatsoever.

SPEAKER_04 14:59

And that what you just said is the key rhythm. Rhythm. They couldn't right and and Lenore Ryan's a team that I mean, there's some teams that you you can say they've got a few guys are gonna dodge, redodge. Lenore Ryan, especially this year, has to share the rock. And they they do a great job of doing that. They did a great job last year. That's how they run their offense, from what I can tell. Limestone just wouldn't let them get there.

SPEAKER_02 15:27

I think I think they should be higher in the rankings, actually, to be honest with you. They're that good. I think they're a top five team. Yeah, I think. That's just Danny Moran talking. Yeah, I think they're a top five team. Yeah, I agree. Like I said, their their lone loss came to Wingate, and it was a it was a pick'em. Oh, yeah. Overtime game. Anyone can win that. Yep.

SPEAKER_04 15:54

That's one quick shout out to Kendall Collins on defense. Four ground balls, one caused turnover, and one assist.

SPEAKER_02 16:04

It's a great game. It's a great game. The assist, you know, he gets a point on the board, the big defender. Yeah. All right. Let's talk about it's one of the I didn't I for I didn't see that goal though, for some reason. I must have been letting the dog out or something, but I didn't see that goal.

SPEAKER_04 16:23

Well, you may have seen the goal and not realize who gave the assist, right? I mean, that could be too. That's true. Moving on, moving on. How about uh Queens Belmont Abbey? Congrats to Coach Barrett for a big win and winning two straight. Remember that their four losses were against Limestone, Florida Tech, Florida Southern, and Lenore Rhine. So it's not like they lost to chump teams, but to to beat Queens, who's been playing really well and beat them 10 to 6.

SPEAKER_02 16:58

Yeah, well, Belmont Abby's not ranked, and Queens is ranked number 12. And they went into Queens's house. Yes, and that's not an easy thing to do, you know. Um Thomas Sullivan in golf and for Belmont had 20 had 20 saves. Yeah. Yeah, he had 20 saves, but you know what? The stats were kind of even, Kev. They were even, you know. They were very even. I thought the difference was in the third quarter. I I felt that Queens, the defense played really good in the third quarter and kind of was able to let the game separate a little bit. You know what I mean? I just it they I think they held they held Queens to um one goal in the third, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah. And so it was a defensive game for a good defensive third quarter for for Belmont Abbey. And uh was a big win for them.

SPEAKER_04 17:54

Yeah, it was. It was it really was. And uh, like I said, hats off to Coach Barrett and his team. But here's the game that I'm still trying to watch again, and it's the Tampa Florida Tech two overtime 11 to 10 win by Tampa. I tuned into that game, Danny. I tuned into that right during the the second overtime, and I saw the final goal, and I thought I was saying the you the off uh recording, oh, I'll just catch this when it comes on and you know in the streaming on demand portion for Tampa's uh network.

unknown 18:30

Right.

SPEAKER_04 18:31

I'm still waiting. I really want to see this game in its entirety, so much so that I I emailed Coach Clark. I said, please can you help me out? I want to watch it again.

SPEAKER_02 18:42

Yeah, I couldn't find it either. I was looking to find it because after I saw the score, and I was like, oh boy, I gotta watch that game. Yeah. Because I thought Tampa would kind of like uh take care of business because they've been taking care of business. Right. But Florida Tech, you know, here we go. We're coming right back to that SSC conference again. Yeah you know, think about think about the teams we spoke about tonight. We spoke about mostly Florida Southern, Florida Tech, Tampa, and Rollins. Four squads out of the SSC are all balling out really good. And you know what? And they're all ranked. And right there, St. Leo at four and one. Yeah. So that that conference, that conference is pretty good right now. They're making some noise down there in the Sunshine State conference. Yeah, without a doubt.

SPEAKER_04 19:31

And this was a defensive struggle. Uh Florida Tech starts off ahead four-one after one. But Tampa chipped away. They kept on chipping away until you know Daniel Fitzpatrick scores with 550 left to tie it in the fourth and force the overtime. And then Harry Kikowski comes around next and puts one in the back, the net for the win in the second overtime. And I'll tell you how a defensive struggle it was. But look just like last year, right? Teams come close, looks like Tampa's not going to win, and then Tampa pulls it out. And we saw what they did in the NCA championship. That is not because Tampa's, you know, it's just that Tampa somehow has the wherewithal to find ways to win. Beat that adversity and win.

SPEAKER_02 20:20

Yeah, they're well, Coach, but they got a lot of really good athletes down there at Tampa. You know, they're they're they're two, three deep at every position down there in Tampa. So they're always going to be good. And, you know, what Coach Whipple was able to start there at Tampa, you know, Coach Clark is able to just step right in and keep the train going on the same track, roaring in the same direction. And it's like there was like no difference there. Yeah. So now you have a Lemoyne loss. Does Tampa go to number one? I say yes. Oh, yes, without a doubt. But I think Tampa goes to number one. I think Limestone has to jump into that number five somewhere, just for what they're doing and who they're playing and how they're playing. And their only loss coming to number three Wingate. So I think they deserve a higher rank. And let's see what they do this weekend coming up. So this they're starting to move around, and there's some really good stuff coming up.

SPEAKER_04 21:23

Yeah. Okay, so one other game that I we have to talk about because our crack research team forgot to tell us about it when we were talking about games to watch. And that is that was the Newberry versus Tusculum game.

SPEAKER_02 21:40

Now, most most people wouldn't think that this would be a good game. You know that? Most people be like, Well, who the hell is Newberry and Tusculum? Tell them why. Tell them why it's a great game.

SPEAKER_04 21:55

Sack matchup. Okay, number one. Tusculum coming in. To the game was 7-0. Newberry, yeah, Newberry had just come off that win, beating a ranked Mount Olive team. That's right. And the cherry on the top is that Tusculum's coach Rodney Tapp is returning to play against the team he coached for last year. And we haven't been able to get with Coach Cotter to see if he got that visa money back from Coach Tapp yet. But I'm sure they had a discussion after the game.

SPEAKER_02 22:31

Yeah, I'm sure they did. Hey, Coach Tapp is doing a great job to start off. So here we go. We're gonna go talk about the sack now. Here's two teams sitting at what five and two and six and one, right? Who would have thought? Right. Who would have thought, right?

