It's Tourney time! A look back at week 12 and preview/predictions of Conference Tournament play

Intro

SPEAKER_01 0:07

Welcome, welcome, welcome to another episode of In the Creest with Danny and Kevin, a coast-to-coast discussion of D2 Men's Lacrosse. I'm your co-host, Kevin Stenstrom, and joining me as always is the D2 Men's Lacrosse musings of Danny Moran.

SPEAKER_02 0:23

Musings. You dig deep for these, Kevin. You know what?

SPEAKER_01 0:28

It's gonna stink when I can't go to college lacrosse games and talk to to uh fans who who give me these little tidbits. I'm gonna have to.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Oh, it's fans that are fans that are doing that. Okay, hey Kevin, I'm doing great. How are you doing tonight in northern Virginia?

SPEAKER_01 0:44

I'm good. I'm good. You know, this week was saw a few, maybe a few shifts, a little shifts in the in the D2 landscape with some of the uh a little bit for sure.

SPEAKER_03 0:55

Yeah, this is a big time of year for sure. There's some shifting going on.

Week in Review

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Yeah, so let's get right into it. Um, I I'd like to start off talking about the two Mercy games that they had from last week to this week, starting off with the game I think you went to in person, Mercy of Delphi.

SPEAKER_03 1:11

Yes, I went uh to the game at Adelphi, the Mercy Adelphi game. And uh I was surprised at how really good Mercy was. They were a phenomenal team. Their defense was really good that night. Um, just holding Deknowski to short goals and just that you know what? Adelphi hadn't been tested up until that point. They really hadn't been truly tested. Kev, we talked about Adelphi a couple of times. We had Coach Purdy on, but before that, I said two months ago they had a favorable schedule. And they did have a favorable schedule. And when they ran into Mercy, I don't think they had been tested up until that point. Really, truly tested. Mercy was really, really good and and put the screws to them pretty good, Kev.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Yeah, they ended up winning 10-6, but Mercy had seven unanswered goals in the second, two goals in less than 30 seconds. Yep. And a Delphi kind of creeped back, but after three, it was nine to three. There were six still a six-goal cushion. So Mercy's D was stout enough to not let them get close.

SPEAKER_03 2:25

Yeah, Mercy, Mercy was you know, getting in lanes and just making it really difficult for a Delphi to get clean shots and clean looks. Their defense was really stout, like you said. They were uh very aggressive, uh, very athletic, uh, very physical. A Delphi's a physical team, and you know what? Mercy beat them up, man. They just came to play that day. There's no way, there's no real, there wasn't anything in particular that was crazy.

SPEAKER_01 2:55

Right. No, they were the better team that day, but you never know, it could switch, come play off time, too. We'll see.

SPEAKER_03 3:02

You know, Mercy Mercy went moved up to four this week, and I really believe that that's where they belong. Yeah, they're that good, they are that good. They're very lethal on offense, but their defense is just as good as their offense. Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 3:17

Coach Lavina's yeah, and they followed it up uh over the weekend playing uh Roberts Wesleyan, their ECC rival, and they beat him up pretty good. 27-15 was the final. Yeah, they smoked him. Yeah, it was all Mercy in the first. Robert Wesleyan gets it within three in the second, but then Mercy tries to pull away. But actually, Robert Wesleyan did not lay down in that first half. They kept it close. It was 12-8 at half, but that was all she wrote. It was eight through the scoring differential in the third, and Mercy was just too strong on offense.

SPEAKER_03 3:57

Yeah, Robert Swesley, and although a very good team, they don't match up, they don't match up uh athletically with Mercy. They just don't match up. It's you know a game of matchups sometimes. You can have the better team or not have the better matchup and lose the game. And Robert Swesley, and although a very good team, just couldn't match up with Mercy. Mercy, Mercy's they're on a little mission. I mean, that last year they got that the wool pulled the rug pulled out from under them. You know, the Mercy Hearst game again this year, um you know, you know, postponed. And I think those kids on that team are fired up to let the country know that hey, we can play, the Mavericks can play. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

Okay, so there were two games that were out of conference, out of region. Let's start off with Mercyhurst against U Indy. That was an 11-8 final with Undy on top. A little bit of an upset. They were, you know, Mercy's upset. Mercyhurst was six, Undy seven, so it was close, but they handled them fairly well.

SPEAKER_03 5:01

They handled them very well. Mercyhurst is the most prolific offense in the country, Kev. They're number one. They averaged almost 19 a game. Yeah. You know, and U Indy held them to eight. Yeah. What does that tell you?

SPEAKER_01 5:18

Yeah, and you I think one of the key stats was caused turnovers. It was nine to two.

SPEAKER_03 5:24

Yep. You know, Undy's defense was key. That was the key to the game, I think, causing the nine turnovers and just making lanes and looks hard to come by from Mercy Hurst. You know, Miles Hamm and and Ethan Landemore are prolific top five scorers in the country. Right. I mean, Landemore had three, but Miles Hamm was scoreless. Yeah, that's surprising. How do you hold the number three scorer in the country scoreless? Comes down to defense, getting in lanes, making looks hard, and that's exactly what UND. And you know what? UND played faster. They played faster than Mercy Hurst. They were, like you said, quick to the ground balls and quick to cause turnovers. The Lakers couldn't take advantage of six EMOs, Kev. They only scored on one. And you know what? Mercy Hurst, uncharacteristically, they had 20 turnovers. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, if you're gonna, if you if you can't score on EMOs and you're gonna turn the ball over 20 times, and then you Indy's gonna get nine more possessions by causing turnovers, it's gonna make it hard for any team. Yeah, exactly. You know, for you Indy, Drew Billick had a great game, four goals and an assist. Ben Foster and Pat O'Hara. Love those Irish kids, Kev. Love those Irish kids. Each one of those guys had had two goals. And like I said, the Lakers, Ethan Landemore had three, but Miles had a big goose egg in the in the scoring category. I'm sure he's probably surprised about that.

SPEAKER_01 7:01

But then you also have to add in Austin Barnett, the goalie. Yes, he had some unbelievable saves. Yeah, he played well. Just some doorstop saves that you're like, I don't know how he's several.

SPEAKER_03 7:13

Yeah, several. Hey, you know what? Undy's a pretty impressive team, Kevin. They're they're they're an impressive team. They have depth, they have great attack play, they have good midfielder play. Yep, they have great short stick D-mitis. Those guys are fast and aggressive. They play hard, their polls play hard. And you know what? Right now, Undy has the longest home winning streak in all of college lacrosse in all three divisions with 28 games. That's pretty impressive.

SPEAKER_01 7:46

Very impressive. We said it all along this this season how good U Indy is. Now they they slipped up. Lyndon, not slipped up, Lennon would beat him. Linden would beat him. And we'll see that another game. Rockhurst Linden would. GLVC plays GLVC very tough. Like most conferences we talk about. We'll get to that game in a little bit. But I want to shift to the other non-conference out of region game, which was Tampa Seaton Hill.

SPEAKER_03 8:13

Yeah, I watched the second half of that one, Kevin. Yeah, that was a good game. Yeah, the Spartans got a scare from the griffs, you know. The griffs were down eight. They were down eight. Actually, they they were down eight, but rallied to get within one in the fourth quarter.

SPEAKER_01 8:34

It was an amazing game.

SPEAKER_03 8:37

Tampa's good, though, Kevin. They had four goals in the first three minutes and tacked two more on before Seton Hill had a shot.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

And and that is when you thought, like, because I watched it, that was when you thought it could be over. Maybe this wasn't Seton Hill's day, but you're kind of still watching it, and they they started to play better in the first half at the end of the first half. You're like, okay, this could be a game, and then Tampa comes out again and and plays so well, and you think, okay, now it's now it's really over. But that wasn't the case. Seton Hill never gave up.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

Kevin, we were five minutes left in the game, it was 17-16 Tampa.

SPEAKER_01 9:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:14

Don't tell me that Tampa wasn't freaking out a little bit. You gotta be. You gotta be freaking out. Hey, the griffs played tough, man. We know that Seaton Hill started out a little bit rocky, but they've been playing really strong in the last month or so. They really have. Tommy uh Hanulak had four. Andy Davis had four and three for the griffs. That's a good day. Yeah, yeah. You know, he's dropping dimes. And uh Peyton Gensler had some goals, and Kevin Moe, big Kevin Moe in goal, had 14 saves. Like he had a good game, you know. He had a good game. Yeah, and Tampa, Danny Fitzpatrick. That another Irishman Kev, the Irishman getting a lot of uh shout outs tonight. God bless the Irish. Danny Fitzpatrick had six and one. Wow. That's a good game. Yeah, and again, Luke McAnaney with three. That kid is, you know, he's heading for uh all American, I think. Yep. And and our man Blake Umer, the kid that we had on. Yeah, um, you know, he had he had 12 saves on 28 shots. He let a couple in that I'm sure he would love to have back. But you know what? Tampa, they they they closed it out. They they found their own.

