Game Time - A look back at week 7 and a preview of Week 8 of the 2023 season

SPEAKER_01 0:00

This episode of Increase is sponsored by Score Break. What is Score Break? Score Break is the latest in sports video technology that allows you to view your practice with game stones in real time. It is the communication and collaboration software built into a film analysis platform. Here's the kicker. Score break takes live stats with your video instantly live on the sideline or immediately after the game. And because corporate uses cloud technology, the video can be reviewed and curated instantly, anywhere, anytime. Corporate gives coaches at any level access to powerful analysis tools that only high-level programs have the resources for the past. They've removed the limitations to coaching workloads. Corporate is rooted in the cost and is the reason for buyers of choice at all levels. The overall mission is to save coaches valuable time and improve their efficiency. So if you schedule a demo with Scorebreak and mention in the crease, Scorebreak will give you 10% off your first year. So visit Scorebreak today at www.scorebreak.io.

Intro

SPEAKER_02 1:32

I'm your co-host, Kevin Stenstrom, and with me as always is the new voice of our sponsor, Scorebreak, Danny Moran.

SPEAKER_01 1:41

What do you think, Danny? Hey, Kev, I'm excited. I'm excited. How's it going tonight in Northern Virginia?

SPEAKER_02 1:48

It's going really well. You know what? I'm really excited to have Scorebreak. I know you are too. Really excited to have Scorebreak as a sponsor. You know, we've talked about this probably for over a year about you know, should we get sponsors? How do we do that? And we made a conscious decision that if and when we felt we were ready to add sponsorships, we wanted it to be with products that we believe in. 100%. And we could have done things like got you know ads posted from Buzz Sprout from other podcasts doing it. You know, we've done that in other podcasts. That's not what our what we wanted. We wanted something that we we believed in. And as you know, I met some folks from Scorebreak, Ben Abram at LaxCon Fan Fest, and I saw their product there, and I was blown away. And that's how it all started. You and I had several meetings with them. We got the demo, we knew what they could provide. And it's it's just a phenomenal product for any coach out there, college, high school, club. Don't you agree?

SPEAKER_01 2:58

Well, yeah, uh, you know, after seeing the demonstration that Ben and the people, the good people at Scorebreak gave to us, and being a former football coach and one who's used film and used film for analysis, I've I've used Huddle, you know. I know what it's like to put the film in and then break it down one play by one play. And well, you know, Scorebreak is a million years ahead of that. Everything's in real time, Kev. It's just a great tool. It it merges stats on in real time. You can have camera angles, you can have multiple cameras if you choose. Let's say you wanted to get a second camera, you could use an iPhone, yeah, and and tape it to a stick and put it in the corner of the end zone. And as long as you have the app that can download into the database, and and literally you could have multiple camera angles. It it's just an amazing product.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Yeah, and you're you're exactly right. And the app where you can actually do the stats as it's going, you know, hit for face-offs, hit for goals, and then it automatically cuts it for you. Even I could do that, Danny. And I'm certainly no expert.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Exactly. You know, I'm no tech savvy guy, but that was pretty impressive. And and what scorebreak can do for a coach is limit the amount of time that he has to be in an office breaking down film when this can be done instantaneously on the on the sideline, at half court, at half court, at you know, wherever you have it. The NBA's been using it. High, you know, high point university lacrosse uses it. Um, D big Division I basketball schools are using scorebreaks.

SPEAKER_02 4:42

A lot of the all all the big D1 lacrosse uh teams are using, and there's several D2 teams too. So it's it's just a great product uh that we and we're really excited to have this partnership with them. They're obviously sponsoring us, and but like we said, we're doing it because we really believe in in what they can do, and like you said, what it can do to save time for these coaches, they can even set up like chats and send the little clips out to their players, and it's just so dynamic in what it can do.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

You know, who would have thought two knuckleheads that never played the game, who started a podcast on a whim, uh almost a year and a half later is now sponsored. I would have I would have never thought of that.

SPEAKER_02 5:28

Yeah, I I I hear you, I hear you, and that's why we have to thank Scorebreak because they believe in what we're doing, and we believe in what they're doing. So it's a it's a great partnership.

Top 10 Roundup

SPEAKER_02 5:39

Yep. All right, so you ready to move on to the top 10 roundup?

SPEAKER_01 5:44

I'm ready to go. Top 10 roundup. This week's top 10 roundup, Kev. Number one, Lemoyne beat number nine, Saint A's nine to eight in a really, really good game. Number two, Mercyhurst lost to number eight, U Indy, nine-six. Number three, Mercy is on a roll, Kev. They beat Roberts Wesley in 21-14. Adelphi beat Southern New Hampshire 17-7 and still is undefeated. Number five, Tampa beat Colorado Mesa 19-11, and the Spartans are still at 7-1. Number six, Lenore Ryan beat Gatawa rather handily, 20-9, Kev, and uh the Bears are at 8-1. Number seven, the Wingate Bulldogs beat LMU rather handily, 12-2, and the Bulldogs sit at 7-1. Number eight, U Indy, like I said before, beat number two, Mercyhurst 9-6. St. A's lost to Lemoyne. St. A's was number nine. And jumping into the top 10 for the first time ever in program history, Frostburg State beat St. Thomas Aquinas 20 to 4. And the Frostburg State sits at 6 and oh, Kev. And that's this week's top 10 roundup.

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Perfect. I know exactly when you win the top 10 roundup with the regal music.

Week in Review

SPEAKER_02 7:27

All right. That that was great. Yeah, great week in the top 10 there. But let's move on to the week in review. Danny, I think this week proved once again the parody in this division, which makes every week fun to watch, but tough to predict. And we definitely got a few wrong as we predicted last week. So why don't we just start off with uh the supposed upset, but it really wasn't that much of an upset, I don't think. Mercy Hurst against U Indy, top 10 matchup.

SPEAKER_01 8:00

Oh no, that was an upset, but you know, that was that was a good game. Yeah, you indie Undy's defense. That was my first note. U Indy's defense. I thought they played outstanding defense.

SPEAKER_02 8:14

Yeah, I had the same note really on both sides. I thought it made the game pretty slow and methodical all the way through. Um but the and the big difference, like you just said the difference, the big difference was U Indy holding Lakers scoreless, scoreless for over 30 minutes, including the whole third quarter.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

Kevin, Ethan Landonmore, Miles Hammer, two of the best scorers in division two for the past few years, they held him to one goal apiece.

SPEAKER_02 8:44

Exactly, had the exact same note, Danny. That's exactly right. Exactly right. That's how great UND's defense played. And and I and I would say I would also say this that there were several sloppy turnovers by Mercyhurst in that game. Face off, I think face-off wins by Undy. Some of those turnovers, the turnovers were 17 to Undy's nine. So a pretty good difference. That gave Undy commanding possession time in the third to really kind of break out a little bit and get the score up.

SPEAKER_01 9:20

Well, Kevin, you know, if you ask me, like the way I saw the game, like you said, it was slow and methodical, but you know, that two it was two good teams playing pretty good, playing really good lacrosse. I mean, there wasn't a whole lot of mistakes. Again, a couple of turnovers, a couple of calls turnovers, some ground balls on the ground. But you know what? These balls were picked up and moved quickly. U Indy loves to get out and transition. If you can if they can if they can get the ball out quick, they are dangerous. Okay. Now, I felt that this game was pretty much dominated by Undy's defense. I felt that Ben Foster, he's a really, really good short stick D middy. I mean, he's just seems to be he reminds me of Troy Palomalo from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's in every play on defense. He's in on every play. He's just a really, really good player. Evan Sousse, 6'1, 200-pound defenseman. Josh Jackson, 6'4, 220 defenseman, Dougie Crawford. I mean, these guys played their butts off, okay? But if you ask me, Kev, the turning point in this game came at about the 13-minute mark of the third third quarter. Mercy Hurst was man up. Landamore took a shot. Casey Carlson, the Undy goalie, made the save. And instantly got the outlet pass to Ben Foster, who had a beautiful fast break, then led and fed Tristan Schaefer to tie it at five. UND won the ensuing face-off, and 30 seconds later, Drew Billick buried the biscuit to give Undy the lead. And you could see at that moment the momentum shift. UND out hustled, outplayed. They played much faster in the second half. And I felt that that save by Casey Carlson and that outlet pass to Foster and a quick fast break goal to tie it was really the changing point of that game.