SPEAKER_04 22:47

Those teams would be there. Yep, and and the game was a dogfight through three quarters. In fact, Tuscom was down 13-10. This was wild in this game. There was a penalty that was a locked-in penalty, and Tuscom rallied and scored four man up goals in in the final four minutes to go up 14-3 in the third.

SPEAKER_02 23:12

Four mana goals in the final four minutes.

SPEAKER_04 23:15

Because it was locked in. I mean, there was boom, boom, boom, boom. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Okay. But the but the wolves of Newberry, they weren't having any of that. They come back in the fourth and they score nine goals to put the game away. But that's the kind of game it was. Yeah. That's crazy.

SPEAKER_02 23:33

I gotta watch that.

SPEAKER_04 23:35

The difference was, I think, in shots and ground balls. So Newberry outshot Tusculum 65 to 29. And the ground balls were 48 to 26. Wow, that's a big difference. And I think a lot of that was probably in the fourth quarter. If we could if I could break it down.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

Wow. I gotta have to watch that game. That sounds like a great game. It was a fun game to watch. I'll throw it on. It's hopefully some of these games haven't been on the on-demand ones, uh in the uh little queues there. Some of them are hard to find or not not been put there for reasons, I guess. Okay.

Coach's Spotlight

SPEAKER_04 24:19

Now on to the coach's spotlight. This week, Danny, we get to talk to a coach whose team is balling out, and they remain undefeated heading into this weekend. I think I yeah, I think I said it when we did the SSC conference preview that this team is always an over 500 team and they were always dangerous. Well, they are not only proving me right, but they've gone beyond that with their record and what they're doing on the field this this year.

SPEAKER_02 24:47

Absolutely, 100%. And they're ranked number 11th as of today in the USILA uh poll.

SPEAKER_04 24:54

So yeah, they just welcome Rollins head coach Chris Lewis. Hey coach, welcome.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Thanks for the intro, guys. Appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 25:08

Hey Coach Lewis, how are you doing tonight? Really appreciate you taking the time to come on with the two knuckleheads from In the Crease. We appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 25:16

Good enough. Hey, we're all knuckleheads in this business, I think. Yeah, my wife always makes fun of me for uh basing her career on the decision-making abilities of 18 to 23-year-old young men.

SPEAKER_04 25:29

Yeah, that's a good one. She's a smart woman. She's a smart woman.

SPEAKER_02 25:34

I was just gonna say, I was just gonna say.

SPEAKER_04 25:37

Well, coach, congratulations on a great start to the season. Can you put a finger on why you're undefeated at this point? Is there something that you saw either from the fall coming to the spring or something that you know that you can pinpoint?

SPEAKER_00 25:53

I actually was not feeling great about this squad in the fall. We graduated the the first line middies last year. We're all seniors, they were all four-year starters. Um, our ex-attackman last year was the player of the year in the conference, Ryan Dunn. And we had uh another attackman who was a second team all conference guy, and everybody else was kind of in their first year of having to be the big dog on offense. And um, so we went and we played uh Jacksonville, we played Tampa and PBA in the fall, and especially offensively, we had uh it seemed like a lot of guys who were just looking around and throwing the ball to somebody else and and sort of like, here you go do something, because they were a little bit nervous, I think. Or wasn't quite sure who was gonna be kind of the guy for us, like Ryan was last year. And um, you know, we got off to uh um a decent start there against FIT. I think we were able to uh hold them down on the defensive end enough that the offense was able to put up enough enough goals. And then uh in the next game against Colorado Mesa, they just kind of exploded. I mean, they blew that they scored 15, we could have scored more. Um we subbed a lot of guys out late, and um, and they just sort of everything just kind of clicked. And the really unique thing about it was um, you know, we've got two seniors and a freshman at attack, we've got um uh a senior, uh, two sophomore transfers uh at the midfield level, and all of them are uh are in the 15 to 30 point range, you know, so it's all all kind of every guy sort of gets a turn, and and the way they're spacing, the way they're moving the ball, and and the way they're beating people and drawing doubles in man-to-man and zone is really fun to watch. And uh we scored a goal uh last Wednesday night against um Westminster. They were in their zone, and we're doing some stuff, and and the ball's going back and forth through X, and then all of a sudden the the uh big lefty Marshall just pings a skip pass through to a second-line freshman Middy who ramps home a 12 12-yard shot, and and coach D looks and he goes, What was that? And I go, I'm not really sure. We land in and they understand the spacing and then understand how we want the ball to move. And you know, we have some openers where it's kind of predictable, but then the offensively, those guys have just been doing an incredible job. And then, you know, since since I got here 11 years ago, our our team has always been uh founded on being strong on the defensive end and getting it done on that side and then moving the ball back over to the offense. And this year is kind of one of the best offenses, I think, that we've had to be able to take advantage of the fact that the defense keeps you know giving us the ball back. So a lot of fun to watch the play.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

Yeah, a close one 10-9 against Florida Tech, but you've been opening up ever since 16-9 over Colorado Mesa, 15-7 over PBA, another close one against Lynn, 14-13, put up 21 against Wagner, uh Flagler, I'm sorry, and uh 19 against Westminster. You guys are putting the biscuit in the basket, coach. You guys are balling out.

SPEAKER_00 29:15

Yeah, yep, yeah, it's a lot of fun to watch them play right now. You know, and so we get the chance to go play Rockhurst. That was a game we had scheduled back in 2020, and the season uh the season got canceled on us the day before we were supposed to get on the plane and go fly out there playing. Um last year the Sunshine State didn't allow any teams to play outside of the conference until Tampa went to the NCA tournament. So uh, you know, I I called Kevin and said, Hey, you wanna you want to try this again this year? So we're super excited to be uh jumping on a plane on Friday and and heading out to Kansas City to play a team that's that's historically been one of the top 20 over the past few years. Uh yeah.