SPEAKER_01 10:28

They're number one for a reason, and they're undefeated for a reason. They said a few games ago, they sometimes people get close, teams get close, but they don't let them finish.

SPEAKER_03 10:38

Yeah, and the good teams close it out, you know, and that's what Tampa is. There's their they're not a good team, they're a great team. Yeah, yep.

SPEAKER_01 10:45

So let's move on to to the SSC matchup that we are waiting for. Rollins against Florida Tech, number 13 against number 12. 17-15 final, Rollins takes it.

SPEAKER_03 10:59

Yeah, Rollins is good, man. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

You know, they really was close most of it. 10-8, uh, Rollins at half. Rollins got it up to 14-10, but Florida Tech fights back and scores three unanswered to make it within a goal. They tie it up at 15-15 with four minutes left, but then it was all TARS, and they score two in the next two minutes to put it away. Yeah, Rollins is uh they've been balling out all year.

SPEAKER_03 11:27

That Sunshine State Conference is really good this year, Kev. It's been fun to watch those games in the Sunshine State Conference.

SPEAKER_01 11:34

It's great, and it's going to be a great conference tournament. A conference tournament. I 100% agree. I don't, I mean, it can flip again. You know, of course, Rollins has to take on Tampa for, I mean, excuse me, Florida Tech has to take on Tampa. Rollins' Florida Southern game is gonna be interesting.

SPEAKER_03 11:54

Do you know that Florida Southern has the number one strength of schedule in the country?

SPEAKER_01 11:58

Really?

SPEAKER_03 11:59

Yeah. I was gonna I was on the um that lacks my numbers. I was pretty surprised at that.

SPEAKER_01 12:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:05

You know?

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 12:07

Hey, you know what? Kudos, kudos to the Sunshine State Conference this year. They they are really playing well. They've been fun games to watch. The teams are outside of Tampa, maybe they're they're kind of evenly matched, though. That next group down.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

Well, even I mean, if you look at it, uh, Florida Tech took Tampa to overtime. Yep. So yes, they like I like we just talked about, Tampa closes it out every time, and they certainly are the big favorite. On any given tech is slammed the third time in the season coming up, so we'll see.

SPEAKER_03 12:46

You know, it's tough to beat a team three times, Kevin. I'm not saying it can't be done, yeah, but it's it's really difficult to do, a very difficult thing to do.

SPEAKER_01 12:55

Okay, how about Rockhurst Lindenwood?

SPEAKER_03 13:00

Yeah, who would expect that game? Rockhurst uh defeated on uh number eight Lindenwood uh 11-10 in overtime in overtime. You know, we had more overtime games. I love those overtime games, they're so exciting, you know.

SPEAKER_01 13:14

It comes down to like one yeah, we've had several. There we'll get to a few others just to note them, but yeah, that Linenwood scored four on answer in the first to go up six-two. Linenwood was controlling possession, but Rockhurst still was able to get up nine shots compared to Linenwood in the Lindenwood's 10 in the first. So even though they didn't have the possession a lot, they were still getting some quality shots, and they needed to do that to stay within uh reach of Linenwood to begin with.

SPEAKER_03 13:42

Yeah, you know, and Rockhurst rallied, you know, from an eight-point deficit to take a nine-eight lead with right, you know, some in the middle of the third quarter there.

SPEAKER_01 13:53

Which was a complete 180 from the first game when they played, because that's what Linenwood did to Rockhurst.

SPEAKER_03 13:58

Exactly, 100%, exactly. So John Myron had two goals and assists, and Alec Hefflin had two goals, Brooks Henson had two goals. You know what? Both teams are pretty even in all categories. It was a pretty evenly matched game in in the stats and for the game stats. Right. Calls turnovers, ground balls, etc.

SPEAKER_01 14:20

Yep. And then Sam Lindall, he scores the game winner of 35 seconds into overtime. He had three goals and two assists on the game, and obviously the critical one in overtime. And Hayden Harris, the goalie, had a great game. Yeah, 11 saves. He had some unbelievable saves. We talked about Austin Barrett. Hayden Harris had some unbelievable saves.

SPEAKER_03 14:41

You know what? That GLBC comp is pretty good, too, man.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

They know how to play each other, they just don't give in.

SPEAKER_03 14:50

No, no, no. Bragg and rights for that GLVC and those the Midwest. So congratulations to Rock Ross. That's a big win for them.

SPEAKER_01 15:00

Yeah, and Coach Lang, his win and we're in did not happen. So now he he still has to keep balling out and then see what happens. But it's not a guarantee anymore.

SPEAKER_03 15:12

That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

All right, so two others I wanted to note. One, the two overtime last week. Southern New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce. That was a 12-11 overtime final. Southern New Hampshire won. It was at that time the Penman's fifth straight win. And it was a fight between these two. It was back and forth and a fight to by both to try to get into the conference tournament. In the end, it made the penman four and four in conference play and Franklin Pierce three and five. That's they were fighting for that, you know, those spots.

SPEAKER_03 15:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

But then Southern New Hampshire followed it up with a win against uh St. Michael's on Saturday to go five and four in conference and and basically put themselves in the conference.

SPEAKER_03 16:02

Yeah, that's what they needed to do, and they took care of business.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

Yeah. The last one is Dominican Post.

SPEAKER_02 16:08

Yeah, chargers. Yeah, over time.

SPEAKER_01 16:13

So I was on travel and and working and did not watch the game, but we were tagged on Instagram by Dominican, and they they posted the score they won. And so I messaged them back and said, you know, I was working my day job, would have to watch it later. Their answer just trying to win games to get on the podcast.

SPEAKER_03 16:32

Well, charges, you did the right thing. A big win over Post.

SPEAKER_01 16:36

That's a big win for them. Two teams in the middle of their conference standings going at it. Dominican at that time was six and five overall and three and two in conference. Now they lost over the weekend, but that put post at two and three in conference. So Dominican, because of that win, is going to the conference tournament.

SPEAKER_03 16:58

Yep. And Kevin, there were seven lead changes in that game. Seven lead changes. How about my man Danny Carson? Right from here on Long Island Linded Us, four goals. He had the tying goal, and then the game winner, and dished out two dimes, too, man. That kid had a really, really good game. And then we had Billy Gordon, had three and one, and Terry O'Lachlin, another Irishman, Derek Kevin, another Irishman, God bless him. He had a goal and dished out four dimes. So these these guys played really well. The Chargers, uh, Pat Gifford in between the pipes had a career high, 21 saves. How about that for Pat? He had a great game. Hey, and for post, Braden Lock here had five goals. Dylan Heal had two. And between the pipes, John Carr also, Johnny Carr had 21 saves in between the pipes. So Dominican is six and six. And they have to play a clicking Wilmington game on Thursday. They got to play, you know, that that Wilmington team is clicking on all cylinders right now. So, but congratulations to the Chargers. Good win. Um, great season. You know what? You're doing guys, you're you're at 500 and you're moving up, you're trending up. Congratulations to the Dominicans.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

It was a real gritty game. I love the fight by the Chargers to come back tight and then win. It's exactly the type of game as to why D2 la crosse is so good.

SPEAKER_03 18:21

That's exactly correct. There's so much parody in division two, you know, really. There really is. You take the top 10, 12 teams, and then after that, there's so many really good teams that could they all beat each other, you know.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

They could be and the great, yeah, and the great thing is here's two teams that are under the radar again. Right. But to them, this game was critically important, and they played like it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 18:50

You know, it's conference play, and and you you're vying for a spot in the conference tournament, you're a better seed, maybe a home game, maybe you get to host the first round. Yeah, you know, so those games, although those again, it might be 500 teams and teams that we maybe not speak about on a weekly basis, but they play important games as well. And good lacrosse. And well, I don't have my bell ready. I don't have my bell ready. Hold on. There we go. There you go. The quality lacrosse bell from the in-decreased knuckleheads.

Coach's Spotlight

SPEAKER_01 19:30

Okay, Danny, let's move on to the coach's spotlight. We talked about the Florida Tech team and its resilience in the face of adversity this year. Now, even though they lost to Rollins this past weekend, they are still in the thick of the playoff run and hunt in the SSC. Yeah. And now we get to talk about that with the head coach of the Panthers. So let's welcome him in, Coach Brad MacArthur of Florida Tech. Welcome, Coach.

SPEAKER_03 20:01

Thanks, guys. Appreciate you having me on. Hey coach, how are you tonight? Thanks so much for taking the time and uh joining the In the Crease Knuckleheads. And uh uh, you know what? I look at you and I see that tan and I get envious and I'm jealous because I'm on Long Island and the weather still hasn't broken here yet.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

Well, that's a little yeah, that's a little different than Canada for you, isn't it, coach?

