April 17, 2008
by Paul Ohanian, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff
Sometimes, even rivals understand that there is something more important than beating their adversary.
That's the case this week, when Pennsylvania's Penn Manor boys' lacrosse team hosts Lampeter-Strasburg in what the teams dub as their "Backyard Bash." The game will be played in tribute to Ryan Weitzel, a senior midfielder for L-S who lost an eight-year battle against cancer. Weitzel, 17, passed away last Saturday.
Penn Manor will be donating all admission proceeds from Saturday's game to Weitzel's family to help offset medical expenses. A touching tribute on Penn Manor's team Web site says, "Our deepest thought and prayers go out to the family of Ryan Weitzel, the LS Lacrosse Team, and the many loved ones that are mourning the loss of our great friend...Ryan has many friends on both the L-S and Penn Manor lacrosse teams, and will be missed by all who knew him...Ryan will never be forgotten, and this game is for him."
Quite a tribute, and even more impressive considering that it comes from the opposing team.
Weitzel's long, courageous and public battle against cancer touched many in the Lancaster community. An online video tribute with comments from his teammates and his coach helps share some insight into the qualities that made "Whitey" so special.
"He is probably one of the most remarkable kids I've met in my life," says head coach Joe Frank. "He was a very empathetic and caring guy. On the field, he had no fear...He loved the game and played it with reckless abandon. He was full of life, full of passion, full of energy. Everything he did, he did full speed. And lacrosse he did full speed."
* Gilman continues to surprise followers in Baltimore's MIAA A Conference, as the Greyhounds remain unbeaten at 11-0 and are ranked among the nation's best boys' teams by LaxPower. Gilman finished 7-9 last year and simply hoping for improvement this year seemed realistic. First place in the league nearing the midway point and notable wins over Landon, Georgetown Prep, Haverford and McDonogh has instead catapulted Gilman into the ranks of the national elite.
"We knew we had some good players coming back," said fourth-year head coach Brooks Matthews. "We really haven't done anything differently. Lacrosse is an athlete's game, and we've got the athletes."
A fast start this season has helped build confidence with each victory, but Matthews says the players had high expectations entering the season.
"The kids were enthusiastic and committed to playing hard right from the start," said Matthews. "We were able to hit the ground running."
Unfortunately, the road gets no easier for the Greyhounds with consecutive games against MIAA heavyweights Boys' Latin, Loyola-Blakefield and Calvert Hall over the next eight days.
"We don't want it any differently. We want to measure ourselves against the best," said Matthews. "This is the deepest league in the country, and every game is competitive and tough."
* As noted last week, every time the Mount Hebron (Md.) girls lose a game, it seems to snap a record streak of one type or another. And that was the case again this week as Centennial defeated the Vikings 7-5, ending MH's 18-year winning streak against Howard County opponents. Centennial's ninth-year coach Katie Clark, who helped build that streak when she played for Mount Hebron in the mid-90s, told The Baltimore Sun, "This [is] the best feeling I've ever had. That was such a dynasty. It's the first time we've played them that our team was actually excited."
* It's hard to find a girls' game that carries more national clout than Saturday's battle of unbeatens: Virginia's St. Stephen's & St. Agnes at New Jersey's Moorestown. These two powers who annually rank among the national elite and produce Division I players by the bushel are meeting for the third straight year.
Moorestown claimed its eighth straight state championship last year, while SSSA has won 13 straight league titles of its own. Both programs were among the top 10 high school programs of the US Lacrosse era (1998-2008), as ranked in the April edition of Lacrosse Magazine, and likely to contend for top national honors once again in 2008.
* One doesn't need to venture far from that powerhouse girls' match-up to find an equally compelling boys' game this week. Two of Eastern Pennsylvania's finest face off, as LaSalle College brings its 14-game winning streak to Malvern Prep (8-1). LaSalle got the better of Malvern twice last year, including 12-7 in the EPSLA playoffs.
* New York's three defending girls' state champions are each off to impressive starts again in 2008, with a combined 18-0 record. Class A champion West Genessee defeated Section 3 rival Fayetteville-Manlius on Wednesday and hosts Pennsylvania's Archbishop Carroll on Saturday. Class B champ Garden City (7-0) also faces an intersectional challenge this week against Maryland's St. Mary's. Class C champion Shoreham-Wading River has only had one of its first six games decided by less than 10 goals.
* Also in Central New York, the Westhill girls finally snapped a frustrating streak this week, defeating last year's Class C state runner-up and five-time defending sectional champ Skaneateles for the first time in school history. Westhill's 16-12 victory was keyed by a combined nine goals from seniors Katie Doherty and Laura Zimmerman, who are headed to Harvard and North Carolina, respectively.
* South Carolina is the latest state to consider sanctioning for lacrosse. The South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) meets this week to discuss the issue, although a formal decision is not expected. The SCHSL will confront many of the same issues that other states have faced when considering lacrosse sanctioning, including travel costs and logistics, facility conflicts (soccer is a spring sport in South Carolina) and lack of quality officiating. There are currently 25 high schools in the state with lacrosse teams. The state championship is sponsored by the South Carolina Chapter of US Lacrosse.
Did we miss something? Submit news and notes, questions or comments to Paul Ohanian at gpohanian@uslacrosse.org.