SPEAKER_04 29:55

So that's in fact I was I was gonna ask you about that, coach. What do you think about that matchup? They you know Rockhurst has started off okay. They're in a very tough conference. You know, they've got a lot of travel to do. Um, I think that's gonna be a great game to watch.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

Yeah, they've definitely got some some guys on offense who can really go hard and get to the cage. Um, so you know, we're we're putting together the game plan. Um, you know, we think, I don't know that we feel at this point that there's there's a team on the in uh in the country that we can't walk on the field with and compete with. So uh, you know, we're excited to get the opportunity to play some of these teams. We've traditionally had part of it just by virtue of how tough the Sunshine State Conference is overall, one of the top 10 schedules in Division II year in, year out. I mean, some years it's as high as you know, two, um, depending on who we're getting out of conference. So the opportunity to get you know Colorado Mesa and Westminster and Rockhurst uh onto the schedule um is is just you know, that's the kind of stuff that we want to do. We want to play in big games like that, uh, and have the opportunity to have those kind of experiences as young men and and and a coaching staff where you're going out and and playing in big games that that really matter. So for us, you know, we're excited by the opportunity to get out there and play. And we saw, I think the weather was supposed to be 64 and sunny, so we're not having to play in the snow. Yeah, which is good for you guys for kids playing in Florida.

SPEAKER_04 31:29

They're playing SSC weather there. Uh, I was gonna point that out, Coach. It's kind of interesting. Watching uh the Sunshine State conference teams play out of conference this year really has shown me how undervalued the teams in the conference were last year because you just played in conference and beat each other up. Would you agree to that? I mean, if you look at what you just said, would you agree to what I'm saying there?

SPEAKER_00 31:53

Absolutely. I mean, last year, you know, Tampa, I think, was a five seed, and they ran the conference and went undefeated. And then they got out in week number one, and I think they beat Mount Olive by 16.

SPEAKER_03 32:05

Yeah, they smoked Olive.

SPEAKER_00 32:08

We lost to Tampa by three, Lynn lost to Tampa by two. And, you know, I'm sure Coach Kingsbury felt like he could have he could have, you know, gone up there and done, you know, almost as well. And and and we felt that way too. So um, you know, and and it's it's almost that way every year. In 2019, the last kind of full year that we had going out and competing against other conferences. I think we had five teams in the top 20, and and all six of the original members of the conference were at least ranked or receiving votes at the end of us going out and playing all the other conferences, and then we just went and all beat the heck out of each other during the season. At the end of the season, Tampa's 15, Lynn's 19, we're 21, and everybody else is out.

SPEAKER_04 32:56

Yeah, well, and you look at and you look at it right now, coach. If you look at it right now, Florida Tech, Florida Southern, Tampa, you guys, all in the top 20, all playing really good lacrosse. Now you're coming into conference play after you play Rockhurst.

SPEAKER_03 33:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:14

So how do you size up the conference this year and play and and playing them as you go forward? Is it just gonna be it's just gonna be a slug fest, I think?

SPEAKER_00 33:22

It always is. It has been since the conference started. Um I compare it a lot of times to SEC West football, right? You never know who's necessarily gonna win on any given weekend. You know, you know, Tampa, like our Alabama, they're the big dog that we're all chasing, but every other team, you know, you got your LSUs and your Mississippi States and your Texas AMs, you know, it's it's like that kind of a conference. And you go out every single week and you know it's gonna be a great game. You know that both teams are gonna fight hard because there's a lot of personal pride and and a lot of kids uh you know come to these schools from from you know up north to the Midwest. And so, you know, you'll you'll go out there and your your kid from Ohio played with you know uh a defender on uh you know St. Leo or he's he's best friend with the goalie at Tampa or whatever, right? And so you know they've got their own little their own little reasons for wanting to beat you know everybody else in the conference as well. So it's just so much fun for me, um, just as a competitor, um, to get the opportunity to go out there and and have games that you know you're gonna have to work hard to win. I mean, even though the the PBA score looked a little offsided, we were only up four with about uh 10 minutes to go. And then we run there at the end of the game and nailed it down. But um, you know, PBA last year, uh, I mean, they got they had a win over NYT, I think, in 2020. Um, they got their first conference win last year against St. Leo, which is the first time they beat anybody other than Ember Riddle. So that team's getting better. Um, so it's for me, I I love it. I know that you know, you don't really get a whole lot of off days where you can just roll the ball out there and and not have to work too hard and and and you know let the back of the bench get in there and play.

SPEAKER_02 35:08

Right. I saw Bill Dunn tweet. Um, you know, Bill Dunn's one of the storied coaches in Division II. That that man is an amazing man, and uh, he's been our guest on our show twice now. We're very humbled and happy to have him. Um, but he tweeted last night after Florida Southern beat LeMont how the landscape of D2 has changed and how good the Florida schools are now.

SPEAKER_00 35:34

Yeah, yeah, not just Florida schools though. When I was coaching at Merrimack, uh you know, it was limestone and and nobody else down here, right? Right. And so, you know, now it's become, you know, you've got limestone, you've got Wingate, you've got Lenoir Ryan, you've got Belmont Abbey, you know, Queens, Mount Olives, the list goes on. And then you throw in all those Florida schools. It was a big topic of discussion at the Coach's convention in December. You know, we have 12 bids. Um, if we're not gonna force realignment on a conference, and and you know, one of the options was well, we'll take Conference Carolinas and put them in the North, and that'll balance out the number of teams. Maybe what they're gonna do is end up uh going with seven bids for the south region and five bids for the north region. So the power balance in in division two is definitely shifting south for sure. Right, no doubt. You know, um, you know, Delphi is gonna be great, pace is gonna be great, they're in those top-bed areas. Um, you know, St. A's has been doing great things uh in the past few years. Mercy's been great, um, you know, Seton Hill, but then you have you know Mercyhurst, and and you know, there's there's just a few really, really good lacrosse programs uh in the South Region of Division 2.

SPEAKER_02 36:50

No doubt. I agree 100%.

SPEAKER_04 36:53

So, coach, you kind of mentioned it when you from what you saw on your team in the fall to now. Is there anything else that kind of surprised you and what you've liked and what you've seen so far from your team in the season that you weren't expecting?