SPEAKER_02 11:21

Well, and I think you said it. It's not just that, but it's the next play off the face-off. Put those two together, you know, and and that kind of dictated how the third quarter was going to go, where I think the real difference was made in that game. You know, but Mercier got within two with about four minutes left and actually had the ball with 126 to play. So they have a chance right there to make it interesting. But you talk about Undy's defense, their 10-man ride allowed Undy to take it back. Yeah. And then they and and then score with 33 seconds left. So it you're like you said, Mercy Hurst didn't play a bad game. They played a very good game. They just were the the Undy's defense and that third quarter with some of the offensive plays that uh UND had, like you said, some in transition, some just unsettled when you get off that that that face off was the difference.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Kevin, I think Undy looks scary good. They look hungry, they look fast, they look aggressive, they they play the game well. Their defense is stout, and their offense, you know, with Billlig and Tristan Schaefer and Nick Rengar and those guys. Yep, they they can bury the biscuit. You know what? Whoever has to play Undy is gonna be you you better bring your A game because those guys can play, and they really showed it against the good Mercy Mercy Hurst.

SPEAKER_02 12:49

And I think I think that's the point, Danny. We could say the same thing about Mercyhurst, maybe not in this game, but look how they played against Wingate. I think every one of these teams, the parody in this division is crazy good. And I think one of the differences in this game, too, if you look at it from just a stat perspective, is man up. UND went two for two, Mercyhurst went 0 for three. Yeah, it's just little things. That's not yeah, it's huge, but it's a little thing, right?

SPEAKER_01 13:18

It's just little that makes a difference. Absolutely. You know, every everything counts in a game like this. You know, every possession in a game like that counts. You know what I'm saying? Every every possession, you know, which you know what it was a pretty good game, and uh hats off to you, Indy. They're playing real well, Kevin.

SPEAKER_02 13:36

Yeah, yeah. Like you said, scary good. Don't want to play him if I if I don't have to, but um, it would already be on the schedule, so you'd have to if you're gonna play against them. Wait till the let's see how they they finish out the GLVC conference. That'll be really interesting. All right, how about Lemoyne St. A's? Another good game.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Saint A's blew it, man. Saint A's. Why did you slow down in the third quarter? They were playing so fast and furious, Kev. They were they had Lemoyne on their on their heels. They had him.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

It's funny, Danny. You say that. I I saw that and I'm and I watched the game. I I guess I didn't see it. I didn't see it the same way totally for some reason. I must have missed it when I was watching it. Maybe it was just because I was watching the scores and it was it was a close game. They were only up by like two that they got up, or maybe three. But it it it to me seemed like it was still a defensive struggle. They had a lot of shots, but they had a lot of shots that they missed. They had a lot of shots that they were trying from outside that weren't going in in the first half. St. A's going to be cool.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

Saint A's or looking a's. It's only their second, third game. There's teams, there's teams we've been talking about have been seven and one, eight and one.

SPEAKER_02 14:52

They've got nine games under their belt. I'm not saying that it, I'm saying that also, I mean, that's what I'm saying. It was because of the defense. They didn't have all great looks, and and that is, in my opinion, Saint A's MO. They get off a lot of shots, they keep trying to put it in, and that and that works for them. You know, it does. I mean, you look at how they play, you know, but if you look, it's funny, if you look at the stats. So Saint A Saint A's shot 41 shots to Lemoyne's 26. I was shocked at that number. But then you look at shots on goal, Saint A's only had 15, and Lemoyne had 16. Only one more, but if you look at the percentage-wise, it's a lot different.

SPEAKER_01 15:44

You know, I I just I just felt that St. A's had all the momentum. They were winning 7-5 at halftime. Every time Lemoyne made a move, St. A's had an answer. St. A's had the answer this time. It usually is Le Moyne that has the answer. This time it was St. A's. And they were and it was a good game even into the fourth quarter. And then all of a sudden, you could just see St. A's saying, okay, let's start milking the clock. And you know what? I just said, it's too early. Eight minutes is too early to milk the clock against a Dan Sheen Dolphins defense. It's just too early. DM. Hey, are you watching the Lemoyne game? Yes, I am. Why did they slow down? They had them. I was like, I I agree with you. I just so uh a listener out there DM'd me.

SPEAKER_02 16:37

Yeah, and I saw I saw it on you know, I saw it on Facebook, and that's when I went and I hadn't watched the game yet because I was traveling. So I watched it and I was specifically try to look for that. I I'll just tell you, I didn't see it that way. I I can see I I just must have missed it. I I saw them playing it was I don't know, I just did not see that the real I didn't see a huge change from how they played in the second quarter to the third quarter. I just wasn't playing the same way.

SPEAKER_01 17:07

It was the fourth quarter. That's where St. May started to put the brakes on, you know, like you're hey, you're ahead by two goals against the number one team in the country. That's not enough. And and you're in control of the game. You you know, for the most part, they were in control. I mean, Le Moyne is Le Moyne, Kev. They're gonna, they're a good squad, they're gonna get theirs, but they're known for their defense. So, what did I DM back to that guy who DM'd me? I said, it's far too early for Coach Sheehan and his defense. Now it's lockdown time. Next thing you know, Ethan Lownd put one in, brought Lemoyne into one, you know, and then and then Z lost the next two possessions. They lost the next two possessions. One was a shot clock, and the other one was a turnover. And off the Le Moyne, off the turnover, Lemoyne scored and tied it at seven with 453 left. And it was like, here's Le Moine. Yeah, here's Lemoyne. And what happened? At the 155 mark, Lemoyne won the ensuing face-off, and and Seth Benedict found Kyle Caves in front of the net, and it was Caves' only goal of the day, and he put the the Dolphins up by one with 35 seconds left.

SPEAKER_02 18:29

Yeah, but here's what I would say to that. So I my note was after that they tied it at 453 left. I said if I had not known the final score, because I did at that point, I would have said the way the game had gone the whole way, whoever scores next wins. Because 453, I mean, you look at the score, they went, it wasn't a prolific scoring game, right? So I figure whoever gets, if it was me, if I hadn't seen it, I've said whoever gets to eight wins. St. Aides gets that with a great dodge down the alley by Claflin with 348 left. Now that's still a lot of time, and then you're right. Then Lemoyne ties it with 155 left. They win the face-off. Dan Sheen calls a timeout, and then, you know, 34 seconds left, like you said, Cal Caves, who, oh, by the way, is the same player we talked about who didn't even play last year, had like five goals another game, and then buries the winner with 34 seconds left.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

And it was his only goal of the game, the only goal of the game for him. So pretty damn good goal to get. You know, Lemoyne's been in a couple of close games, you know. They they're they're not blowing good teams out, but they're beating good teams, Kevin. They're beating them. Yeah, they're finding a way to finish. St. A's had them where they wanted them. And I just felt they put the brakes on too early. That's just my opinion. Just from, you know, I like that fast-paced game, you know, and and when you when you're working the ball and moving the ball quick, good things happen. And he just started milking the clock, a bad pass here and there, shot clock violation, bad shot, lose possession. At that, that was costly to the same ays. I bet you these two when they play again, because they're gonna meet each other in the NE10 conference tournament, I guarantee it.

SPEAKER_02 20:18

Yeah, it'll be it'll be fun to watch and see how see how Saint A's maybe changes things up, or like you you said with your keen eye, you know, doesn't doesn't slow it down. So, how about did you watch the Lewis Alabama Huntsville game?

SPEAKER_01 20:35

I did not watch it, but you know what? I was shocked, I think, by the score, Kevin.

SPEAKER_02 20:42

So here's my note. This is exactly what what I one of those first sentence in my notes, one of those I would have said Lewis would win. At home, in the snow and wind, you would think they would have the advantage.

SPEAKER_01 21:01

We both thought that Lewis was gonna win that game.

SPEAKER_02 21:04

Yeah, so you know, the Lemoyne game, it was snowing for most of the game, or at least the first half. This game, it was snowing at one point. The visibility was horrendous. I watched this on replay, Danny. It was horrendous. And you see at halftime, you see all the fans coming out of the stands, and even the announcers, like, yeah, these aluminum stands, it is freezing there. And people are like going to their cars. They did a 20-minute halftime break. Both teams go to locked rooms to try to warm up, and I guarantee every fan went to their car, turned on their heat, turned on their heated seats. I've done that, warmed up. It was crazy. But you know what? It was it was a great game. It was uh it was it was another one of those kind of in a way defensive struggles. I think the weather definitely had something to do with it. They were probably unlike some of the other games that we talked about. Some some turnovers and whatnot just because of the wind and the visibility that you just couldn't see. But the Lewis actually started the way we thought they would. They went up, they were up in the first 3-1, and it was 3-2 after one. But after that, the Flyers really cooled down. And the Chargers were doing a good job of not giving them space to shoot. They their defense started to clamp down. And so in the second quarter, there was, like I said, not much offense, just nasty conditions. And so it just was tied. It was tied uh 4-4. Uh I think at half. Oh, it's 3-3 at half, and then it was 4-4. So it's kind of go back and forth. Uah takes a two-goal lead, 6-4 with 9-10 left. And then Lewis players, I have a note here that Lewis players at this point didn't really look like they're moving off ball on offense that much. They were cold. They were cold. Yeah. I don't blame them. I mean, maybe Way wouldn't stay warm, you fly, but I'm telling you, the conditions had something to do with it. Uh the Flyers get within one after a man-up goal of 6-5, and it stays that way till the end of the quarter. Uah then took a three-goal lead with 431 left in the game, it was 8-5. Uh, and uh Lewis finally scored in the fourth with 105 remaining, but that, you know, that was about it. It was just a tough, gritty game. Here's the deal Lewis scored zero goals in the second and only one in the fourth, and that was the difference. Wow. Wow. And once again, man up, Lewis was only one for four in man up. So if they could have changed that around, that could have made a difference.