SPEAKER_00 20:26

Uh very. I I left uh immediately preceding a snowstorm and uh I got to North Carolina. I actually had the I called my wife and I said, Hey, I didn't pack any warm, like warm gear clothing, and I had to go to an underarmor outlet and uh made my wallet a little bit lighter um and my truck a little bit heavier with shorts and t-shirts. I feel so bad for you. Yeah, well, it was an interesting, it was an interesting few days, and uh like I said, I'd buy enough to at least get down here to Florida, which was a couple days after. Um, so I mean, shame on me for not packing the right way, but I was thinking winter the whole time, and uh I was in my car for well 15 hours.

SPEAKER_01 21:10

So yeah, but let's talk about that. You joined the team in February, they'd already played a couple of games. I think you joined them. You were in the audience or in the stands watching the Belmont Abbey game. And I heard on a recent broadcast of one of your games that you know you said that the team was very receptive when you when you came on board. So I just want to know from your viewpoint, what was that like coming into that, knowing the adversity they'd gone through, and a coach that it seemed like a lot of people were behind. I don't want to get into the coach and what happened. I want to talk more about how you brought it forward and how the team reacted to you and where you brought it to today.

SPEAKER_00 21:55

I mean, there were there were challenges that we addressed with the team and expectations that uh Within 48 hours of me being hired, we had a Zoom call. I had spoken with the staff. We just there were things that needed to be addressed, and things as a as a lacrosse coach, as a um someone who's who's helped develop players and put them in the NCAA ranks from Canada. And being a former D2 player myself, there was just there's expectations and things that I know the administration wanted to get cleaned um and clean up, do a little bit better. Um and and that was one of the things it wasn't really about coming in to blow up the program. And the the I mean, it was trying to accomplish a lot of goals uh in a short period of time. And I wouldn't say trying to make everybody happy, but everybody being on the same page about where this program can be headed. Um I mean, I I I won't get into it too much either because I I really don't know all that much other than my interview questions and and the process that played out there. And when I when I came down and I talked to the kids, obviously there's some adversity. The first night I I kind of gave them open mic. We had a Zoom call. Um there was there were 60 some odd kids on the Zoom call, our coaching staff. Um, you know, and and I had only met one of the coaching staff before. He's he's the only guy that I did know. Um, so I know they had some questions. I opened it up for them um and just kind of said, you know what, fellas, ask away. If I know the answer, I'll give it to you. And if I don't, I'll find out. And if I if I'm not allowed to say anything, I'll have to tell you that I'm not allowed. And um, a 15-20-minute introduction turned into probably a good hour of discussion. Wow. Um, and you know, they they asked some hard questions. I gave them some hard answers.

SPEAKER_03 23:53

Um what kind of questions did they ask you?

SPEAKER_00 23:56

What kind of well, I mean, they they're they're they're asking over a zoom call, and you know, not that they were bad questions, they're just they're really hard to explain, you know. They were talking about offensive philosophy, they're talking about defensive philosophy, which is it's easy to explain, but it it's hard, it's also good to show them right the expectation is, and it's hard over Zoom, like our our bodies are expressions, you know, facial. You can get a little bit, but not not when you're in person, and you're in a box, not when you're seeing what the demands are. So they they ask some questions, you know, what were we gonna change? And and I mean, it wasn't even necessarily it was a change, it was things that that I stress and and the and the philosophy that I've had in the programs in box and field is is playing with more speed and adapting to a shot clock. Uh right, you know, being in Canada for two years, we were we were locked down. We I mean the the great thing was I have tremendous internet and I had a great TV, so I could zoom I could stream a lot of games. I agree. And uh, you know, it's hard to get ESPN in Canada, so you watch the the games that you can get off the college websites, and yeah, right. I watched a lot of D2 games and uh you know the SSC, I had players playing at St. Leo, I've had players playing at Tampa as well. Uh I did have two two of my players play at Florida Tech a couple of years ago, so I was pretty familiar with the conference, and I've watched, I mean, I don't know how many times I've watched wing at uh Lenore, Queens, like that that whole conference. The SAC conference is my old deep south conference mixed with the Carolinas. So that's where'd you play? Where'd you play, coach? Uh, I played at St. Andrew's College, which is an AIA school now, but we were we were one of the original deep south teams with uh with limestone, Pfeiffer, Catawba. Um right when you came in my junior year. So um, anyways, the the the kids they were just they were asking philosophy questions, they were asking, you know, how how we're gonna get through this, what what my plan was. Um, and uh you know, my plan, I I say to them, it's better that I'm in front of you. Uh, but you know, here's some details. We're gonna play faster, we're gonna probably play a little bit more physical. Um, I stress poise because you can't play fast and physical without you know being a having a little bit of poise to yourself and be able to make decisions at high speeds. Um, and you know, there's there's gonna be some box philosophy because that's kind of what I was was born with. And I wanted them to be able to play inside. Uh and I wouldn't call it selfish, but I wanted them to be more unselfish. I I thought I thought there was a a lot of lacrosse that I saw from uh our players that we could have used uh some some more assists, we could have used a lot more passing and a lot less isolation and dodging, right? So um, but that was more philosophy change that that wasn't necessarily, you know, uh it's just a difference in coaching, everybody has it. So um we went through, and uh, I mean, the easiest question was asking if I had a family. So that was uh, you know, my wife was sitting five feet away from me, so I you know, I I couldn't deny that she exists. So uh you know, they they wanted to get to know me, they wanted to ask questions, and I just said to them, I'll I'll go as long as I can. But I said, understand that in four hours I'm packing my truck up at three o'clock in the morning and I am driving straight to North Carolina to meet you guys. So I said, Don't not that I was gonna cut them off, but I said, you know, make the questions worth it because we're I'm gonna be tired.

SPEAKER_01 27:33

Well, I'd say two things. I think that's awesome. One, that you were on for like an hour, two, that you said, I'm leaving at three in the morning to meet you guys. And I think that hour and allowing them to do the questions, to me, it seems like the team never shut down. Like they never shut down on any game, even though you've you're 10 and 5, your losses were pretty darn close. They you know, they're probably on average two three goal losses, some were closer, but on average across. But that's like nothing in lacrosse. So do you think that helped just clear the air and then you know, just let's move forward? And it seems to me that you guys are playing fast and and physical. That's what it looks like to me. Of course, I'm just a lacrosse dad, so what do I know?

SPEAKER_00 28:24

Yeah, I mean, we're we're we're changing the brand a little bit. I mean, obviously, there's gonna be influence. I just I think these guys were prepared to play a different style. Um, I mean, our losses, Tampa was double overtime. Um, we lost by three to them as well. Rollins game actually this weekend is a little bone of contention. We lost by one, it's being fixed with the NCAA. We were we did not lose by two, doesn't just just rub me the wrong way. Um yeah, no doubt, no doubt. Yeah, so I mean, and look, I got to watch the Lenore Ryan game in Belmont Abbey. I was in the stands for both those games. Um, you know, we'd love another shot at at yeah at Lenore. I mean, I I don't think they got our best that day. I think we're a different team. Obviously, they will be too at the end of the year, but um, you know, the first time I first time I was on the field with our guys, they they one of the questions was give us an honest assessment of the weekend. And I thought, you know, I said, Belmont Abbey, I thought you guys came out, everything that's happened. I said, Coach Wynne did a great job preparing you guys. He he took the the program by the horns for two months and ran everything as a uh single coach with a couple volunteers. I said, So, you know, coming up to Belmont Abbey on a long bus trip and then getting out and playing what then was a ranked team with high expectations to win it. Um, we lost a grad transfer student in the first five minutes of the game to an ACL tear. Oh boy, you know, that was a bit demoralizing, but yeah, they could have folded their tents and said, you know what, we've had a coaching change. This has been, you know, it hasn't been great last five weeks. We've now lost a grad transfer. Um, you know, we we went down early, let's just shut it down, which they could have done and they didn't. Um, you know, so I I think there was some resilience there. When we went into Lenore, it was a little bit of a different animal. They're uh they're well oiled. Um, they've got them kind of rolling, and we didn't have any answers for them that day. And and we got back here, and I just kind of said, you know, if you want the honest assessment, there's Belmont Abbey's game, and I said the Lenore game, they were better than us, but I think you gave it away. And I think there's things we can fix, things that we can do and and emphasize during our practice time, um, that we can raise the standards here and and we can you know start evolving into something that's uh you know an SSC slash national contender. It will take time, but I I think we've got the tools to do it.