SPEAKER_00 37:10

Yeah, I think um the win over Florida Tech in game number one kind of showed them that maybe they had a little bit of you know, grit is the the buzzword these days. But you know, they had a little bit of mental toughness. We had to figure some stuff out, uh kind of on the fly. You know, there were they did some stuff that we weren't prepared for by gameplay, and we had to do some stuff in timeouts and and in between quarters to change a little bit of what we were doing, and then look to some guys to make some plays, and and they did, and we were able to pull that game out. And then um against Lynn, it was almost the mirror opposite of the game we played against them last year. We got out to a six-goal lead, and then at some point there in the third quarter, Lynn is actually up by a goal now. Um, and so that game, you know, again, we had to they they changed the stuff they were doing. We were really worried about Cassenza and Stanton, and we did a good job setting down now. But then some of their other guys started, you know, making plays, and then um, you know, we're both running a 10-man ride at each other, and and you know, so you know, you have the mistakes that get made here and there, and it's like, do we need to pull out of it? Do we need to stay in it? And so there's stuff that, you know, as a coaching staff, you know, we're we're we're trying to make these decisions on the fly and then and then you know give the kids the best information we can on the field, but then they gotta go out there and win the game. You know, I always laugh when a parent at the end of the game goes, Great game coach, and I said, Which timeout did you like the best? You know, it's like I didn't pick up in ground balls, I didn't score any goals, I didn't slide to anybody. But uh you know the for me it's been watching these kids really kind of mature. Like I said, we're a pretty young team. Um, we had a lot of starters back on defense, although we lost uh a first team LSM and uh in an all-region short stick D MIDI, but their replacements were kind of already on the roster, and so the defense I wasn't really worried about, but uh um you know they're they're they're solid as always. Uh we got a freshman goalie um who's in there and doing and doing some really good things for us right now. I think he's saving about 55%, which um pretty damn good coach. Uh the best that we've had a goalie save here at Rollins uh in the entire time I've been here. So uh my my guy, my first three years at Meravac saved at 68%. So I got really spoiled there.

SPEAKER_03 39:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 39:35

You know, right now I'm looking at 55% and saying, that's so awesome.

SPEAKER_02 39:39

Yeah, and he's a freshman, you got four more, you know, three more years with him. That's what's he's only gonna get better and better.

SPEAKER_00 39:45

Yeah, well, we're gonna recruit people to chase him, so he better he better keep okay, good, good, good.

SPEAKER_04 39:51

Well, coach, we can't thank you enough for coming on. Uh it's been great having you and and hearing your perspective and insight for your team and and where you saw them and how they've kind of transitioned into the season and how well they're doing. Rollins is playing exciting lacrosse to watch.

SPEAKER_03 40:09

I really good.

SPEAKER_04 40:10

I would I would tell any of our listeners, you gotta watch a game that's just fun to watch. And we just wish you the best as you go out to rockers and get into conference play.

SPEAKER_00 40:21

Yeah, I appreciate that. You know, we uh we recruit really hard-working young men and you know, we we play in a style that most kids who are fast and athletic want to play, right? We're gonna be 10-man ride. Um, you know, if we get uh if we get a shot clock violation, it's because we missed the cage three times and not because we're not getting the shots off. Um and you know, so it's it's go, go, go. We want to use our speed and athleticism and and see, you know, uh what we can do with that and and you know, see how we can force teams to play at our pace and maybe make decisions at a speed faster than they're they're comfortable making them. So, you know, the more we can do to put somebody on their heels on the offensive and defensive ends of the field, um, you know, we really like to try and do that. So a lot of times in the fall, you know, when you're practicing at that at that pace and speed, you're just looking at it going, oh my gosh, what's what's going on here? We're never gonna get there. Yeah, but then they learn to make the the decisions in those speed. We spent a lot of time talking about where'd you put your eyes, what were you looking at when you made that decision, what kind of information were you getting? And so, you know, we can make suggestions about hey, did you see did you see this guy at X, or did you see the did you see where the two slide wasn't getting all the way down the back side? And so now guys are starting to learn where they need to look to gather the information to make the decisions at that speed, and and um you know, so uh it it always seems to work out in the spring. So we'll uh we'll keep rolling with that style. And I'm glad you guys like watching.

SPEAKER_02 41:52

Well, whatever it's working, coach six and oh start and and it's working, and you got SSC, you know, play coming up. You got two big dogs on the on the squad, you got Tampa and part of Southern and part of Tekken, who just took Tampa to double overtime. And um I I tell you, the SSC last year, I gotta be honest with you, Kevin and I did not give the SSC a lot of love. We felt that you guys were playing playing in conference, and you know, we just we had that whole thing, you know, and we never played the game. We're just looking at it from a standpoint of good lacrosse, who you're playing, that type of thing. And Coach Jurgensen said, uh-uh, you guys are wrong, man. The SEC is a balling out conference, and he was right. And this year, the S the SSC is just really doing great, you know, with four teams ranked, other teams receiving votes. So um, and and Rollins at sitting at number 11 right now, and it's gotta feel good for you, coach. It's gotta feel good.

SPEAKER_00 42:56

Yeah, it uh when I when I first got here back in 2011, uh, I had gone from probably legitimately, you know, one of the five top programs in the country over the four years that I was there at Merrimack. And then I came to work with somebody that was probably one of the worst five teams. And uh, you know, we struggled, we took our lumps. Um, but uh, you know, just the the belief in the young men in the message that we're selling and and and uh not just selling, but you know, we believe in it ourselves and and um you know just the ability to to compete and and do the best you can in just about everything you do. Um, you know, the those guys, you know, every day I feel blessed to go out on a field and and get to work with those guys because they they inspire me uh to do my job better. You know, hopefully I'm I'm doing the same for them. But it's you know a really, a really great thing for to see these guys have that kind of success out there on the field. Fun, fun stuff to watch.

SPEAKER_02 43:54

Absolutely great. Well done. Well said, Coach.

SPEAKER_00 43:56

Appreciate it, man. You guys do a great job. I love your uh I'd love that you're out there showcasing D2 lacrosse because, like you said, there's some, you know, there's some great games, and you can go and watch, you know, a live stream from, you know, there's some huge games coming up this weekend. Um, and and so there's a lot of good stuff out there for people to watch if if they're big fans of lacrosse.