SPEAKER_01 23:49

That's a big win for UAH, man. That's a big win. You know what?

SPEAKER_02 23:55

It is. It is. But I like you said, I thought Lewis was going to win, but UAH has had some good wins against quality teams in the GLVC. They beat Maryville. They did lose to Rockers. Now they can beat, come back and beat Lewis. It is a very good win for that program.

SPEAKER_01 24:12

Yeah, and I think it's good enough that they got into the top 20 in the USILA. Yeah, I think they sit right at 20, right? I think it's the first time in school history that they've been ranked. And we got a peach belt team, Kev, in the top 20. Can you believe it?

SPEAKER_02 24:27

It's great, great to see. It's great to see.

SPEAKER_01 24:30

Awesome. So that with that big win for UAH comes big rewards. And UAH sitting at 20 in the USILA polls, first time in school history. Gotta give them guys a you know, hats off for a big win. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 24:47

Exactly. All right. So a couple more games I've got on the ledger here that we talked about last week. They happened on Monday and Tuesday. Today, as we're recording, was the last one that was done. But you mentioned in the top 10 roundup, Tampa against Colorado Mesa 1911. Did you get to watch any of that game? I did. I did. Yeah. So I mean, here's what I just quickly on this one. Here's one stat that one of the announcers said, one of the commentators. Since their loss, Danny, when they lost to Frostburg, the two games after that, they went on a 39-7 run against their two opponents. And they did it again. It's like that loss. You know, sometimes a loss, it's good for a team. It wakes them up.

SPEAKER_01 25:39

It woke up Tampa. Yeah, Matthew Dido, oh Blake Umer. Those guys played really well.

SPEAKER_02 25:45

Blake Ulmer had 19 saves. I'll tell you that the Ulmer, but this is what I note I had. And tell me if you agree with me. He had some really typical clutch, he had a typical clutch game. But I think his defense really helped him out because some of the shots he was getting were easy for him.

SPEAKER_01 26:06

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, he looked real good in goal the other night. He looked very comfortable and the defense looked stout. Colorado Mason's a good team beat up on Rollins a couple of weeks last weekend and um had to come out east. And I was just wondering maybe if they were just a little tired because they didn't look like the same team that beat Rollins the week before.

SPEAKER_02 26:26

Well, they just beat Florida Tech. So they've had a tough run of tough teams to play.

SPEAKER_01 26:31

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 26:31

I will tell you what I saw. First of all, they couldn't stop uh Tampa and transition offense.

SPEAKER_01 26:38

No, it's too much Tampa, too much offense, too much defense, just too much too much.

SPEAKER_02 26:43

We talked to Frostburg. One of their goals was to try to stop them in transition. And I think Colorado Mesa, I think, first of all, sometime in the uh in either the first or second quarter, I had a note that that it was oh first quarter, very fast moving. You don't want to get in a track meet with Tampa. Colorado Monsons got a lot of good, fast athletic players. I know when we you know we've talked to them before, that's kind of what they want to do. But I think with Tampa, that's a tough thing to do. And it just was something, not that they couldn't keep up with that. I think kind of they were trying to settle down, but they just couldn't stop Tampa in transition. And Tampa's D was tenacious.

SPEAKER_01 27:24

Yeah, they look very good. They look very good. Tampa's a good team, Kev. We know that. We know that the country knows that. They had a little slip up, and I don't think that's gonna really hurt them much. Anyone who plays Tampa is gonna be in for her. But he a long, tough afternoon.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

Exactly. I have to give a shout-out though to one offensive player on Tampa who we haven't talked about a lot, and that's Canyon Birch. He had six goals, Danny. And if you look at some of his goals, they were in tight, tight spaces. He would get in between the post and the goalie, not you know, top side on the other side, in between. Some really slick goals.

SPEAKER_01 28:05

So he had a great game. Yeah, again, I just you know, I'm not taking anything away from Tampa. I just wonder if Colorado Mesa, if the Mavs were just a little maybe had them dead legs from you know the trip in the two games back to back, and just you know what Mesa's a good team again. Not the same team I saw play Rollins last week. No, no, just no, you know, there was a pep in their step last week, there was urgency in their play, and I just you know, and you know what? They still put up how many 11 goals on Tampa?

SPEAKER_02 28:34

Yeah, they lost 1911. They're a great team, and and now they they've got to go against Palm Beach Atlantic, so they're still down there. You know, they went Rollins in their area, which like we said, kudos to Rollins to go out to Salt Lake City, then they flew to Florida, they've got Florida Tech, Tampa, and Paul Beach Atlantic. That is a lot, yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

Okay, it's not an easy thing. You know, going on the road, Kev, you know, you your your business takes you on the road. You know, it can wear you down a little bit. You're not in your home surroundings, you're not eating the food that you like, you're not munching on the gold finger stuff that you like to eat when you watch Netflix. It's a little different when you're on the road, you know.

SPEAKER_02 29:13

So Danny, Danny, I'm still from my jet lag from the West Coast, I'm still like my eyes on closing at two in the afternoon. So I I hear you 100%.

SPEAKER_01 29:25

Yeah, so hey, but you know what, like you just said, you pointed out, and you pointed it out well that the Mavs are a good team. So yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 29:32

So I know we talked about this before we started recording. The other game we talked about on Games to Watch was Malloy Post, and we said it was a pick'em. I did not get to watch it, it was played today on Tuesday afternoon. I actually had to focus on my day job. What's the deal with that, Danny? So I'm gonna have to watch this on replay. Malloy wins it 1312. We called it as a pick'em. I think we may even even we'll have to go back and look. We may have even said we gave the nod to Malloy. We did, but this was a close, it was back and forth, Danny. I just got this from the box score. Malloy up by three in the first, four to one. But guess what? Post crawls back in, and by the third, they're up by three, ten-seven. Wow. Malloy doesn't give up. In the end of the third, they scored three in a row and tie it 10-10 with 20 seconds left in the third. And then it goes back and forth. Malloy goes up by two, 13-11, with 349 left to play. Post scores with 13 seconds left to make it 13-12. But you know, you know, with with 13 seconds left, they didn't have enough runway, as we say in aviation, to tie it up. But what a close game. Malloy players, Chris Delaney, four goals, one assist. Jack Herzlinger, three goals, one assist. And post Dylan healed. We've talked about him before. Yes, yes. Five goals, two assists.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

He's a good player.

SPEAKER_02 31:07

Post, though, we've talked man up two other games so far. It was telling in this one. Post was 0-3 and man up. Malloy went two for five.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

Well, you know what? We spoke about it last week. You know, the two great coaches, legends, legends in division two, and um, you know, new at their programs, both of them in their second year at the program. Yeah. So we both knew, and they knew that it was going to be an uphill battle and we're gonna have to get their guys in there. But both teams are crazy improved, man. Yeah, like they've really gotten better in a short period of time, and to have two great coaches who are literally eight to ten miles apart with the schools and uh just getting after it in a one-goal game, it doesn't surprise me. It's Long Island lacrosse.

SPEAKER_02 31:58

Yeah, you gotta watch. I've got to go back and watch the replay without a doubt. I've got one other notable, Danny. I'm not gonna go through anything except to say the how it shows parody again. Mount Olive against Seton Hill. Mount Olive won eight to six. And if you look at what Mount Olive's been doing this year, you know, new head coach struggle a little bit to find the rhythm, but they beat a very good Seton Hill team. That shows you the parity in this division.

SPEAKER_01 32:27

Yeah, I was surprised to see that. I was surprised to see that score. I did not expect that. Like you said, you know, uh Mount Olive has struggled a little bit to start off the season, but hey, hats off to the Trojans, man. That was a good win for them. Seton Hill's a really good team and ranked, Kevin. So I did not expect that. Nope. So, Kev, did you see the Deuville Bridgeport game?