SPEAKER_03 30:55

Oh, well, you're ranked at 13 right now, sitting at 10 and five. Coach, your only five losses came to top 10 teams. Top 10 teams. I mean, uh two-goal loss to Tampa, another one goal loss to Tampa, two goal, three goal loss to LR, and the one goal for Rollins.

SPEAKER_00 31:16

That's that's balling out, coach. Yeah, we're we're right there. I mean, the kids don't quit. Like we we went for two and a half hours today, and you know, they were upset the way we played uh against Rollins. I mean, we're we're we're probably never gonna be a team that wins the goals against average. It's not the way I want to play. Um, but but we want to play a fun brand of lacrosse that guys enjoy playing and that it's fun to watch, it's fun for the parents, you know, maybe a little uh hard on the nerves.

SPEAKER_04 31:46

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:47

But yeah, but I think if you ask our guys, we we play a fun brand. Like we're we're up tempo, we do take some risks. Sometimes we don't mitigate them well enough, but you know, like you got to enjoy this college experience. And I think if we come down and we play a kind of a uh a boring brand, I don't think we're gonna win. Number one, I think we're better playing an up-tempo pace, but I think that also attracts younger players who say, Man, like they really don't care about the shot clock too much. When in actuality we do, but we want to jam as many shots in that 60 seconds as possible, right? Right, right, right, and see what we can do. So, I mean, you you've seen some of those scores. If we're hitting 15-16 goals, we think we're putting ourselves in a pretty good spot to win.

SPEAKER_01 32:29

Yeah, 100%. Well, let's talk about the SSC because Danny and I have been talking about that this year. You Florida Southern Rollins, you guys are just really beating each other up. It's one wins, then you think the other one's gonna beat, and it just goes, it's like a round robin. And and then you can't you can't sit back against the other teams like St. Leo or Embry Riddle or any of those. They don't they're gonna come after you. So tell us what this conference is like for you as a new guy coming in.

SPEAKER_00 33:02

Well, I mean, the good thing was, like I said, I had a lot of time to watch some lacrosse before this, so I had a I had a pretty good idea. Um, and I talked to my players that went to these various schools and and kind of had an idea. Um, you know, uh I I knew Coach Clark from from limestone. I had a couple players that have gone and played for him, uh, and I knew Coach Whipple. Actually, Coach Whipple recruited me. So uh I hate I hate to age him, but I'll age him. He recruited me. Um, I had a couple players play for Coach Jorgensen at St. Leo. Uh, and not that I knew any of these guys, but you know, I kind of had a know about their personality from my team that have been down here, right? Um, but I I said it before I got here, and I I I said it last year a couple times on social media, and I just like the SSC, I think is a very, very underrespected conference in D2 lacrosse. And I think we're slowly earning the the respect of of other teams. Um, I think Tampa had it and and they've earned it by by being so good for so long. But I I think you know the the rest of the conference needed to start beating some of the other schools, right? You know, a win over Lemoyne for Florida Southern. You know, that I think that says a lot about our conference, and then we turn around and and we beat Florida Southern. I think that talks about the parity. I mean, we went up, Seton Hill was ranked. Um, we had a great game against Seton Hill, and we kind of beat the doors off them. And you know, we went into Wilmington on on less than 24 hours rest, and nobody knew about Wilmington, but I could pull up our scouting report and it says right at the very top, do not take these guys lightly. And and we had a tough go with them. I mean, ultimately, I think our brand of lacrosse kind of won out that day. Um, but I think the SSC is a it's a fast physical league, and I I think it's very underrespected in in lacrosse circles in in terms of the talent that's even down here with the the Florida kids. So um, I think as we move forward, we'll start making our mark. And as a conference, I think we're gonna slowly start creeping up on you know the the the sack and some of the other conferences in terms of our depth.

SPEAKER_03 35:19

Well, you know, coach, last year you had the COVID and the Sunshine State conference just played in conference.

SPEAKER_04 35:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:26

And Kevin and I, we didn't give much much credence to that conference last year. We kind of said, all right, they're playing each other, they're they're not really playing out a conference, they're not traveling, they're not doing the rigors of what is Division II lacrosse getting on that eight-hour bus ride, you know, to go here or go there. And Coach Jorgensen had tweeted out, hey, the Sunshine State's a really, really good conference. You guys are underestimating us. We had Coach Jergensen on, and we've told him we ate pro coach, you're 100% right. Yeah, and this this year, that conference is proving to me, I I don't know, I think they're a really exciting conference. There's a lot of parody, like you said, between Florida Seven and Rollins and Florida Tech. And you know what? Even even St. Leo's a tough out, you know, they're not they're not, you know, they're they're they're good teams down there in the Florida. And um they're all tough outs.

SPEAKER_00 36:28

Yeah, we went down, we went down 7-1 to PBA, and that you know, partially we weren't playing extremely well, but PBA put us, they put it on us.

SPEAKER_01 36:39

I watched the game, I remember that. You're right, coach.

SPEAKER_00 36:41

Yeah, embryo riddle came back from I think we were uh we were up 16-11 and they they never quit. So I mean it doesn't matter who you are in this conference. Like the I'm not gonna call them doormats because they're not, they're they're they're just teams who haven't really learned how to win yet. Yes. Once they do, you know, if I hate to say this, and I'm glad it didn't happen to us, but if PBA had stuck that win to us and able to hold on, I mean, I don't know what that does to their program, but I know what it does to ours. And right, and and that would have hurt huge. Um, and we you know, we talked we have the resilience you were talking about. Guys didn't quit, we came back, we believed in each other. But I mean, that's what happens when you take a quarter off down here, somebody's gonna bury you.

SPEAKER_01 37:27

Yeah, that's right. Yeah, you know, and that's why the conference is so great, coach. We ate Crow last year, and you guys have been proving it this year, and we even just talked about it in our in our week in review and talked about the upcoming conference tournament, and that I don't put it past you to be able to beat Tampa in your third game against them. It's very tough to be a team as good as yours three times in a row. So I I guess I'd say, you know, we really appreciate you coming on. And uh I'm looking forward to the your game against Tampa. I think you can play you can play even with them and and beat them.

SPEAKER_00 38:07

Yeah, well, I'll never discount my guys. We have our work cut out for us. I mean, Tampa's a they're a deep team, right? They are they're they're not just uh uh you know a two midfielder type team. They've got three three really good experienced attackmen uh played together. They've got a good goaltender, yeah. Yeah, soft guy, you know. They're they're you know, Hunter's a good face-off kid, their their defense is well oiled. Um, we're gonna have to play good. And we've we have played good against Tampa.

SPEAKER_01 38:37

Yep.

SPEAKER_00 38:38

There's some things that we need to reduce, there's some mistakes that we need to take out of our game. Um, some discipline, but you know, we're not going into Tampa thinking anything else. You know, we're we're not trying to stay close, right? We're trying to win 100%. Uh, you know, Coach Clark, though, like I I don't think for one minute that that they're underestimating us. I think they know that we're coming for them. And we're gonna give it everything. What uh you know, what else do we have to lose? Right? Exactly. They're the benchmark, and and they know that they've got a mark on their back, and we'd love to be the guys that uh that that are able to take that to them. But I think it's gonna be a I think it's gonna be a huge battle, and the other semifinal is gonna be a damn good game as well.

SPEAKER_01 39:23

All both games are gonna just be awesome to watch. And coach, yeah. Once again, really thank you for coming on on short notice like this and and joining us. It's been fantastic.

SPEAKER_00 39:33

Well, thanks, guys. I appreciate it. Thanks for the uh for the D2 coverage. I mean SSC coverage is is phenomenal, but uh, like I said, N Hole, thanks for covering D2 lacrosse. I said to you guys earlier, I think uh the media world and lacrosse world deserves deserves to know about the podcast. We'll do our end to to share it uh here at Florida Tech. But um thanks for the coverage and and appreciate you guys uh doing what you do.

SPEAKER_03 39:57

Hey, Coach Brad MacArthur, Florida Tech, sitting at uh 10 and 5, number 13 in the country. We've been having a lot of fun watching your team play, and we look forward to seeing you uh uh in the next couple of weeks and seeing what uh the boys can do. We really appreciate you coming on tonight. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 40:14

Thanks, guys. Take care,

Games to Watch

SPEAKER_00 40:16

have a good night.

SPEAKER_01 40:17

Well, Danny, that was really great to have Coach MacArthur on and really kind of a good segue because I'm sure in this next segment of Games to Watch this week, we're gonna be talking about Florida Tech and Tampa when they play in their conference tournament. But there were a couple conferences that have already had games. We're recording this segment on Wednesday. Two conferences had their quarterfinals yesterday on Tuesday. So let's go through those quickly and then go on to those other games. Sure, go ahead. So let's start with the sack. Wingate beat Katabha 17-6. Yeah, solid. And then Queens played Newberry. They beat them in overtime 14-13. Yeah, yeah. So now what stacks up is the is the semifinal games uh this coming Friday. Wingate plays Lenore Ryan. Yep. And Queens claims Limestone. Yep. Yep, and that's that's on Sunday. Any any predictions?