SPEAKER_04 44:16

Yeah, and what I try to say too, coach, is if you're close to a team like Rollins, go to the game. There's nothing better than seeing it live. And so anyone who lives in the Orlando area, Rollins is a hop, skip, and a jump. Go watch a game. So thanks again, Coach, for coming on.

SPEAKER_00 44:35

All right, I appreciate it, you guys.

SPEAKER_02 44:37

Take care, coach. Chris Lewis, Rollins. You too. Take care. Thank you.

Games to Watch

SPEAKER_04 44:44

Oh, that was really fun having Coach Lewis on. And he kind of verified or validated for us what we've just been talking about about the SSC.

SPEAKER_02 44:54

Yeah, uh, Coach Lewis is uh he was great. And yes, the SSC is balling now, a lot of good teams, and their their conference is gonna have to start beating up on each other. And I can't wait to watch those games.

SPEAKER_04 45:06

Those will be good, those will be good. The only unfortunate thing, like Coach Lewis said, is after they do that, some of them start dropping out because they lose games now, because they're in conference, right? Yep, yeah. Okay, well, we had such great games last week. Let's look at games that to watch this week. And I've got one to start off with that may be surprising for people, not thinking we'd do this. So this is on Saturday, and it's a UDC against Malloy. Malloy is about they're they're two and four, and put up a good fight against Georgian Court and was almost they were beating Southern New Hampshire until they they had a run, until Southern New Hampshire had a run on them in the fourth. And UDC, they're improving from their first game, and they just had their first win against Caldwell. So I think this is gonna be an interesting matchup. You know, UDC is trying to come back from not playing last year, and and Coach Dunn is trying to get their his team to the next level.

SPEAKER_02 46:09

Yeah, yeah, Coach Dunn is you know, he's he's been playing somewhat competitively, you know. He's got a little some of the teams have been hard on his schedule. UDC, we had coach on what a great guy he was, and he he he said his team flat out, has a lot of work to do. Yeah, you know, he was he was very uh upfront about that, yeah. But he said how much he embraced the challenge and how much those kids at UDC embraced the challenge. So hey, go out there and play ball this week. And that Malloy UDC game would probably be probably be a pretty fun game to watch.

SPEAKER_04 46:47

Yeah, yeah. Okay, the next one I've got is Lemoyne against St. A's.

SPEAKER_02 46:53

This should be a good game. Saint A's is really good, Kevin. That their defense is just stifling. Uh CJ Hard and goal, they're very good. Let's see how Lemoy comes back from you know, they're not used to losing. Let's see how they come back. Let's see how they come back. I think that that'll show character and show you know a little bit of what kind of guys Coach Sheehan has because those kids aren't used to losing. No. But and sometimes, sometimes, uh Kev, I hate to say this, but sometimes a loss is good. I agree. I agree. You know, sometimes a stinging loss is enough to wake a sleeping bear.

SPEAKER_04 47:38

Right. And uh St. Anselm, uh they're undefeated, but they really haven't been tested yet. And this is definitely their test.

SPEAKER_02 47:46

They're gonna be tested, but they're very good team.

SPEAKER_04 47:48

They're ready, they'll be ready.

SPEAKER_02 47:49

They'll be ready. Their defense is good, Kev. Their defense is good. They're big, they're strong, they're fast, they're athletic, they they cause turnovers, they get their sticks and lanes, they're they're physical, they're good, St. A. So that should be a really good game to watch.

SPEAKER_04 48:04

Okay, the next one that I've got on the list is on Saturday, and it's number 12 Lyndon Wood going against U Indy, uh, the number four team in the nation. This is a critical GLVC matchup.

SPEAKER_02 48:23

Yeah, but and Undy's been really playing very well. So and Lindenwood has as well, you know. GLVC matchup, you know, we took in the beginning of the season when we did our conference uh roundups, we talked about how good the GLBC is, and this should be a good conference game between good some some really good teams.

SPEAKER_04 48:43

Yeah, I mean they're playing at Lindenwood, so that may give Lindenwood a little bit of a favor. And Lindenwood's just coming off a big win beating Lynn, and they beat Florida Southern earlier on. So you know, they've played some uh really good teams, right? We know what U Indy's been doing. You know, I think their last big test, though, to me was Seton Hill, but even Seton Hill hasn't been the Seton Hill that we know it. So that's this will be this this will be a game, a game to watch.

SPEAKER_02 49:11

So yeah, Kev, I agree with you 100%. You know, great another great week of games and another good week coming up for sure.

SPEAKER_04 49:19

A couple others on my list. Maryville Montevallo, really quickly. Montevallo's been playing good as of late. They're four and three, but they just beat North Greenville. It's a good win from them. Maryville's on a four-game win streak, and they're holding a 3-0 record against the Peach Belt. But I think this can be fairly evenly matched. I think Monteval's coming, they're there, they've been playing well, and they're ready to play against Maryville. It'd be a good game. Absolutely, I agree 100%. And then, of course, touching on a Sunday game, Seton Hill Mercy. You know, we know what Mercy's gonna be able to do, but I I look at this as this is definitely a tough matchup for Seton Hill sitting there at four and three. But that this is the game they need for their season.

SPEAKER_02 50:08

Yeah, Seton Hill needs this game, but they're gonna be in a tough it's gonna be an uphill battle. Oh, yeah, it's gonna be an uphill battle. So let's see what that's another good game to watch. That's a good game, but I think Mercy's gonna have the edge on that one, just my personal opinion.

SPEAKER_04 50:23

Oh, I agree, I agree. But uh let's see what the fight, what kind of fight Seton Hill can bring there. And I've got two others, Danny, uh, that are later in the week. One on Tuesday, and it's Florida Tech against Colorado Mesa. Colorado Mesa's coming east again, east and south. They're playing two SSC games. They're actually playing Tampa on Sunday, and then turning around and playing on Tuesday, they're playing Florida Tech. Now, Colorado Mesa is four-and-one, and they they left the East Coast last time with a two-and-one record. So let's see what they can do this time around with these two teams. It's gonna be tough for them, though, I think.

SPEAKER_02 51:01

Yeah, definitely gonna be tough. I agree with you.