SPEAKER_02 32:51

You know what, Danny? I actually did watch that game. I did watch that game. I did not write notes in it. I for I don't even know where I saw it. Did I see it? Well I was on travel. What did I do? I don't know, but it was it was a good game.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

Well, the camera was far away. Oh, yeah, it was really hard to see the players. Like I couldn't get numbers, I couldn't find numbers. But you know what? Deuville, you know, we always talk about the big games and the big dogs, but you know, Deuville and Bridgeport in their, you know, he's in there. Bridgeport's in their first year, Deuville's in their second year, new head coach again, right? Basically starting all over again, both programs. Deuville got their third win, Kevin. Yeah, they beat Bridgeport, and Bridgeport looked pretty good for a first-year program. Yeah, they beat Bridgeport 18-14. Hey, for Deuwville, uh Tristan Engelhart had seven goals and six assists. All right. The kid was on fire. Randy Rafino had six goals, and Steve Lucas had three goals. Reese Eck. I'm telling you, this kid is that he is great as a goalie. He is good. He's got he had nine more saves. He just he seems to just uh have a real good uh knack for the ball in in the pipes. Uh he you're gonna be hearing this kid's name a lot. Yeah, and uh and uh who is it? Uh Jordan Brown went 27 for 32 at the face-off. Good job, young man. That's that's phenomenal. Uh Bridgeport, James Napoli had five and one. Long island kid, Wontaw High School. There you go. Actually played summer ball one year with my youngest son Joe. So he's a good player, tall, big midfielder, good kid. Uh Tyler Ewitt had three and three. Nick Whelan had three and oh for Bridgeport, and Peter Nazarano, Nazar, Nazareth Nazarano, I think, had 14 saves. So, you know what? Duville kind of controlled this game. They, you know, but they're they got their third win, a battle of two new programs. And I just wanted to bring it to the attention of the masses that you know what at that level they're still playing good lacrosse.

SPEAKER_02 35:06

That's great, Danny. And it's funny that you bring that up because I actually watched the game, damn it. And I didn't even mention it because you're right. So, first of all, it's like watching it from the top of the Empire State building because you can't see you can't. You are up there, man. Yeah. But great shout outs. I mean, these kids played really hard and really well, and both teams, and you said that Deuville kind of controlled it, but I think it was really it really came out in the second half when you saw it, okay, they've got control of this game. So Bridgeport was fighting all the way till the end. They just got up by enough goals where it was tough to come back.

SPEAKER_01 35:46

Yeah, I think, you know, I think just you know, just maybe depth might have been a little bit of a problem for Bridgeport. Not a whole lot of guys on that team. So anyway, it was it was fun to watch those guys get after it and and and mention them in the podcast. Without a doubt.

SPEAKER_02 36:05

Without a doubt.

Coach's Spotlight

SPEAKER_02 36:07

Okay, Danny, let's move on to our coach's spotlight. We had this coach on last year on our coaching changes series, as you remember. He comes from a championship pedigree at NAIA Reinhardt. It takes me a while to get that acronym out. I can't, it's just it's a tongue twister for me. N-A-I-A. So we knew he you know he had the pedigree to build a great team. But to be honest, in one year, he has built a team that can compete with anyone. So you and I talked about we felt it would be great to get him back on and discuss where things are at for him and his team. So, what do you say? Should we just bring him on? Yeah, let's bring him on, Kyle. All right, here it is, Coker head coach John Snow. Hey coach, how are you doing?

SPEAKER_04 36:55

I'm doing great, guys. First of all, thank you very much for having me on. I really appreciate it. Um, I was actually on last year, obviously, and it's nice to be back and to be talking about the program. I really appreciate the exposure, and I love what you guys do for D2 Lacrosse. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_01 37:10

Well, thank you. Appreciate the kind words, appreciate it. But so now it's your second year at Coker. And how's it going, man? How are you doing? How's it going?

SPEAKER_04 37:20

It's going great. I mean, it's a grind, obviously. And you know, I don't have to tell you guys that and the other coaches, it's a grind, but I love it. Um, you know, we've built a really good young team. Um, and just it's trying to get them all on the same page from day one that it's going to be a process, it's not gonna be something that happens overnight. It's just being consistent every day in practice and and doing the little things, and you know, eventually, hopefully everything will pay off. And and it has. I'm pleased with where we are as a team. Uh you know, we're getting better every day. You know, we've got a game tomorrow that we're preparing for, and um, I'm pleased with where we are. Like I said, we're young, we have a good attitude, kids work hard and they've all bought in. So can't ask for anything more than that as a coach.

SPEAKER_01 38:05

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 38:06

Yeah, without a doubt, coach. You know, you guys stand at five and three, which is, in my opinion, light years away from where you were last year. You've had some great wins, but you've also had some really close losses. And I point to the North Greenville game, which was a thriller. If you're a fan of lacrosse, that was a phenomenal game to watch. Now, for you guys, it was a heartbreaker. I know that. So, talk to me about lessons learned that you're you were able to impart on your players, which are young, to come from a loss like that when they were up for a while. North Greenville fought back, yep, and you lose at the end. So, what was that like? And and what did you tell your players?

SPEAKER_04 38:48

Well, first of all, I told them I was proud of them. I mean, we had just come off a really big win against Lander. Yeah, the kids, you know, they fought hard with that when we were up, and then it got close at the end and they were able to pull that out.

SPEAKER_01 38:59

Another one goal or one goal game.

SPEAKER_04 39:01

So I you know, I was happy with them. North Greenville, we knew that um they have a really good ride, a 10-man ride or a you know, a zone ride that they, you know, that they do really, really well. So we had prepared all week for that. And you know, once in the heat of the battle, you know, we were up and they, you know, put that 10-man ride in against us. And my young guys just showed their age. We just, you know, we panicked a little bit, and then the momentum, we lost the momentum, and then it just came, you know, it kind of got on top of each other, you know, that we're young and just the pressure, you know, it's one thing to run it in practice, but when you're in a game and the pressure's there, and the other team, I mean, North Greenville runs that ride so well. Um, it really, you know, it hurt us. But, you know, we learned from it because obviously, you know, other teams that see that film are gonna are, you know, try to run that same ride. Um, so we learned from it. I mean, obviously, I was upset for the guys, disappointed that we lost that heartbreaker in overtime. But I was pleased with how we fought and uh you know, we prepared all week for that. It's just again in the heat of the battle, guys, you know, they just don't have that experience to lean on yet. And uh, you know, we learned from it. It was disappointing, but I was proud of my guys, just the way they fought, and you know, it was a learning experience. Um, North Greenville has a really good team. Yeah, offensively, you know, they they hurt us with uh, you know, one of their stud attack that had a bunch of goals against us, and just we learned you know what not to do with our slide packages defensively, and then you know, we learned from what to do on that 10-man ride. So, you know, it was a learning experience. Disappointing learning experience.

SPEAKER_02 40:42

No, I but like I said, it was it was a great game to watch. Both teams played really well, it was just a lot of fun, a lot of fun to watch. But now you start to head into the meat of conference play. We had Coach Cotter on, we talked about his schedule. I look at yours, and you're like the mirror opposite because he had the gauntlet in front, right? You've got it your last four games. You go limestone, Newberry, Wingate, LR.

SPEAKER_04 41:08

Oh man, thanks for reminding me about that boy. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 41:12

So did is that like get getting early PTSD for you, or like what do you think of that to close a regular season? What are you telling your guys?

SPEAKER_04 41:21

Well, you know, this is coach speak, obviously. I mean, we're always the next game. I don't like to talk about what's coming up down the road, but um, you know, we all know we we know the conference that we're in, and there's no easy games. I mean, every game we play is difficult. Um, but obviously, yeah, those four giants that we have at the end, it's gonna be a challenge, but we're just preparing for shorter for tomorrow. And then we have a huge one on the road against Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, who has a phenomenal team. Yeah, so we're just it's one game at a time. Um, but as a coach, I know it's hard for me to sleep sometimes. I know what's coming down the road.

SPEAKER_02 41:56

It probably, you know, probably taking it one game at a time helps you sleep, right?

SPEAKER_04 42:01

You know what can you exactly right? Because if I think about it, yeah, I'll never get any sleep.

SPEAKER_01 42:05

Yeah, that's the SAC for you, man. That's what I keep saying. The SAC, man, top to bottom. Woof.