SPEAKER_03 41:22

Ooh, it's tough. You know, the sack is always tough, Kev. It's always a tough one. Lenore Ryan, when they play between the bricks there up in Hickory, they're they're tough. They're tough. And they travel well and their fans are loud. It's gonna be hard to beat Lenore Ryan at their house. Okay? That's I agree. Wing that's Wingate's problem. You know, that's Wingate's problem. They're gonna have to play fast, they're gonna have to play aggressive, they're gonna need uh Wingate's gonna need um some real stellar and consistent goalie play, they're gonna need midfield play because the last two times Lenore Ryan played, Wingate, they took you know, they just they took the attack out. They they eliminated that lethal attack. So you know, uh it's gonna be an uphill battle for the Wingate Bulldogs.

SPEAKER_01 42:11

I think Lenore Ryan pulls it out. I agree, and I think limestone pulls it out against Queens. I think Limestone's just too strong. And and I think in the championship, I I give the nod to limestone again.

SPEAKER_03 42:24

Uh if if I think Limestone will beat Queens, and I think they will beat them rather handily. That's my prediction. And it will be a Lenore Ryan, limestone, sack championship, and I think Limestone's gonna beat him.

SPEAKER_01 42:43

Okay, so we're in agreement there. Let's move on to Conference Carolinas. Now, Barton played Chawan yesterday and beat them handily 21-12, and uh North Greenville did the same thing to Lees McCrae, beating them 26-9. So that now brings up the semifinal matchup, which also happens on Friday. That's Barton versus Belmont Abbey.

unknown 43:07

Right.

SPEAKER_01 43:07

And North Greenville against Mount Olive. I will tell you, I think Belmont Abbey wins, and I think Mount Olive wins in these games. I agree with you 100%. I agree with you. Belmont Ovechkin's proven well. Yeah, they've been playing well. You remember the North Greenville Mount Olive game. We thought that was gonna be a really good game, and Mount Olive handled them fairly easily. And I would expect the same thing's gonna happen. I think the matchup matchup is gonna be Mount Olive against Belmont Abbey on Sunday.

SPEAKER_03 43:39

I I agree with that. I agree with that. I think the North Greenville game, though, will be a little bit closer than maybe the other games.

SPEAKER_01 43:47

But it was before. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 43:48

Right. You know, I think North Greenville's a good team. They played really well in the beginning of the year. I think they got players that can play. Um, Mount Olive struggled in the beginning, but you know what? They started. Put it together at the end. I think that will be a closer game, but I think Mount Olive comes out on top. And I agree with you. I think it would in the in the conference Carolinas, I believe it'll be Belmont Abbey and and Mount Olive in the championship game. Any predictions on the final?

SPEAKER_01 44:16

I'm going Belmont Abbey. You know, I am too, but I thought about it today. Remember last year. Yeah, I know. Mount Oliver beat Belmont Abbey and then they turn around and do it. I I think Belmont Abbey has proven throughout this season that they're the stronger team this season. So I think so too. I think it's going to be Belmont Abbey. And if not, you know, we'll eat Crow as we usually do. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_03 44:42

We've done it. We've eaten we've eaten Crow before. Why not do it again? But that's a good prediction, and I agree with you.

SPEAKER_01 44:50

Let's go to Sunshine State. This is the one that I think I I've got some ideas of who I think is going to win, but I think it goes several different ways. So their semifinal games are on Thursday. Right. And it's Tampa against Florida Tech and Rollins against Florida Southern.

SPEAKER_03 45:13

That's really exciting. I mean, that's an exciting quarter, you know, quarterfinals, don't you think?

SPEAKER_01 45:19

The semifinals, yeah. It's a really exciting, the really exciting, you know, we talked about it with Coach MacArthur, and he even brought it up that Tampa's gonna be tough to beat. They're just so strong and deep. And deep. So I've got to give the nod to Tampa. I know when I talked to them, I I got all excited. I think they can make it a game. I really do. But Tampa always closes them out. Yeah.

unknown 45:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 45:47

Every team this year. They did it last year. I think they're gonna do it again this year.

SPEAKER_03 45:51

You know, uh the Sunshine State. We've talked about the Sunshine State all year, Kev. Um, teams like Florida, Southern, and Rollins, you know, they just played so well. And then Florida Tech with all the adversity that they had to face, losing their coach and coming in with a new guy. And it's just it's quite the story if it is about it. It is. And they played so well and and took Tampa to a double overtime game, you know. So can they play again like that? Uh I think they can. I think they got it. Uh but I'd have to give the edge to Tampa. I mean, until somebody knocks them down, they've been playing really, really good ball.

SPEAKER_01 46:29

Okay, so what do you think about the Rollins Florida Southern game? Wow.

SPEAKER_03 46:36

You know, the last time these two met was such a great game. And I that's a pick'em game for me, Kev. That's a pick'em. I'm gonna give the edge to Florida Southern.

SPEAKER_01 46:50

I I am right in line with you. First thing I thought was pick'em game. It's a pick'em game. But if you're gonna put the gun to my head and pick a team, I'm gonna give the nod to Florida Southern.

SPEAKER_03 47:03

Yeah, I think Florida Southern, you know, with that big win over Lemoine, gave that team a lot of confidence. And then they started playing a lot different after they beat Le Moine. They said, hey, we can beat these guys, we can play with anybody. And when you give a team that kind of hope and they start playing like they played for the rest of the season, hey, listen, Kevin Horowitz had at the face off. And how about Jeff Atlas? Oh, yeah. Sean Nolan. Yeah, there's studs there. So I'm gonna give the edge to Florida Southern, I think.

SPEAKER_01 47:36

And it's interesting when they played last time, Florida Southern really won three out of the four quarters. Yeah. But then Florida Tech beats them, and then Rollins beats Florida Tech. So just like we said, yeah, we could be growing this one. And I'm sure Coach Chris Lewis will give us a shout out and let us know that you know how wrong we were. As he should, as he should. Definitely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 48:00

And then they're I think the sun, yeah. I like what's going on in the Sunshine State conference this year. I just really think it's awesome for Division 2. And yeah, and and just good for the the game in La Crosse, just what that conference has done this year. Again, with the Florida Tech adversity and they could not show it last year because they played all in conference.

SPEAKER_01 48:20

We talk about the sack, everyone talks about the sack, rightfully so. Yes, but do not ever discount this conference again. No, can't can't.

SPEAKER_03 48:31

Not with not when you have four or five teams playing as well as they are, you know, ranked in the top 20, you know, one of them being number one in the country. So how can you how can you discount them at this point? I mean, we we saw it right, we saw it early. We saw it early. Yeah, and we kept mentioning them all year. So, you know, Coach Jorgensen, we we love you. Hail to Coach Jorgensen at St. Leo, who who who made us eat a lot of crow for sure.

SPEAKER_01 49:01

He uh he definitely set us straight early on in the no doubt. Now the championship is on their championships on Sunday. I gotta give the nod to Tampa. Yeah, gotta give the nod to Tampa. Okay, let's talk about the CACC. Their semifinals are on Thursday, also. Dominion at Wilmington and Georgian Court at Chestnut Hill.

SPEAKER_03 49:27

Yeah, you know what? I think it's gonna be a Chestnut Hill Wilmington championship. I agree, I agree. You know, Wilmington sits undefeated in the conference, and Chestnut Hill's right there, five and one behind them, you know, and I think that's gonna be a really good matchup. Oh, well, look at what happened the last game.

SPEAKER_01 49:48

Exactly, exactly. So I I don't know. I'm gonna give the nod to Wilmington, but I can see Chestnut Hill pulling it out without it, without a doubt. Wilmington's been playing playing really well. Chestnut Hill played them, I thought, great, and they're so evenly matched. Wilmington's got a little bit more to play for because they're they're ranked in region right now, number six. They want to at least stay there. But who knows? A young team, could that actually help Chestnut Hill because they won't be a little tight?

SPEAKER_03 50:27

You know, you make good points. I mean, uh, I think um Wilmington being kind of a young team and and new on the spotlight, so to speak, even though they've been playing well, you know, and incrementally over the yeah. They just improve every year. Every year they improve. You know, now they sit in a spot where they've never been before. Right. And how do you handle that kind of pressure? So that's a good point that you made there. So now is Wilmington going there and saying, oh shoot, you know, we have uh these many wins, we're undefeated conference, we got this. If we lose this, we don't have a chance to get in the NCAA. Do they play tight? And like you said, does Chestnut Hill go in and just say, hey, this is it, this is the championship. We have nothing to lose. We we don't have a we don't have a bid possible for the NCAA.