SPEAKER_04 51:04

And then there's one next Wednesday, and that's Roberts Wesleyan against St. Rose. Roberts Wesleyan has been playing good. They're they're sitting four and one. You know, they played Deuville this this Saturday, and then they're gonna turn around and play Saint Rose. And then St. Rose has been playing really well, as we know, but this will be a real test for them. Now they have to play Bentley this weekend before they go and play Roberts Wesleyan. But I think this matchup between Roberts Wesley and St. Rose is a really good one. I think it's gonna be close.

SPEAKER_02 51:36

Yeah, two decent teams looking to battle it out. That should be a good one, too. I agree.

SPEAKER_04 51:42

Any others on your list? That's it, Kev.

SPEAKER_02 51:45

Uh that's it. That's all I got. You could pretty much hit the nail on the head. Just a quick, you know, to me, there's a couple surprise teams out there for me right now, and there's three of them that are sitting there. Rollins is a surprise team to me, sitting at six and oh at this point in the in the season. Maryville is a little surprise sitting at six and one. I didn't think they'd be as good as they are. And Anderson sitting at six and two is the surprise team for me right now. So those are my three little quick surprise teams. And I just want to give a quick shout out to Anderson's Bo Henson leading the country with 34 goals. That kid has just been on fire. So quick shout out to Bo. Keep keep keep burying the biscuit, buddy.

SPEAKER_04 52:29

There you go. There you go. I love

Player's Spotlight

SPEAKER_04 52:31

it. Let's move on to the player spotlight. I can't wait to get this one going because it was actually a listener request to have him come on. And I I can see why, Danny. His stats are extremely impressive. Not only for this season, he had 17 goals already this year in this young season, but his career, which has him over 150 goals in his career, that's just incredible.

SPEAKER_02 52:59

Yeah, this young man is uh definitely a baller, and I'm really excited to uh have him on the podcast.

SPEAKER_04 53:06

So let's welcome him on. Roberts Wesley and Attackman, Hunter Lemieux. Hey Hunter, welcome. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 53:14

Good, how are you doing? Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02 53:17

Uh, Hunter Lemieux, the attackman from Lockport, New York. How are you feeling tonight, kid?

SPEAKER_01 53:25

Good. Just got out of practice, nothing else going on tonight, fifth year.

SPEAKER_02 53:29

Okay, all right. So, yeah, most of the classes are done for you. Congratulations. You're just uh gonna get that fifth year in and uh get that last year of playing in. Hey, Hunter Lemieux, and last year, uh this year, you were selected ECC preseason player of the year, and you have the school record for points. And uh 21, you were drafted 15th by the Philadelphia Wings of the NLL. We're gonna talk about that as a little bit as well. You were named ECC Offensive Player of the Year and All-American honorable mention. Not too shabby, young fella. Not too shabby. And right now, like Kevin pointed out, you're sitting on 17 goals with eight assists in five games and had an eight-point game versus wheeling. Hunter, you're balling out, kid. What's going on, man? You feeling good? You're feeling loose, you're feeling free out there.

SPEAKER_01 54:21

Yeah, it's definitely be good. Uh, I think the start of the season is, I mean, everything we wished for so far. I think we have a good mixture of uh a lot of older guys and younger guys. And I think the younger guys are doing enough this year that I think it's going to be a good season. And obviously it already started off as one.

SPEAKER_04 54:41

Yeah, really good. Danny went through a lot of your stats, your accolades were just awesome. I'm gonna digress here a second because as I was getting ready, I knew you were coming on, I went back and watched the Chestnut Hill game. And I'm gonna tell you, I don't remember seeing wind that strong in any game I've ever watched. I mean, you guys are putting sandbags in the goalposts to keep them from flying away. So, what was that like to play in conditions like that? I just have to know.

SPEAKER_01 55:12

Yeah, definitely the weather conditions this year have definitely been the worst in all five years that I've been here. There's always been there's been basically something every single game. But uh yeah, that went. I've definitely never played in anything like that. It was actually just like literally tossing you around the field. You can't couldn't hear a single thing, no one was really communicating because you couldn't.

SPEAKER_02 55:31

Yeah, it was I hated playing in weather like that. I made I didn't like the rain. I didn't like practicing in the rain, I didn't like coaching in the rain, and I definitely hated the hell out of playing rain uh games in the rain. I just I was never good at it. Just I hated it.

SPEAKER_04 55:47

I'm I'm telling you, Danny, you if you haven't watched that game, you need to go back and watch it because when you see the wingmen going to their spot for a face-off, it looks like they're not moving and they're trying to run to the spot to get in position. Really? Oh, yeah. I mean, it was it was crazy. And and now I can see, I mean, talk about uh a lot of turnovers in that game on both sides. It wasn't just you, it was Chestnut Hill as well. And I'm sure that's exactly yeah, that's what you were saying, Hunter, about having no real good communication. You can't hear each other right next to each other, probably.

SPEAKER_01 56:23

Yeah, no, that game was terrible. I mean, you couldn't hear basically anyone unless you were right up against them. And I think, I mean, to be able to get a win out of a game like that where both teams are just constantly turning over the ball, and honestly, I don't think we even had a lead until we got that lead at the end of that game there. Uh, we've had a tough time starting off games on the right foot the whole entire season. We've had a lot of games where we've been starting off bad, and then obviously we end up winning the games, but I don't know. That was definitely the worst game ever played in.

SPEAKER_04 56:53

So let's talk about that for a second, just really quickly, uh, Hunter. You said you had a tough time starting off, but it seems like guys have a great record. What do you attribute that to? Is it is it you being able guys being able to get over adversity? Is it seeing your leadership? What do you think?

SPEAKER_01 57:09

I think we just have a tough time coming out and starting games the right way. I think um the last game was a little bit different against Felician, but previous to that, I think our first tasks just haven't been what we want them to be. Uh, we're just not getting as many possessions as we need and we're not clearing the ball, just making simple mistakes that lead to us going down early and then us having to crawl back into games. But I think we have enough senior leadership on the team and enough older guys to not have to worry about being able to come back into a game. Since I've been here, we've came back from seven goal deficits, five goal deficits. Like, I don't think that there's a certain amount of goals that we don't think that we can come back from. And I think that attributes to just, I guess, the kind of culture that we have here.