SPEAKER_02 42:12

I'm telling you, and then you it's not easy to do. And Lincoln Memorial coming is is a much improved team this year. It's just it's getting tight, and it's they're just getting tighter and tighter.

SPEAKER_04 42:24

Yeah, and you know, again, I knew going in how difficult this road was going to be because the conference is, but I I mean, the depth of the conference, there's not an easy game, and each team has depth at midfield and defense. I mean, they're all they can all play. Um, and you know, one of the challenges we have is that we don't have a true FOGO. Um, you know, we have a LSM who faces off for us. Nate Allen phenomenal job. So that's a challenge for us that you know, we don't have that true face-off guy. And most of the teams in the stack all have a really, really good face-off kid. So that's a challenge for us. But just the depth of the conference and how good everybody is top to bottom, it's great. I mean, that's why you play lacrosse, you want to play in those good games against the best talent, and that's that's what happens here. So we love that challenge. Just it'll be nice as we get more experienced and just continue to grow and get better. I'm excited with like I said earlier. My guys are just they work really hard and they're all on the same page to get better every day and just compete. Next game, just compete.

SPEAKER_02 43:28

Yeah, and that's that's all you can ask for them, really. Okay, so let's talk about your team. You you said it earlier, you know, you were about 20, you had probably a roster of about 20 last year. You seem to have doubled that up to 40, but because of that, you're still fairly young. So how do you feel about you've already talked about the team, but is there is there some surprise that you've seen from fall ball now into the season, either just from a offense, defense, or individual players that have surprised you?

SPEAKER_04 43:57

Yeah, you know, defensively, um You know, my two young freshmen that start have done a phenomenal job. Um, and even my junior defenseman's done a phenomenal job. But my goalie, Ethan Holford, has just been unbelievable in the cage.

SPEAKER_01 44:12

He really has.

SPEAKER_04 44:13

He I think he had 16 saves the other day against Tusculum and then another 15 the other day against Mars Hill. He just he's a really, really good goalie. So we've been blessed with that. Um, and then, you know, offensively, because we're so young, just I had to show them that it's a team. Like we have to share the ball. It's not, you know, you're gonna beat a guy, but these teams are so good. The slide packages are gonna be set, they're gonna be ready to go. We just have to share the ball. You know, I think my guys are continuing to get better at that. I think that's where we've grown the most offensively, is that they trust each other to make the next pass, to make the next pass. So, you know, we just have to continue to do that. Um, we've had some injuries um of late. You know, my my leading scorer did not play the other day uh against Mars Hill. So it'll be nice to get him back for Saturday. Um, but I just love how the other guys have stepped up and uh, you know, next man up, they they work hard in practice and they're ready to go when their name is called.

SPEAKER_02 45:13

Yeah, that's that's great, coach. That shows, and like you said, I think just having that depth. Now you can have that next man up mentality, right?

SPEAKER_04 45:22

Yep, which is nice because last year basically we ran one midfield. We had three guys, you know, sometimes maybe four. It's nice now. We have six or seven middies. Yes, they're all young, but they're able to, you know, continue to grow and practice, and then they get the opportunity during the games, and that experience is just huge. So my guys are able to go out, you know, work as hard as they can, and then you know, get a rest, get some water. We were not able to do that last year. So that's been uh that's been good for us.

SPEAKER_01 45:51

Being young and only 2020 on the roster is a hell of a lot different than being young and having 40 something on the roster. Absolutely you know what? The younger players are just gonna get better. You know, they're playing in the SAC, so they're gonna see top-notch quality teams, and they're gonna play top-notch quality lacrosse, and they're gonna take their little bumps and bruises here and there. But I love the fact that you're young and what you're doing and so far this season. What you've been able to do, coach, in a short amount of time has been pretty uh pretty remarkable. I commend you for that.

SPEAKER_04 46:22

I really appreciate that. I mean, I owe it all to the guys, obviously, because I do work them hard every day, um, and we do all share the same vision. It's it's hard to change a culture overnight, it takes time. But all these guys that have come in, they're all on the same page. We know that it's going to take time. We're gonna continue to bring kids in, and we just want to compete. We want to get better every year and you know, continue to grow cultural lacrosse. And I have the kids to do that, and I'm excited with their attitude. They just they work really, really hard.

SPEAKER_01 46:51

Right. Sounds like you got you're you're trending in the right direction.

SPEAKER_04 46:55

Yep, we are. We're certainly trending in the right direction. It's you know, again, with them being young, I have to continuously get on them, obviously, as all coaches do, just those roles in practice sometimes, and uh the little things that they just want to play six on six or ten on ten. And I just tell them, you know, the ground balls and the line drills and everything is so important because that translates to wins, so right, yeah, 100%. But we had a great practice today. We've got a big game tomorrow against shorter, and then, like I said, Lincoln Morey on Saturday is gonna be a huge test for us. So I'm I'm looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_02 47:29

Well, that's awesome, coach. Uh like I said, we we want to get you on because really your team has been really exciting to watch play this year. I've I've enjoyed watching your games, and and I'm excited to see where it's gonna go, especially if you've got these young players and now you've got a couple lines of middies, see what they're like next year, the year after, when they've all played together for a while. Yep, we've seen that with other teams, right? When they get those guys that have the experience together, when you know what the next guy is going to do, your teammate on your right and your left. Man, that's powerful because you can anticipate, and the uh and the and the the off-ball movement can anticipate where you're going with the ball. So we wish you the best of luck the rest of the season. Uh, we'll be watching. Obviously, you've got um let's just go one game again game at a game time. Um Wednesday.

SPEAKER_04 48:20

And uh exact gauntlets down the road, and I'll leave you down the road for now. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 48:24

We want you to get some rest. Well, thanks for coming on, coach. It's been awesome.

SPEAKER_04 48:27

I really appreciate you guys, and thanks for the support. And uh, hopefully, I can talk to you guys again down the road.

SPEAKER_01 48:33

Hey, Coach John Snow, Coca Cobras, thank you so much for taking the time tonight. You've really done a great job so far. Um, looking forward to watching you guys for the rest of the season in the S in the tough SAC in the South. Continued success, Coach. We'll see you soon, okay?

SPEAKER_04 48:48

Great, thank you so much, guys. I appreciate it.

Games to Watch this Week

SPEAKER_02 48:51

All right, Danny, let's move on to games to watch this week. Who do you have?

SPEAKER_01 48:59

Well, Kev, there's a bunch of games this week. A bunch of, you know what? We're into conference play, Kev. Yeah, it's starting to heat up a little bit. Oh, yeah. Especially down in the south. I like the St. Leo, Florida Tech game this weekend. Uh, an SSC matchup. Um, both teams. What is uh Florida Tech sitting at now?

SPEAKER_02 49:20

Florida Tech's at four and three, and St. Leo sits at five and three.

SPEAKER_01 49:24

I've watched St. Leo several times. They've they look good to me. They look like they're trending upwards. This is a big game for St. Leo and the Lions and Coach Jurgensen. This is a big game. If they can come out with a win over Florida Tech, it might send a little bit of noise out to the rest of the SSC that hey might they might be there on tournament time.

SPEAKER_02 49:48

I I think you're right. And I think Florida Tech's coming into this with a few games they wish they had won and didn't win. Yep. And so they're gonna be hungry, and they're they're not gonna want to let St. Leo unseat them. So it's gonna be right, it's gonna be a good one. It should be a good matchup. Very good game. Okay, I've got one for you, and it's on Saturday as well. It's St. A's against a Delphi.

SPEAKER_01 50:16

Yeah, baby.

SPEAKER_02 50:17

This is a Delphi's first real test, in my opinion. It is, and it is it's an NE10 matchup.

SPEAKER_01 50:26

Yeah, two powerhouses in the N and two national powerhouses, two top ten teams, Kevin.

SPEAKER_02 50:32

Yep, and then Saint A's coming off of a close loss to Lemoyne. They're not gonna want to go 0-2 against these two, but Adelphi, like you talked about uh off podcast with me, they've got a few more games under their belt than does St. A's.

SPEAKER_01 50:48

Yeah, Adelphi's undefeated at 6-0. But this, like you said, this is their first real test. Um, I went to the game last year, the Adelphi St. A's game.

SPEAKER_02 50:58

Yeah, I remember that.

SPEAKER_01 50:59

And it was it was nasty, cold, snowy, rainy, windy. It was just a nasty day. And it was a great game, and it was a great game. And these two are two any ten bohemuts, and this should be this should be a knockout, drag out, you know, heavyweight matchup.

SPEAKER_02 51:22

Totally, totally agree. Who else do you have?