SPEAKER_01 51:15

The only thing we can do uh is take away and win the championship, the tournament championship. I think that's the thing. That's what they're playing for.

SPEAKER_03 51:23

Yeah, and you know what? They're gonna play hard. That's gonna be a good matchup. That's gonna be an evenly matched game, I think.

SPEAKER_01 51:30

Yeah, and that game's on Saturday. So everyone tune in. That's the one game that's on Saturday. That's there are other games up this Saturday up in the north, but that's the one conference tournament championship this Saturday. Right. The last conference that is in their play right now, or just about to start their tournament, is the GLBC. Now they're playing all the games, the semifinals and the finals at Undy. U Indy plays Lewis on Friday, and Lindenwood plays Rockhurst on Friday. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 52:02

Wow. I like the GLBC. This is another one where anyone could win. I got some interesting stats about the GLVC. We'll talk about them later. Okay. So Linden Ward, let's look, let's look at the 2-4 matchup, the Lindenwood Lewis, right? Is that no? UND UND Lewis. UND Lewis, the Lindenwood Rockhurst game. Yeah. Lindenwood is very good, Kevin. Kind of flying under the radar.

SPEAKER_01 52:35

I think they take Rockhurst. Rockhurst just beat him. I mean beat them pretty well. I mean, but I think they played at Rockhurst.

unknown 52:45

True.

SPEAKER_01 52:46

They're playing in a neutral site. I I agree. I give the nod to to Lindenwood.

SPEAKER_03 52:51

Lindenwood's a very good team. Hey, that that GLVC is similar to the SAC, where everybody's good. You know, there's more teams above 500 than they are less than 500. So everybody's good in that in that in that conference. And they all beat up each other. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:11

And they all like we saw the Rockers game. They Rockers Lindenwood game. And you know what? Each of those teams know how to play each other. They do not back down. No, they all hate each other.

SPEAKER_03 53:26

They all hate each other. They do. It's the truth. They hate each other. They want to beat each other up so bad. So I think I think Lyndon Wood avenges that Rock Ross lost.

SPEAKER_01 53:38

I think so too. And I think you Indy beats Lewis. You Indy will beat Lewis. You Indy will beat Lewis. If Lewis wins, I'm calling Coach Peruzzi. I'm getting him on the show again. You better buy him dinner.

SPEAKER_04 53:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 53:58

Send him some Venomo money to go out to his favorite place. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:02

Um, yeah. So we're gonna cheat us on something. We gotta pay the crack research team first. No, yeah. We got they're first on the payroll, okay? But yeah, you indie, you indie's really, really, really, really good, Kevin. Yeah, they're one of the best teams in the country. They play fast, they have a great defense, they're just really, really good. So I think it's gonna be a Lindenwood U Indie championship in the GLV. See, I'm gonna give the slight, slight edge to you, Indy.

SPEAKER_01 54:39

I give it to you, Indy, also because they're playing at home.

SPEAKER_03 54:42

That's right. I mean, I mean Lindenwood already beat Undy. Yep. So they're not gonna be scared. Nope. You know, so I'm gonna give the edge to you, Indy, and I think that's gonna be a really, really great championship between those two. Hey, and Rockhurst and Lewis, guys, good luck. That's all you know from Kevin. We're not taking anything.

SPEAKER_01 55:07

No, no, they they can do it. I uh if they did it, I I would not be shocked. I'd be surprised. I would not be shocked. Exactly. I'd be a little surprised.

SPEAKER_03 55:17

I agree with you, be like, wow, but you know what? You're right. These teams, they're all very good.

SPEAKER_01 55:22

And this is a this is gonna be a great week to start off the conference tournaments. I think and then we're gonna head up uh up north for those conference tournaments, along with the beach belt and south. So right, lots of fun coming up.

SPEAKER_03 55:37

Yeah, definitely, definitely a lot of fun coming up. I this is the best time of year, man. It's hands down the best time of year. Yeah,

Player's Spotlight

SPEAKER_03 55:47

okay.

SPEAKER_01 55:47

Let's move on to the player spotlight.

SPEAKER_03 55:50

My favorite part, Kev. My favorite part.

SPEAKER_01 55:55

Awesome. We know we talked about this player's amazing game against Rockhurst going 17 for 17 at face-off.

SPEAKER_03 56:03

Oh, poor guy.

SPEAKER_01 56:04

But damn, that's not that's not an anomaly. Last year he was named as the RMAC freshman of the year after claiming a conference leading 78 face-off wins. He also led the RMAC with a a 716 face-off winning percentage, and this year he's following up with a 72 percent face-off win percentage. Wow, and he's only a sophomore. He's only a sophomore. Oh my lord. I know it's crazy. So let's just welcome him in. What do you say? Dylan Checkets of Colorado Mesa. Hey Dylan.

SPEAKER_05 56:42

Happy to be here.

SPEAKER_03 56:44

Dylan Checkets, a sophomore from Colorado Mesa. Dylan, where are you from, kid? Are you from Colorado?

SPEAKER_06 56:50

Uh so I'm from Salt Lake City, Utah. So just about uh four hours a little north northwest. So not too much of a drive, just over the mountains.

SPEAKER_03 57:00

That's that's awesome. You know, we don't, I'm an East Coast guy, Kevin's an East Coast guy, I'm a Long Island, Kevin's in northern Virginia. Um, how did you pick up lacrosse out there? How did that happen?

SPEAKER_06 57:13

So for a while I did football and then uh I messed up my back pretty bad at football. And one of my friends, or my mom's friend, her uh son played lacrosse, and she had seen a couple games and thought it looked pretty fun. So uh after I had to stop playing football, I moved on and uh they suggested I try that out, gave it a shot, and I went to uh University of Utah lacrosse game for my first time, and it was a pretty fun event, so it got me hooked on there.

SPEAKER_03 57:40

Cool, very cool. How old were you?

SPEAKER_06 57:42

Uh I started uh false system of eighth grade.

SPEAKER_03 57:47

Eighth grade. Wow.

SPEAKER_06 57:50

Right at the right of the start of high school for me was kind of uh when I started getting going.

SPEAKER_03 57:55

That's crazy. That's that's kind of late in the game a little bit, you know.

SPEAKER_06 58:00

Yeah, it was a little late. I was uh originally I spoke football for most of high school and then kind of put a stop to that, so I had to had to switch gears.

SPEAKER_01 58:10

I hear you.

SPEAKER_06 58:11

And uh pretty happy it happened now, so I enjoy it.

SPEAKER_01 58:14

Yeah, well, we'll tell you what, that's a great story. You start in eighth grade and you parlay that into playing D2 lacrosse at a great school and a great lacrosse program at Colorado Mesa. Tell us how you got there, decided on that to play at Colorado Mesa.

SPEAKER_06 58:35

So I uh originally, I mean, being from Salt Lake, Westminster was kind of the lacrosse team that was erected there out helping at camps and things. So through high school, I started never really expected to play college, and then I joined a club team, Wasatch, Wasatch Lacrosse. They're kind of like the mainstream team out in Utah.

SPEAKER_04 58:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 58:54

With the Larkin brothers, and and so uh played with them and they uh kind of introduced me to the whole world of lacrosse that it's just more than uh more than just a little rec league game I play on Saturday, and I started to travel around to Maryland and out east and play some good stuff, but uh thought it might be kind of fun to play college, and so I happened to be looking at Westminster and then uh found out uh Colorado Mesa was one of their opponents, and I came down to Grand Junction the mountain bike quite a bit with my dad. So in the town down here, so I was like it seems like a pretty good school to go to. Get some nice outdoors and yeah, crossing at the same time. So it was a good call.

SPEAKER_01 59:34

Yeah, Colorado Junction is not a bad place to go mountain biking.

SPEAKER_06 59:38

No, it's got it's got great riding out here. You can go up on the monument, you can ride up there at uh Powder Horn, or you can turn right to the other side and go and uh ride the ribbon and all those cool things like lunch loops. It's got lots of good riding.

SPEAKER_01 59:51

Yeah, I've got a I've got a good friend. Uh we were in the military at the same time together, and he's out there doing that.

SPEAKER_06 59:58

That's awesome. It's a good way to spend your life.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:01

So, what's it like to play for a coach like Coach Smith?

SPEAKER_06 1:00:05

Uh, I really enjoy it. It's it's fun because he's I think he's a lot more devoted than a lot of the other coaches. Um, he's an intense coach, but it comes with a lot of a lot of great things. Like uh, he has us over to his house a lot for dinners, family. Like, it feels more like a family event, like Christmases. He always has a Christmas party there, exchange, uh, Thanksgiving. He does things, Easter. So it's uh he really creates a really strong like family connection within the team, and uh I think it helps uh helps create a strong bond on the field for all of us, as well as he's a very really knowledgeable coach out there.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:41

Yeah, that's that's awesome.