SPEAKER_02 57:53

Very interesting.

SPEAKER_04 57:55

So let me switch a little bit and just ask you how did you get started in lacrosse?

SPEAKER_01 58:01

Uh I started playing lacrosse when I was around three years old. So older brothers, you have older you have older brothers? Yeah, I had an older brother. So uh he played in Canada, and my mom was actually really good friends with the Kogores um in high school. So they always went over to Niagara on the Lake to play lacrosse. And so that's how it kind of started. My brother played there since he was young, and then I kind of just followed along. And uh I played for Niagara on the Lake all the way up to my first two years in juniors. Wow. And and I didn't start playing field across until about 15, 16, something like that.

SPEAKER_02 58:41

Wow, kind of late. Kind of late. Yep. What do you think of the of the field lacrosse game? Do you like it better or do you like that box lacrosse better?

SPEAKER_01 58:50

Uh I've always liked box to cross more. Just the ability. It's just a it's a totally different game, right? I mean, I can't even say like I like one more than the other or something like that, but I do like box because it is a total different game. You're setting picks that you can totally move a guy. You're not, you don't have to stand still. They're not calling half as much as the stuff that they're calling in field. And I just don't I think a lot more consistent too with the calls, right? Because field across, you get one ref that you're slightly moving on a pick. There's certain refs that'll call the slash, they'll call this, they'll call that. But I think box across is just consistent in how it's played.

SPEAKER_02 59:25

Very interesting.

SPEAKER_04 59:27

Yeah, so let's go with that. As Danny mentioned, you were picked 15th overall in the NL draft. Tell us what that was like for you.

SPEAKER_01 59:36

Yeah, that was definitely a big night. I guess a lot of a lot of nerves too, right? You don't think you're gonna get picked, you're not sure when you're gonna go. But uh getting picked to Philly, uh, that was a team that I talked to a lot prior to the draft. And it was a team that I hoped I would go to. And uh being selected that early, it was kind of a surprise to me, right? Because everything that I saw going out, I was gonna be that second, second round, maybe third round, something like that. But going in the first round was definitely a surprise to me.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:06

How exciting. That's like an exciting thing, man. Is that was that something you wanted to do at a young age? Did you want to do that, or did that come on later on in your lacrosse career? Hey man, I I'm I'm possibly could go in the NLL. Was it something you look forward to as a young kid, or did it come on a little later on?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:24

Uh, I definitely think that's every kid's dream, right? You want to go play professional lacrosse and you're playing a sport that you love, and obviously, why wouldn't you want to go play professional? But I think when I realized um that there was like a chance is when I first uh went to Burlington, which I uh got drafted prior to like junior race when I was younger. And so I got drafted to Kitchener and I got traded a couple times and then ended up in Burlington, and that's where I ended up playing my last two to three years of juniors. And I think once I got to Burlington, you see all the players around you getting drafted, and it's it's like, oh, maybe it maybe I am a lot closer than I think I am. And I guess that was where I came to cool, cool stuff.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:09

So let's switch it up a little bit. Tell me, what's it like playing for Coach Delfino at Roberts Wesley?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:19

It's definitely different, it's an experience, right? Uh he's definitely an old he's old he's an old school guy, right? So he's not he's not like the younger coaches and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:30

I like those old school guys, though. Those old school guys bring something different to the table, like they bring that fundamental, that old school blue-collar mentality. That's why I like old school guys. So I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I I really go for those old school guys. So go ahead.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:47

Well, and and you can look at us, Hunter, right now. You can look at Danny and me. You can see why we like old school guys, right? Give us mugs.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:55

No, and that's and that's the thing. Like uh he's kind of built like a culture here. It's we are kind of as a kind of quality over quantity school. I mean, we don't have we don't have any of the stuff that all of these other big schools have, right? We're not getting all the equipment, all the sticks, all the all the extra stuff. We're not getting it here at the school. And basically he's just kind of brought, we bring in, I think what do we have now, maybe 25, 26 guys. We're not we don't ever have the big roster. And we have a single goalie this year, which multiple of our goalies quit. And this isn't the first time we've only had one goalie.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:30

Damn.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:31

Yeah. So I guess I mean it's just a culture that's been built here that like we're we're a family, right? Because we only have a certain amount of guys. So we're not gonna, we basically have no other choice but to play for the guy next to us.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:46

Yeah, makes a hell of a lot of sense. Well, wow, very well said, young man. Very well said for sure.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:52

Yeah, I mean, I would say, Hunter, that what you just described for what your team has been able to do the last couple of years gives it even more of credibility for where the program's at. When you have that small of a roster, and anytime you get an injury or someone quits, it could have a devastation on your on your season for that year because of the smaller numbers. What you guys have been able to do the last four four years or so is just phenomenal.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:21

Yes. Like over the last four years, I mean, when I came in, what were we winning? Three, four games a year, and it was kind of like we basically the mentality was different, I think, a little bit here, right? Because those guys have been here for four years, and I think that they might have thought that we were about to lose these games, and they just expected to lose these games. And I just think the mentality is a lot different now where we go into games, and it's it's always it's always like we think we're gonna win, right? It's a different mentality that we have built since I've been here, and you can just definitely tell that all the guys totally are on board of where the program's going. And just in my small five years here, you can see how much of a difference that uh just changing the way that the whole entire team looks at every single game on the schedule.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:07

Well, you know what you're doing real well that I I love is that you're sharing the rock. You know, I love those players that look to dish and get and get that open, man. You know, being who you are and leading the Red Hawks in scoring and and being the all-time leader, you're gonna draw doubles, you're gonna draw their best pole, and and you're getting rid of the ball. And and that's uh uh that's a character trait that comes from within, that comes from your heart. You know, you're playing for the team and not for yourself. And that's something that I really admire about your playing, Hunter. I really admire that.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:46

Yeah, and I guess I would say that my role has changed definitely since my freshman year here, right? Because my freshman year, I was definitely the goal scorer. Like not many people knew about who I was and what was I guess I was totally new to college across and everything. So it wasn't the best pull every single game, but now I guess all the attention is drawn. So it's always just make the simple play. And I think we have a great on offense this year. I think our offense is one of the strongest offenses I've been a part of here between last year and this year. We definitely, there's just so many different guys that are a threat this year that I think defense having a tough time. I think most defenses that we've already played have had a tough time knowing who to put the pole on at MIDI. We have a lot of good MIDI's coming out of the box and just being able to find matchups, and we've just been exploiting them really well this year.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:41