SPEAKER_01 51:27

Okay, um Uah Lander. Big thing. That on my list too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, the Peach Belt boys, these guys get after it. And you know what? After Uah's big win the other night, and Lander, you know, it's Lander kind of seems to have Uah's numbers sometimes.

SPEAKER_02 51:47

I agree with you. Lander's at six and three, Alabama Huntsville's at seven and three. Both have been playing really good this year. And I think this is gonna be who captures this critical game to start off the conference? Because I think these are the two sitting at the top. If you look at where records stay right now.

SPEAKER_01 52:08

This is a huge game for the conference, okay? Because this is this probably be like first round buy stuff, yeah. You know, yeah. So if if they you know, either team, they're gonna be fighting to get that edge. And you know, like I said, Landers seem to have had UAH's number in the past, so but UAH is playing real well. I mean, like I said, we they came off that Big Lewis win last week, so that should be a really good game. That should be really good.

SPEAKER_02 52:34

I've got another Peach Belt one, probably a little more under the radar, and that's Flagler Montevallo. And that's really because like Flagler is only two and eight right now, but they played three top 20 ranked teams in their out of conference. I think that may really have prepared them well to match up against Monteval, so much so, even though the Falcons are sitting at seven and four, I think this could be a pick 'em game, Danny.

SPEAKER_01 53:04

Well, that's interesting, Kevin, because I've watched Flagler several times this year, and they're they are a better team than their two and eight record indicate. And I know your record is what it what it is, what it says it is. But you know what? They're an athletic team, they're young, but they're deep, but they're young. And they they're well coached. If if Flagler can put all the pieces of the game, you know, and play a complete game defensively in between the pipes, get good face-off matchups, win their percentage F face-offs, win the 50-50 ground balls. If they can do that, they got a chance to beat this team.

SPEAKER_02 53:48

Yes. Yes, they do. And let me just check. They have Montevallo at home. So you know a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 54:00

Yeah. Oh, it's it's it'll help a lot because you know the flagler people come out in droves to those games. It's beautiful there with the palm trees in the background and the nice warm breeze coming off St. Augustine Beach there. You know, it's nice. So the kids come out and watch those games and they get loud and they get rowdy. And you know what? It might give a little bit of energy to the to Flagler. Again, yeah, if they could if they can play a complete game, get good goalie play, get good face-off play, get good midfield play, and just play a complete game, put the whole game together, they got a chance to to pull an upset, if you ask me. I agree. Who else do you have? Well, next Tuesday, Kev, Lemoyne and Pace, another NE10 heavyweight matchup. You know what? Lemoyne has they're they're winning, but they're winning by one or two against some of these better teams. You know, they beat Mercy by two, they they're one and two goals, they're not blowing teams out, but they're beatable. They're beatable. So Pace with the Ragoo in between the pipes and my man Caputo. And yeah, do they have what it takes? Because Pace is at home, Kev. They get Lemoyne, they get him at home.

SPEAKER_02 55:22

Yeah, but both teams should be undefeated, it should be a battle of the undefeated. Lemoyne has to beat Southern New Hampshire, and Pace has to take care of AIC. I see them both doing that. Yes, but pace gets them at home, and pace has been playing well this year. And pace, I think, has got a little chip on their shoulder.

SPEAKER_01 55:42

Pace is physical, they're a nasty physical team, man. They like to they like to bring the physicality. And you know what? I always said that good teams don't like physical, man. You get physical with a good team, you you could take them out of their game.

SPEAKER_02 55:55

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 55:56

So this should be an interesting one, you know.

SPEAKER_02 55:58

Great game, great game. I've got another game on Saturday, and that's Davis and Elkins against Wheeling. It's the first game of the Battle of West Virginia. That is enough said right there, Danny. These teams will be evenly matched. Both want to win the state. They've got to play Alderson Broadis as well, but it's the first one. It'll be really cool to watch.

SPEAKER_01 56:21

For bragging rights for the state. There you go. You gotta love it. You gotta love it. That's what college ball's about, man.

SPEAKER_02 56:28

Okay, I've got one more on Tuesday. You mentioned uh Pace Lemoyne. There's also Seaton Hill Frostburg. I put this on the list because these two teams, although they're out of conference, they know each other really well, and it's always a close game. Danny, can Frostburg continue their run? Or will Seton Hill avenge their loss to Mount Olive?

SPEAKER_01 56:54

Jeez, I wish I had a I wish I had a crystal ball and to give you the answer up to that one. I mean, Frostburg's been playing very well. Seton Hill has been playing real well. I don't know what happened against UMO. I don't know what happened. They just fell fell short. But um Coach Novotney knows how to get those kids back on track, and I expect a strong Seton Hill team to come back with some vengeance and look to take Frostburg down. Yeah, I agree. I agree.

SPEAKER_02 57:25

Okay, who else do you have?

SPEAKER_01 57:27

Okay, the last game that I have, I think is the biggest game of the week, is next week, Wednesday, March 29th, which would have been my mother's 86th birthday. God bless her. Happy birthday. Wingate at Lenore Ryan. SAC matchup, Kev. It means a lot, a lot of marbles in the bag for this one. Um, two really good teams. Lenore Ryan is looks like they're steamrolling people. Yeah. I mean, they just look very good. They look like they're on a mission. Uh Wingate, you know, with a young defense. Uh, really good goal play from Johnny Capone in the last few games. Attackman Willie Greco and Danny Riley, and that midfield that they got. This could be quite the matchup. And but you know, if they gotta they gotta play in between the bricks up in the middle.

SPEAKER_02 58:20

Here it is, Danny. Here it is. LR has owned Wingate recently. They've won four of the last five, and that includes SAC and NCAA tournament games. And guess what? Four of the five of those games have been at the bricks.

SPEAKER_01 58:43

I know, I know. It's like it's it's it's a tough place to play if you're a visiting team.

SPEAKER_02 58:48

It's a huge rivalry game. This is a game you've got to watch.

SPEAKER_01 58:53

100%. You know what? And I and the way Lenore Ryan's been playing, I think they're gonna be tough to beat. I mean, I do too. Wingate's gonna have to play a complete and total game, and they're gonna have to play with energy and a lot of it, you know, a lot of urgency. And uh let's see if Wingate can pull it off. I don't know. It's gonna be a good one. Uh one to watch for sure.

SPEAKER_02 59:16

You've talked about it. You said complete game. They've got to win the ground, Wingate's gotta win the ground ball battle. They've got to go about 50% face off, and they've got to get good goalie play. And I think I don't know. I I just think I just think uh LR at the bricks.

SPEAKER_01 59:36

Yeah, I agree with you. Tough. I agree with you.

SPEAKER_02 59:39

Yeah. Uh one other game I've got, another uh SAC matchup, it's on Wednesday as well. Not as big, but I think really kind of critical because they're two teams that are on the cusp and very tough. We've talked about them, and that's Newberry against Anderson. It's a battle of the up and comers. Newberry at five and four, and Anderson at nine and one. They both played limestone. Anderson beat limestone, Newberry lost to him, but only by two goals. Yeah, this is a good matchup.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:06

Yeah, yeah. This should be a great matchup. Newberry's a good team, but you know, we had Coach Cotter on two weeks ago. He knew he was going into the gauntlet playing a bunch of really good teams. This is a this is a game he can win. This is a game that that Newberry can win. They're a good team. Newberry's a good team. They're good, they're deep. They got they got players for days. You know what? Can they pull off an upset and and beat beat a good Anderson team? I think they have what it takes to do it. Can they execute?

SPEAKER_02 1:00:36

It's gonna be a great, great matchup. I don't I've I I probably I'll have to watch one record the other. Or watch the other. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:45

And that's all I got as far as games to watch this week. I think there's a bunch of good ones. I really like the St. Leo, Florida Tech game. I think that's as that's a you know, most people in the country be like, why are they talking about that game? You know why? Because it has a lot of SSE implications. You know, both teams are good. Both teams could make the the tournament. Yeah, both playing well. So can St. Leo, you know, pull it off? Florida Tech is uh ranked. So we'll see.

unknown 1:01:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:14

Should be a good one.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:15

Exactly.

DII News

SPEAKER_02 1:01:16

Okay, Danny, before we move on to the player spotlight, we do have a little D2 news to share. Unfortunately, that news is sad. Keith Low Mueller, head coach for NAIA Montreat College, passed away last week. He had coached Montreat for the past two years, but before that was an assistant at Queens, and before that, head coach of Colorado in the MCLA. Keith also was a D2 lacrosse dad. His son AJ was a short stick D Mitty for Wingate, and a player we had on our show last year, as you remember. Keith was also a standout D2 player himself at Adelphi. He became a two-time All-American and captained the team to a national championship in 1998. I personally got to speak and spend time with Keith at several D2 games and always enjoy the chance to catch up and learn from him. So we certainly just want to let his family and the Montreat team know that they are in our thoughts and prayers.