SPEAKER_06 1:00:43

Sometimes it happens and it makes it fun.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:45

So let's talk about your position and how well you're doing. It is did that surprise you coming into D2? And and I know you had there were a couple other guys that were doing face-offs uh for color. You had like a triad last year, three guys, one of them went to Marquette. But you're balling out of that position. Is it just how does it come so easy to you?

SPEAKER_06 1:01:09

Uh well, well, I started at ninth grade year of high school, and I it was something that I just caught on to really quick. I liked the I thought I was a little more technical, something that it was almost less athleticism based and just more is how much you're gonna work and figure it out. Felt kind of more like a chess match to me, which I really liked. Yeah, the reaction time and those things came natural to me. I had a coach through high school, his name is uh Amos, and I worked with him about every day, uh just doing faceoffs, and it was something that came pretty easy, and I enjoyed it. So between the next of those two, it got pretty fun. And then um coming in, I was pretty excited, and then there's the Rules James that messed me up a little bit.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:53

And then I think I messed a lot of kids. Oh, yeah, you're broke.

SPEAKER_06 1:01:57

Uh on the first day of captain's practice, I snapped a tendon in my wrist, so I was out for all the fall. So I never really took like a real stand-up face off until about the spring of my year.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:10

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 1:02:11

And it wasn't too hard of a transition, but uh between the three, I had Colin Seedorf and Cole Manuel, who's now Marquette. It uh it helped make a smooth transition to it between all their knowledge working together, and in the summer, just kept working at it, and it's kind of how they've been going. So it's been fun.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:30

Well, you sit right now, Dylan, at number three in the country at 71%. How does that make you feel?

SPEAKER_06 1:02:40

It's definitely fun to look at that stuff. I have to try to not get too uh entangled in looking at stats because it'll mess me up a little on the field and just gotta focus on winning for the team. But it's uh being able to see some of that uh kind of reap the reward a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:57

So you talk about it as a chess match, and so do you when you're at the X, are you going off of are you trying to react first or are you starting to go after uh after a few face-offs? Are you looking at how they're positioning themselves so that you can change things up?

SPEAKER_06 1:03:18

There's a little bit of both. A little bit of both. In general, I have a pretty good reaction time, so I that's something that I try to get to first, but then as they I play into the game, I try to adjust a little bit of what I'm doing to hedge my bets and maybe a front exiting front door or getting into my wings. Right. So it works like that, and like a bigger guy having to kind of analyze if they're gonna rotate more or if they're coming down the line, trying to decide how you're gonna work best to get like a rail over or get the rail underneath there to get over top of the ball.

SPEAKER_03 1:03:49

It's an art. That's an art in itself. The face-off is an art in itself, and the counters that go along with it, you know, and it's just so many things to uh I I always I like watching face-offs. I think it's the most exciting part of the game, one of the most exciting parts of the game, especially, you know, the those one goals short, you know, it's a close game, and you need that face-off and how important it is. And you know, like everybody's on the edge of their seat. It's almost like kickoff for the Super Bowl. You know, you're on the edge of the seat, you wait, you know, you're waiting to see. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:27

And then that was a fun ball.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:29

Yeah, there was a couple of stymies where they were like 30 seconds, and like just guys just walk, you know, just going in circles, and nope, that ball was just staying in one spot. It's amazing. But you've been playing great, and and Colorado Mace has been playing great at 12 and 3. Tell us about the season. How's it feel? You know, it's guys are just balling out, guys. You know, you're just balling out.

SPEAKER_06 1:04:54

Yeah, it's uh it's definitely been a fun season. We had uh we played uh Westminster, they're conference rivals, and we got the first game on them, and so that was really exciting. Rockers was definitely a fun one. They're kind of a rival we had, and then uh a couple trips down to Florida and kind of just the south. Those are some really fun games to play. We uh dropped a couple down in Florida, which was a little rough.

SPEAKER_03 1:05:19

You lost to Tampa by two, yeah, three, 15-12. You lost to the number. Yeah, the number and then Florida Tech by one. You know, they're they're a top 10, top 15 team. I mean, you know, how how's it getting on the plane when you gotta go to a trip? That must be kind of cool, huh?

SPEAKER_06 1:05:37

Yeah, it's definitely fun. We uh drive out of here generally in the morning, it's pretty early. So we get out going there, we flew a red eye. So it's just kind of fun. You kind of got that humma humma going, you're all ready to get down there. It's just exciting getting down there playing with the boys.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:56

No doubt. A hundred percent cool. So I think Danny.

SPEAKER_06 1:05:59

So

SPEAKER_01 1:06:01

He's ready. We can test it right now.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:08

All right, Dylan. You hear the shots in the background? You are in the 10 question firing line. We're going to shoot you 10 questions real quick. Just come off the top of your head with the first answer. Dylan Checkett, face-off kid from Colorado Mesa, sitting at number three in the country at 71%. Question number one: What was the first sport you picked up?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:32

Basketball.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:33

Basketball. Oh, really? Do you like you watch a lot of hoops? Do you watch a lot of hoops?

SPEAKER_06 1:06:39

I don't watch a ton. I like watching a lot of guys watching uh March Madness and all that. I like watching a little bit of the NBA.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:46

Okay, cool, cool. Who uh what's your favorite pro team?

SPEAKER_06 1:06:51

Pro team would be the Redwoods.

SPEAKER_03 1:06:53

The Redwoods, all right. You're the first one out of all our players, spotlight players, to actually pick a lacrosse team. That's all. That's all. Who do you look up to? Who do you look up to in the sport?

SPEAKER_06 1:07:09

Uh in the sport, somebody I look up to would probably be TD Erlin. I've worked with him a bit, and he's the one that I've always thought's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:16

I actually saw him play um when he was at Albany. He came there. There was the uh conference uh semifinals held on Long Island to watch him play was pretty pretty impressive. He's really good. All right, question number three, Dylan. PlayStation or Xbox?

SPEAKER_06 1:07:35

Xbox.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:36

Xbox.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:37

Okay, definitive, Danny.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:39

That was a definitive idea. Yeah, that was like no hesitation whatsoever. Favorite TV show?

SPEAKER_06 1:07:48

Uh uh, Peaky Blinders or Bojack Horseman. I couldn't choose between those two.

SPEAKER_03 1:07:54

I've seen neither one of them. I have no idea what either one of those are. Uh question uh number six: runs or lifts?

SPEAKER_06 1:08:04

Sorry, what was that one again?

SPEAKER_03 1:08:06

Runs or lifts?

SPEAKER_06 1:08:09

Ooh, lifts.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:10

Lifts, okay, cool. Number seven, who's the funniest guy on the team?

SPEAKER_06 1:08:18

Um probably uh Carson Schwarz, pretty funny guy.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:22

Yeah, what makes him so funny?

SPEAKER_06 1:08:25

Yeah, he's just pretty original with everything he does. He's always got some uh wise crack for everyone, and he's always on the field making cracking some joke about something.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:35

He's the guy you want to sit next to on that plane ride, right?

SPEAKER_06 1:08:39

Yeah, he makes pretty fun.

SPEAKER_03 1:08:41

Okay. Who's the best all-around athlete on the team? All around. Who's that one guy that's like, oh my god, everything he does is just like wow, he's a good athlete. Who's that guy on the team?

SPEAKER_06 1:08:54

Uh, I'd have to say James Stanky. About everything we do, he seems to be pretty athletic with it.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:59

Yeah, he looks pretty athletic, just at least on the lacrosse field. Stanky gets a shout out.

SPEAKER_06 1:09:05

Family sports in the fall, like handball and stuff. He's always he's always the guy you want on your team.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:11

All right, cool. Who's the one guy on the team you would never let date your sister?

SPEAKER_06 1:09:17

Oh, uh Kate Hathaway.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:20

That and Xbox, very definitive. No, no hesitation on that one either.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:26

That's awesome. That's awesome. All right, Dylan. Next question: what kind of music do you listen to?

SPEAKER_05 1:09:35

Oh, I like a lot of country. Some like old stuff like Hank Williams, uh, the old stuff, right?

SPEAKER_03 1:09:42

The original stuff. Oh, very cool. Let me ask you this. What was the last song you listened to?

SPEAKER_05 1:09:49

Uh, last song I think was Band-Aid on a Bullet Hole by Morgan Rolling.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:54

Now I gotta go find that song.