Well, I uh wish you continued success. You've been, like I said, off to a really hot four and one start, but that one loss coming to number one Lemoyne, and that's not so tough to take, you know, because they're a really, really, really good team. But the Red Hawks are off to a firing start and continued to. Success to you.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:01

Thank you. Thank you very much for having me.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:03

But we're not finished. We're not. We're not finished. Kev, tell them all about it.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:08

So you you said a great thing about how you your your team culture, you've got a lot of players on offense that you rely on now. Well, you have no one to rely on in the next few minutes here, Mr. Lemieux. You're going into the firing round with Danny Moran. He's going to give you quick 10 quick questions you got to answer, one after another. You think you're ready? I'm I know he's ready.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:32

I know he's ready. All right. So 10 questions, real quick. You fire off from the top of your head, whatever comes out. Okay. All right. We know that my first question was the first sport you picked up. So we know that it was lacrosse at three. So who'd you look up to? Who do you look up to in lacrosse?

SPEAKER_01 1:06:51

Uh, I'd say John Tavares.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:54

John Tavares, good pick. Okay. Question number three: PlayStation or Xbox?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:00

Xbox. My phone's leaning on it right now. Favorite pro athlete.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:07

Oh, that's a tough one. I'd say Josh Allen. Josh Allen. Oh, good choice. Good choice. Ready for this one? Runs or lifts? Lifts. Lifts, okay. Some guys say most guys say runs, but there's been a couple that says lifts. Okay, you got to give a shout out to one of you guys on your team. Who's the funniest guy on the squad?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:32

Uh it's gotta be, I'd say Dan Dovier.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:35

Dan Dovier, what's so funny about Dan? Uh, he's just a funny guy. He's just a funny guy.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:43

You'd have to meet Dan to know.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:46

Uh does he does he have a dry sense of humor or is it an outgoing sense of humor? What's so funny about him?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:53

Uh, I think he's he's just all over the place.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:55

I think that's a good is he the guy you want to sit next to on the bus or not? Want to sit next to on the bus?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:03

He he's my lock, he's right next to me. His locker's right next to me.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:07

Oh awesome. Okay, next question. Who's the best all-around athlete on the team? All around athlete now. All around athlete.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:19

Uh I'd say Garrett Marsh.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:22

Garrett Marsh and why? What's it what's so good about him? What's he got?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:26

Uh, I'd say athletically just running. And but on top of that, he's just a machine in the weight room.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:34

Oh, okay. Garrett, man. You got a shout-out from your boy Hunter. All right. What kind of music do you listen to?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:42

Oh, I'm all over the place. But I would say consistently, like pregame and stuff like that, it's gotta be, it's always rap. Rap. I I'm country rock, like it doesn't really matter to me. I listened to it all.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:54

Okay, so what was the last song you listened to?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:57

The last song I listened to. I'm not sure. I I can't even tell you. Okay. Probably not sure if you guys know him.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:06

Probably what? Say that again. Probably polo G. Polo G. No, I don't know him. I'll last more he's done. I I got three boys that I bet you they know them.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:17

Yeah, mine does too.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:18

Yeah. All right. Here's my favorite. Give us your best impression of Coach Delphino. On the line. On the line? Uh is that is that one of his uh because he's pissed off and now you guys got to start running. So he says on the line. Oh, yeah. Okay. All right. Hey, and uh what's your plan if the NLL, let's say it doesn't go the way you want it to, what would you do for a living if you didn't have the NLL?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:52

Oh, I'm still definitely gonna have a full-time job uh with along with the NLL, but I plan on hopefully getting in to it's gonna be something business related, right? But my uh major is management and marketing. So hopefully something with sales or any any like entry-level business.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:13

Okay, great. Hey Hunter Lemieux, you did great in the firing round. You did great, you're a great guest tonight. You're a hell of a ball player. Keep keep it up for Roberts Wesley and uh give Coach Delfino our our regards. We we we love the guy, and uh thank you so much for coming on the show tonight. We really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:33

Thank you.

Final Thoughts

SPEAKER_04 1:10:36

All right, Danny. Uh in closing, right now, I guess we have to give a shout out to all our listeners for us going over 10,000 downloads on this podcast.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:49

Well, you know what, Kevin? Congratulations to you, my friend. Congratulations, 10,000. That's that's amazing to me. I I am humbled beyond anything I can say. I really don't know what to say except thank you to all the listeners for for listening and to reach 10,000, something that I wouldn't I never dreamed of. I just never did.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:16

Well, you know, it's we have fun every week doing this. I I love doing it with you, Danny. It's just great to talk uh instead of on Facebook uh doing it live over Zoom with you every week. Yeah, it's cool. And and just uh, and like I always write in all the show show notes as a shameless plug, if you like D2 lacrosse and you've been listening and you like what we are doing, please help us spread the word.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:43

I couldn't agree with you more. I we realize what D2 did for our kids, and we know the experience our kids had playing Division II lacrosse. And you know what, parents, there's some of you that your kids are out there, or you may know somebody that the kids are junior or a sophomore in high school and getting ready to take that next step. Don't you know, don't close the door on division two.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:09

Yeah, I think you said it really well. It's the experience that we want to give to other people, the the great experience that we've had, not only watching our kids, but just watching the games.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:20

You know, and and in the past eight months, we've been able to have close to 20 coaches on, and now we've getting players on, and the coaches have been nothing but great, you know, they've been really cool to come on to they don't know us. Who the hell are these two guys? You know, hey, they do a podcast, and now now, like one coach told us, I listen to every podcast, and I'm blown away by that. So to reach 10,000 is is a milestone. And hey, cheers to you, my friend. You do a lot of work back there in Northern Virginia, and you do a great job, and it's a ton of fun to come on here and spend an hour with you, and uh hope we can get a couple of ten thousand more and keep it going. That's all I want.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:08

So, with that, Danny, it's a wrap. It's a wrap, Kev.