Player's Spotlight

SPEAKER_02 1:02:22

Okay, Danny, on to the player spotlight. My favorite part, Kev. My favorite part. Can't get going until you say that. But that's tonight, Danny. We've got a player who has been the picture of consistency for his team, and that comes from his coach. That just isn't me making it up. That's what he said when we asked him to come on, which I thought was really cool. And you know what? It really shows in his play if you look at his stats. He's basically averaging this season 4.6 goals per game with like a 59% shooting percentage. It's phenomenal. It's phenomenal. That's crazy. Obviously, he is uh he's doing something right, and and he recently passed the 100 goal career milestone, and he sits at 164 total points. So he's he's racked up some pretty impressive stats and is doing really well for his team. So let's just welcome him in, Eric George, a tackman for the Chuan Hawks. Yes, sir. Good to be on, guys.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:33

Hey Eric, how's it going, man? How are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:36

Doing well, doing well, fresh off of practice and uh dinner, but good to see you guys. How was how was practice today? Good one, actually. We had a good one. We got a little bit extra time to prepare this week because uh we're supposed to play Lee's McCrae Saturday, and that came back Wednesday, so a couple extra days to prepare.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:54

Oh, good, good, good. So um, what'd you have for dinner?

SPEAKER_00 1:03:58

Uh pasta and then they had like country fried steak and rice at the cafeteria.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:03

All right, all right, not bad. At least you're not going to like cook out burger and meat and crab food. You're getting some southern fried chicken there. That's good stuff. That's right.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:13

Hey, so first of all, congrats on hitting that milestone. I think you're now at 119 goals. So you surpassed that a few games ago. So, how does that feel to be hitting that milestone and be where you're at in your career?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:26

I mean, it feels good. It's uh, I mean, I'm gonna give a bunch of credit to Coach Cs for just giving me the opportunity and then kind of putting me to to work with guys like Jackson Martin, Eric Dosey, Noah Jalal out there. They make it much more easy, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:41

So are they just feeding you the feeding you in the right spots, and you're just taking all the glory?

SPEAKER_00 1:04:46

Yeah, I'll give them some some glory for sure. Yeah, we go part of my success.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:52

Dude, nine goals against Shorter, five against Coker, four against Young Harris, six against Wheeling, and you added two assists there, eight goals against Allison Broad us, and you went two and one against Lake. Dude, you are just bawling out. How does it feel? You must feel like really comfortable back there, don't you? He's got a big smile on him, man.

SPEAKER_00 1:05:14

Yeah, everybody. It's good. I'm I'm definitely glad, happy to be able to contribute to the team success and stuff. But um definitely wish we could have squeaked out a few more wins against those one goal losses.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:25

Well, I was gonna point that out. You guys sit at two and six as you head into conference play, but three of those games, like you just said, were only one goal losses. So how are you and the team feeling at going into conference play?

SPEAKER_00 1:05:38

Uh, we've just been really emphasizing like it's our second season, um, fresh start, clean slate. Um, like like you said, we're sitting at two and six with those three one goal losses. So, like a couple more bounces go our way, one you get one more ground ball, one more successful clear, and we're sitting at five and three instead.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:54

Right. No, absolutely, 100%. And and let me ask you this. Um With the team playing the way they are and being competitive, is this uh that that must give the team a some extra motivation? I mean, you know, I just think you know, sometimes when you're two and six, you start to get your head down, you put your head down a little bit, but you guys are in games. I mean, it must how's the motivation on the field with the rest of the guys been?

SPEAKER_00 1:06:22

I mean, it's it's always gonna be good. Um, we definitely have like a strong culture. Um, that it's always we're always gonna like we've just been really emphasizing we need to go that extra mile, we need to get that extra ground ball, we need to work harder on the field, we need to work harder off the field at practice, wall balls just to get that one more inch to to swing that one goal our way.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:43

Yeah, I want to get back to you in a little bit, but I let's follow up on that. You you talk about you know the credit, some of the credit going to Coach Cease and the culture. I guess he's he's definitely building it over the last three years or so. So, what's it like to play for Coach Cease and and Chawan?

SPEAKER_00 1:07:00

Um, I mean it's awesome. Like coming in as a freshman. Um, I started my first game, my first, my whole first year. So that um opportunity is not something that you get everywhere as a freshman coming in.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:11

No.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:12

So I was definitely grateful for that. And then um just he's been like sticking us with that same attack line that we've had. Um, other than this year, I've been playing some midfield, but um, like kind of sticking us three together, and we've been really working hard. Um, his culture that he built over like his his this is his fourth year, my third year, but um just total uh change from what I've heard, anyways, from before that.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:37

Yeah, so let's get to you. You hail from Alberta, Canada, in a town called Stony Plain. So tell us your story of how a kid from Stony Plain got started on lacrosse and made his way all the way to Murfreesboro, North Carolina to play for Chouan and Chihuahua.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:53

I want to hear that story myself.

SPEAKER_00 1:07:55

Uh yeah, so um I always I was a hockey kid growing up, so I always played hockey. Um, and I played a little bit of baseball in the spring, and then one like the first year I played lacrosse was the first year my town had like a box club program. So basically I've been playing ever since they've been a program. Oh wow when I was seven, so now I've been playing 13 years. Wow. So I played for them until I was 16, got drafted into junior, where I played my first year of junior with the Fort Saskatchewan Rebels, and then my second year of junior was a COVID year, so we didn't play. And then my third and fourth year, I played for the Edmonton minors, and we just are fresh off of Minto Cup loss. Uh this four. Oh wow. Close though. Yeah. Close, huh? And then I I guess my recruiting process was before uh obviously last year, but um I I was going to I was actually like fully registered to go to school in Edmonton and like not play lacrosse at all. And then like all my buddies were going to showcases, getting recruited. So it's kind of like, oh, well, if they're doing that, maybe I could do that. And it kind of that's kind of how it all started. My one buddy, Alex Wildebor, he's also from Stony Plains, so I've grew enough playing with him. Um, he told me about Coach Cease, and like his parents really loved him, and he was like, This is an awesome guy. So I reached out to Coach Cease, sent him a little bit of film, and that kind of got the process started. That's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:19

Now, were those showcases in Canada or were they in the States?

SPEAKER_00 1:09:23

They were in the States, yeah. I I hadn't played, I actually didn't play field before getting recruited since I was 15. I played for like Team Alberta field, and even then I can't really play a lot, so I didn't have a lot of film. Right. Okay, I was sending them all box highlights.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:37

Still, though, you know, box highlights, yeah. They they love those box players, man. A lot of coaches love those attackmen that play box, you play in tight, get the you can get the ball off from like just about any you know angle and stick angle and stick position. And that's why those coaches, but let me ask you this what was it like playing field over box? You know, what was the difference for you?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:02

A lot more running, yeah, a lot more running for sure. Uh just a lot more space, yeah. Just a lot more space to work. I I actually always like box a lot better, but since coming here, like it's kind of been tilted both ways now. I'm I'm pretty impartial.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:18

Okay, yeah, but uh a little birdie tells me that you want to go beyond just playing juniors, and you have a goal in mind. Can you uh elaborate on that?

SPEAKER_00 1:10:28

Yeah, I mean, um one of my teammates that I played with this summer, Matthew Gochi. He so he's my age, but since he didn't go to college, he went straight to the NLL and he's playing this year. Like he's getting a lot of playing time. He plays on Panther City's power play. Um, so that's definitely a goal for me. Um, after I'm done college, I'll play one year, my first year senior, and then hopefully declare for that draft and hopefully have a good summer this summer in my last year junior, and that could propel me into the draft, hopefully.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:57

So basically, you're you play all year round.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:00

Yeah, yeah. Eight months here, and then I go home. I think I have the first weekend off, and then after that, like they're already practicing, but after that first weekend, we get right into games.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:10

How is your transition from field to box? Do you you I know you played it a lot, so is it easy to get get back into it, or some things are like, oh my god, now I'm in these tight spaces, or is this just a natural transition for you by now?