SPEAKER_05 1:09:56

That's a good one.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:58

Okay, and the last question, Dylan. Give us your best impression of Coach Smith.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:04

Coach Smith? Oh, what's something else says? It's in the balance, boys. It's in the balance.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:11

It's in the balance. That's one of his terms, huh? Well, Dylan, you did a great job in the firing line. Really, you did phenomenal. Awesome job, kid.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:23

Hey, Dylan, we really appreciate you coming on. It's been a blast having you. And I know we'll be watching not only the rest of this season, but next couple seasons, and I'm sure we'll be talking about you.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:39

I think Mr. Check is on his way to perhaps getting an all-American nod. He's very close to that. So, all the best of luck to you, Dylan. We really appreciate you coming on. You're sitting at number three in the country at 71%, man. It's it's just amazing. Seven out of 10. You're you're coming up with the ball. That's that's amazing stuff. Again, thank you so much for coming on. Continued success, and we watch you in the in the conference tournament, okay?

SPEAKER_05 1:11:08

Yes.

Final Thoughts

SPEAKER_01 1:11:09

Well, Danny, that was really great having Dylan Cekets on. Young kid, sophomore, falling out, fun kid to have on. I love when he talked about picking Colorado Mesa, partly because of the the trails he gets to ride on the bike.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:24

Yeah, that's you know, hey, you know, you got a kid that's into that mountain bike. I like the kid. He's a lot. He had a great smile on his face. He was really enjoying himself. So yeah, it was fun having Dylan on. And he's balling out, Kevin. You know, he's balling out number three in the country right now.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:40

Yeah. Okay, so let's move on as we finish up this show. Why don't I just hand it over to you?

SPEAKER_03 1:11:47

Well, you know, Kevin, we're coming into the tournament time, and and there's kids on that just need to be acknowledged for their hard work and some of the stuff that they've been doing. And I'm gonna talk about some of the leaders in the country. Um, let's talk about leaders and points, okay? Kids that are just throwing points up there. The number one, guess where the number one point kid comes from? You'll never guess. Don't you never guess. It's in the RMAC. Chowan. Jason, Jackson Martin. Jackson Martin out of Chawan, okay? He's got 80 points with 60 goals and 20 assists. He's averaging five and almost six points a game. Number two in the country in points, uh, junior attackman out of Wingate, Willie Greco, that first uh first team All-American from last year. That kid's just a great player. Yeah, he's got 81 points, 40 goals and 40 assists at five and a half points a game. Number three, that kid, Jeff Atlas from Florida Southern kid. Kev, I like that kid. I like that kid a lot. He's a really good athlete. He's got 86 points. Okay. And number four, Hunter Lemieux from Roberts Wesleyan. Great job, kid. You got 64 points. We're averaging a little over five points a game. That's phenomenal. And uh number five on that list is uh Ethan Landemore from Mercyhurst. He's got 63 points, 53 goals and 10 assists. Just phenomenal playing from those guys, okay? Uh let's go to the best goal scorers, the top goal scorers in the country, okay? Right now, Ethan Landemore at Mercyhurst with 53 goals. Yeah, he's had a great season. Okay, but he averages 4.4 a game. Number two on that list again, Jackson Martin from Chauwan. Nice got six 60 goals, 4.3. Number three is Hunter Lemieux from Roberts Wesleyan with 47 goals. It's insane. These kids are. Is he like three and three?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:54

He's Mr. Consistency.

SPEAKER_03 1:13:56

He's so they're so good, these kids. And uh, how about Pat Kashock from Lindenwood? We talked about him a few times. We've mentioned his name a few times on this on our pro on our podcast, and he sits at number four in the country in goals. And number five, another one we had on our program, Zach Carrigan from Morris Hill. There you go. With 55 goals. So we've had some really good players come on our podcast, Kip. So we'll go to the leading assist guys, okay? The leading assist man, Bryce Johnson from Mercyhurst with 39 assists, averaging three, a little over three a game. Pretty phenomenal. Yeah. Number number two on that list is Logan Gaddis out of Anderson with 51 assists in a little over 3.2 a game. Number three, Jacob Herman out of Wilmington. Another boy ball out. Okay. So we got Gio and Jacob both doing really good at Wilmington, but Jacob sits at number three in the country. Number four in assists, Willie Greco. Here's that name again. Yeah, it's all over the top of the list, too. I uh firmly believe that he's gonna be a first team All-American again. Um, and number five, Jeff Atlas. How about that kid? There you go. All right, there's these kids are gonna be all Americans, guys. They're just balling out. Uh, Jeff from Florida Southern with 43 goals. Amazing, amazing stuff. Okay, next on the list uh is the best offense and the best defense in the country. Who do you think, Kevin, has the best offense in the country? Mercy Hurst. You nailed it. Ding, ding, ding. Mercy Hurst averaging 17.8 goals a game, almost 18 a game. And so they sit at the top of the country in the in offense. Guess who's number two?

SPEAKER_01 1:15:55

Oh, that's a good one. I'm gonna say I might say Wingate. Nope. Limestone. That was my other guess.

SPEAKER_03 1:16:06

Kevin, limestone is scary, scary, scary good. I think they have a real shot at getting to the national championship. Yeah, yep. Okay, that's how good they're playing. 17.6 goals a game. Number three, ready for this? Roberts Wesley and Coach Delphi. Oh, love it. I love it. His team is balling out. They have scored 202 goals as a team this year, and they're averaging almost 17 a game. That's amazing. Now, this was surprising. Who do you think is number four on the list out of the peach belt? Lander as a team, they've scored 246 goals this season. Wow. And number five Queens of Charlotte. Wow. Would not have guessed that. 245 goals as a team this year, and a little over 16, just about 16.3 goals. So your top five offenses in the country Mercy, Hurst, Limestone, Robert Swesley, and Coach Delfino, Lander, and Queens. Unbelievable. So now we'll go in to the top defenses. Okay. Now, just a little while ago, we talked about U Indy and how efficient they were. They have the best defense in the country, Kevin. The best defense in the country. Okay. They only give up 6.9 goals a game. That's insane. Yeah. That's just insane good. To average only six goals a game to give up is amazing. And number two is Lindenwood. Wow. So folks. Okay. So now if those two make it to the GLBC Championship, you're going to have the number one defense against the number two defense fighting for a conference championship. And both of those teams, Kevin, both of them are going in to the NCAA. They're both going to make it. Number three, Lemoyne. Now Lemoyne lost a big game last night. They lost a big one. We'll get into that next week. But uh they're only giving up seven, a little less than eight goals a game. Number four, a Delphi. And number five, Mercy. So those top defenses that in the league are Indianapolis and Lindenwood, GLVC. Two top defenses. Then you got two NE10s, the granddaddy of them all, and Lemoyne and the Delphi. And then Mercy out of the ECC.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:56

Yeah. Great to see. That's awesome stuff. So just to close, Danny, I don't know if you know this. I think you do, but a little reminder that just about a year ago, our first podcast episode came out on April 29th, 2021. So that's it's one year ago this week, and we're now over 13,000 downloads and building. And all I can say is I love doing it with you, and I love bringing it to the fans. And it's really become a passion of mine. I know it's a passion of yours now, and I would I can't wait to make it grow even more.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:38

Kevin, if you told me a year ago that we'd be doing one a week and would have 50 coaches on and 20 players, and and and having like hotlines to coaches, and I would be like, You're out of your mind, you're crazy. But here we are, a year later. I'm I'm humbled. I still am humbled. I still can't get over the fact that you know, a coach like JB Clark, or a coach like Tim Boyle, or a coach like Chris Ryan, or a coach like Bill Dunn or a coach like John Jez would come on our program.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:19

I mean, I'm humbled by that. And they answer our emails after they've come on. We have to thank them for coming on, and we have to thank the players for coming on. It's just been so much fun.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:30

Kevin, we got to thank the listeners too. You know, these guys, you know, they they they chime in too. They're our listeners who've been really, really great, you know, sliding DMs in on us and helping me out with the intros and and helping us with research.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:47

It's been awesome. It's been great.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:48

Yeah, you know, that we got one in Canada, we got one out west, we got one in the one in the south, we got one in Flagler and Florida down there. We got we got our planted plants all over the country. It's been great, it's been a lot of fun, and then on a social level, on the outside, I get to chat about it some more. I actually was at a high school game yesterday, and there was a division one head coach there, and we were chatting, and he's like, What are you watching? Because I was watching the Delphi Le Moine game while my son was playing his high school game. All right, don't tell my wife she'll shoot me. But so they asked me what I was watching, and I told him what was going on, and I said, I'm doing it because I do the podcast. And they're like, Wow, I can do a podcast. So now the division one coach was like, I was like, Yeah, but it's all on division two coach. We don't talk about division one at all. And he was laughing.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:45

I actually love just yeah, just to finish this off, I love the fact that you told a D1 coach that our whole podcast for 40 some episodes is on D2 only. I think with that, Danny, that's a wrap.

SPEAKER_03 1:22:03

That's a wrap, yeah.