SPEAKER_00 1:11:23

Uh, I mean, it's it's still kind of tough. It's like the tight spaces, catching, throwing stuff isn't really a problem for me. It's more like, oh man, the goal's a lot smaller, the goal is a lot bigger.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's cool though. I like watching it. Oh, it's a great game. It's a different game, it's a lot faster, it's a lot more physical. I think, you know, guys are just coming on and they're getting blasted, you know, they're just stepping on the field and they're getting physically blasted right away. It's kind of fun to watch, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:53

All right. Well, uh Eric, you have done a lot of work there at Chuan for your team, and now it's time to see what kind of work he can do in the firing round with Danny Moran. He's entering the firing round.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:15

All right. We have Eric George from Chawan. He's just falling out, just got his hundredth point in the NCAA in Division II. He's just been a great lacrosse player for Chwan. Um, he's been a great guest so far. Now we got him in the firing round. 10 questions we're gonna throw at you, Eric, and just give us your best answer as quick as you can. You ready? Sure. Okay, he's ready.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:43

That's the quiet confidence of that Canadian right there. Sure. That's all he's sure. He's in the back of his mind, he's like, bring it, bring it, Danny.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:53

He's laughing out there in podcast land, everybody. Okay, no question number one favorite breakfast food?

SPEAKER_00 1:13:00

Um, I'll go pancakes, but I like bacon eggs the whole the whole nine. I'll go pancake. Yeah, there you go. Mom's best meal. Ooh. My mom kind of does a bit of it all. I'll go maybe pierogis. Or no, she makes actually this dish called Halushka. It's kind of like dumplings and chicken and gravy. It's very good. Okay. Mom's mom's all right.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:26

Sounds interesting. Okay. On the food still, favorite dessert. Cheesecake. All right. Favorite football team.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:39

Uh Pittsburgh Steelers. Okay. Favorite quarterback. Oh gosh. I guess I'll I'll go Kenny Pickett, but uh I never really watched football at all until like I came here. Really? You never watched American football? You watch Canadian football? No, I don't really watch that either, honestly. I watched it, but I've never I was never into it really. Do you watch the NHL? Yeah, lots of NHL. There you go. Favorite hockey team. Eminent Oilers.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:08

There you go. Favorite player all time.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:14

I guess I'll go Connor McDavid. It's kind of everyone from Emonton's favorite player, but we'll go Connor McDavid.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:20

Okay, that's awesome. Favorite cartoon as a kid?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:24

Uh probably SpongeBob. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:28

Xbox or PlayStation?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:30

Definitely PlayStation. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:33

Runs or lifts?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:36

I would say I'm better at running, but I'd rather lift.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:40

Yeah, I know. No one wants to run. Favorite music?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:45

Uh, country.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:46

Country. All right. What was the last song you listened to?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:50

Uh Truck Bed by Hardy.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:52

All right. Awesome. I love it. Favorite TV show.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:57

Um, I just finished the blacklist. I'll go to the blacklist. I'm watching the 100 right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:02

All right.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:03

Sounds good.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:04

Best class you took at Showan so far.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:10

Uh probably one of my sports management classes, but the one I learned the most in, I would say, is financial accounting.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:17

Financial accounting. Who is the profess who was the professor? Uh Shannon Williams. All right. Shannon getting a shout-out on the In the Crease podcast from one from a student.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:29

You need to take that professor again for a course. Maybe you know get a few brownie points going.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:34

Yeah, you might want to turn them on to the podcast and say, listen, man, you're you're on there. Might help you out. A couple of points here and there. Who's the funniest guy on the team? Uh Eric Dozey.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:49

Eric Dosey. Why is he so funny? What does he do? Man, I don't. Everything, man. That guy's a just just class clown. Okay, class clown. I love those guys.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:01

Who's the most athletic guy on the team?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:05

Um probably Nathan Townsend or Noah Jalal.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:09

Okay. Yeah, they're there were just really good athletes can just do everything. Like even ping pong, these days they break out the ping pong table and they just like blow everybody away at ping pong. And then they go to the bowling alley and they're bowling like 250s, like that type of thing. Those type of athletes. That's cool. Okay. Who's the one kid on the team that you would never let date your sister?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:36

I'll go, I'll go my roommate, Alex Wildeboer. Alex, is he there right now listening to this? No, he's at the library, but no, I just agree with him. He's he's probably the easiest answer.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:49

Okay, he's at the library. Good answer.

SPEAKER_00 1:16:51

He can take it. He can take it. Good answer. Exactly. Best lacrosse memory. Um, for me, probably my last year of midget in box lacrosse. I affiliated for the junior B tier one rebels, and I just had a like a really good game. Um, and then we ended up winning the round as like an underdog and going to provincials.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:13

Wow, that's really cool. I love that. Okay, last question, Eric. Give us your best impression of coach. No, no, we'll get in trouble. You get special dispensation, trust me. That's right. That's right. I'll call coach myself. Are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:31

I don't know about an impression. I'll just give you like a every every day before the game, it's play fast, play smart, play together. That's his quote.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:39

Well, that's all right. That's really cool. Hey, Eric, you did a great job in the firing round. You're a great guest tonight. I wish you nothing but continued success, young man. You're a really good lacrosse player. You know what? Just keep doing what you're doing, young fella, because you are just making noise nationally. And uh here you are on In the Crease on a National Podcast. And uh we couldn't be more happier for you. And we are excited that you came on the show tonight. We hope you had a good time.

SPEAKER_00 1:18:08

Yeah, for sure. Thanks very much for having me on.

Final Thoughts

SPEAKER_02 1:18:12

All right, Danny, what do you think? Are we going to hear a lot more from Eric George this year or next year?

SPEAKER_01 1:18:18

Eric George is a good player, you know. That's why he is where he is, and he's a good kid. I'm glad he had the uh time out of study hall to come and uh talk with the two knuckleheads from In the Crease. And uh, yeah, he's got another year and a lot more out of him. So, Eric, he's a really good player. Keep it up, kid. Keep doing what you're doing, and congratulations on breaking 100 points.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:40

Couldn't have said any better. Now, I've got a few shout-outs, and I know you do too. Let me start it off and then I'll let you go. Okay, you ready? Go for it, baby. Okay, first shout out goes to an Instagram follower who goes by Slider Fighter. He he sent us a note, he thanked us for highlighting the Uah Maryville game. There's really no need to thank us, it was a great game. We're gonna talk about it anyway. And then he went a step further by putting our commentary to a highlight reel of the game on YouTube, and then he sent it to us. That was awesome! It was so cool. That was so cool. So, a big shout out to him. I'll try to remember to put the YouTube uh channel in our show.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:24

Shout out to Slide of Fighter.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:26

There we go. Next shout out goes to the Quincy Hawks and Coach Ruppel. They stand Danny at seven and four, the most wins in program history. That's awesome. Most wins in a season before that. I was four, and that was last year. We talked with him at the conference preview, and he felt like they were ready, and he wasn't lying, Danny.

SPEAKER_01 1:19:51

Yeah, good for them. Good shout out, Kev.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:54

Last shout out I've got is to all the Colorado Mesa fans. I was so pumped to hear you cheering for your team throughout the Tampa game. You guys were rowdy, it made it a lot of fun just to watch and listen. So, shout out to you guys and how you travel and take care of your team.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:13

They traveled to Florida, it was vacation for them. They're like, So they just went to the game for like an hour or two, and then they were back at the beach bar. But anyway, no, that's a great shout out. And you know what? I watched the game, and there was the MAV feds were going crazy down there at Discord. So it was pretty cool. Oh, I have a shout-out. Hey, my man Sean Cosgrove of Attackman for Dominican. Dude, you had a great game this week, an eight-point game versus UDC. So good job, Sean. Hey, we haven't mentioned too many things about Adelphi, except, you know, it's finally they're playing somebody. But you know what? Their face-off guy, Brian Harder, had himself a hell of a game. He was perfect at the dot the other day, and he picked up seven ground balls versus Caldwell. So good job, he is a baller. He's good, he's tough. He's tough, he's tough. And my last shout out goes to one of our listeners, Kev, Jerry Morrow, whose son plays for Seton Hill. They uh, her and her husband and the family traveled down south to see uh Seton Hill play UMO. And she was going to be going to Myrtle Beach and going around. She had posted. So I hey, I threw a post back at her and said, Listen, if you're down to Murals Inlet, you gotta go to the Dead Dog Saloon. It's a great place on the water, live music, great vibe, great food. Well, guess what? Jerry, she posted pictures from guess where the dead dog saloon. Said Danny, it was a great place. You know, we had such a great time. So shout out to Jerry. She's a great listener, she listens all the time. Glad you're having fun down there, down south. Enjoy. We'll see you next time.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:51

That is awesome. And before we close, just one more thank you to our sponsor, Scorebreak, for believing in what we are doing and building here on In the Crease. Uh, just a reminder that you can find their link in our show notes. But just so that everyone's got it, it's like you said, Danny, in the in the promo, www.scorebreak.io. And with that, Danny, that's a wrap. That's a wrap, Kev.