Scouting DuPage County boys lacrosse
Top local teams: Glenbard West, Naperville North, Valley Lacrosse, York, Wheaton Warrenville South, St. Francis.
Top players: Ben Frick (Glenbard West, sr., MF), Jake Allgood (Naperville North, sr., G), Jake Stegman (Naperville Central, sr., A), Nick Asuan (Valley Lacrosse, sr., A), Davis Johnson (Downers Grove North, sr., A), Walsh (York, sr., D), Harrison Proud (York, jr., MF), Jack Cain (Hinsdale Central, sr., D), Ricky Hoover (Wheaton Warrenville South, sr., MF), Tate Moorehouse (Wheaton North, sr., MF), Kevin Lorenzl (Benet, sr., MF), Ian Venard (Wheaton Academy, sr., A), Ryan Kenneally (IC Catholic Prep, sr., G), Christian Minear (St. Francis, sr., MF), Mario Florio (Montini, fr., A).
Scouting report: DuPage County boys lacrosse teams proved in 2018 the area is closing the gap with the north shore schools as far as talent and ability. Glenbard West finished third in state a year ago, the first as an IHSA-sanctioned sport, and Naperville North took fourth. Both figure to be local powers once again. "I think we're closer," Glenbard West coach Eric Nuss said. "I think just getting the experience being in those final four surroundings and being at that level, helps the players see where we need to improve." The Hilltoppers are led by 2018 All-American and faceoff specialist Ben Frick, a senior, who led his team with 82 points a year ago. Also crucial will be junior Josh Crosby, a Marquette commit, who had 30 goals and 18 assists in 2018, along with senior attackman Mark Winters and senior defender Tom Halkyard.
Naperville North lost to graduation two key offensive players, Scott Allgood (now playing at Illinois Wesleyan) and Sean Sullivan. But the Huskies will counter that with junior Nate Matheu, a close defenseman who transferred from a strong Lincoln-Way program and is a Towson State commit. Offensively, sophomore Jacob Lubrant is returning, along with junior midfielder Matt Maschmeier and senior midfielder Grant Pass. The defense should be rock-solid, starting with senior goalie and captain Jake Allgood, Scott's brother, along with defenseman Braden Dunlap and long-stick midfielder Cort Dunlap. Jake Allgood said he and his teammates are ready. "We have a lot of people who can play their roles and do their jobs, and with our defense as strong as it is this year, we'll be able to push a lot in transition," Allgood said.
Naperville North's biggest competition will likely come from Neuqua Valley, which returns 10 players with 20 or more points from a team that went 21-3 overall and 5-0 in the DVC in 2018. Senior midfielder Caiden Perry leads that group with 55 points last year and senior attackman Ben Foy, who had 65 points. The flip side is the Wildcats lost virtually their entire defense due to graduation, but the cupboard isn't totally bare. There are four returning long poles, including a pair that saw significant time last year in junior Griffin Harmer and senior Ethan Hojnacki. Goaltending will be split between seniors Cam Nevins and Michael Gunderson.
Naperville Central coach Jay Havenaar is another DVC coach who loves the fact that his club will play its conference teams twice. "I like to have the opportunity play these teams at home and on the road," he said. "It gives us a chance to see those teams before we go into our regional." The Redhawks had a tough go last season, finishing 4-14 and 1-4 in league, but that should change this season with the return of senior attackmen Jake Stegman and Max Feudl, a lefty who was the team's leading point scorer last year. Another key offensive player will be senior midfielder Zach Rimbos. Defensively, Naperville Central will be led by defensemen David Bendis, a senior, and junior Spencer Moore. "He took a lot of time in the off-season to develop his game," Havenaar said of Moore.
Another factor in a loaded DVC will be Valley Lacrosse, the Waubonsie Valley/Metea Valley co-op team, which went 7-12 and 1-4 in league a year ago. The offense there starts with senior attackman Nick Asuan, who has averaged 34 goals and 23 assists in high school. He's committed to Otterbein University in Ohio. Junior Jake Cornwell will be the 1-2 scoring punch with Asuan. Conner said if Asuan gets double-teamed, which often happens, that simply opens up Cornwell to score. The one player whom everybody will be talking about by the end of the season could be junior Zach Wentz, whom Conner said will likely be the No. 1 midfielder. The defense will be headed up by senior defenseman Austin Stensby, committed to Rollins College in Florida.
In addition to Glenbard West, the West Suburban Silver will be a tough go for teams like Downers Grove North, which has a new coach, Shon Zawlocki. The Trojans will have to replace one of the best players in program history, Spencer Ukrin, who had 65 points last year. They'll attempt to do that with senior attackman Davis Johnson, a junior captain last season. "As a veteran and a leader on the team, I feel like I have to be not just a player but also a coach," Johnson said. Also expected to be contributors are three senior midfielders - Marty Kline, Miles Little and Audie Brackett. Freshman Zander Johnson may be young, but the physical acumen to contribute right away.
York will be tough in the WSC Silver because of its defense, which will be headed by senior defenseman Sam Walsh, a basketball player who has already committed to Merrimack. "Sam was the only senior who made varsity as a sophomore, and last year we realized early on he was our top defenseman, and he covered some of the best offensive players in the state," York coach Don Canfield said. "We're excited to have him back and anchoring our defense, and our team, really." He'll be working defense with senior Nick Bingenheimer and sophomore Josh Temple, who will either play long-stick midfielder or close defense. The goalie will be senior Joey Cornell, who replaces the graduated Artie Renier. The challenge for the Dukes will be scoring. The keys will be midfielders Harrison Proud, a junior, and senior Aidan Gaughan.
Hinsdale Central is led by new coach Dave Demasi, who replaces Rich Mares. His early take on his new charges is positive. "I'm impressed with the kids' work ethic and their ability to move the ball to the player that's open instead of taking care offensively themselves," he said. Defenseman Jack Cain will anchor a defense that "should be solid," Demasi said. Another senior defenseman, M.J. Cook, along with junior defenseman Grant Neistrom, will work with Cain. Offensively, two seniors will be replied upon to drive the ball down the field and into the net - attackman Drew Azinger and midfielder Parker Bailey. "Drew is kind of a one-on-one specialist and Parker is easily probably the voice and leader on the offensive side," Demasi said.
The DuKane Conference makes its lacrosse debut this spring, and Wheaton Warrenville South is looking to make an impact right away. Senior midfielder Ricky Hoover had 59 regular-season points a year ago and even scored 10 points in a playoff game for the Tigers. He's committed to Hobart in upstate New York. "He's healthy and bigger and stronger and more mature, which are all good things," Wheaton Warrenville South coach Mike Blouin said. "I expect he will pick up where he left off." But Blouin is adamant that offensively the Tigers will not be "a one-trick pony." Senior midfielder Zach Powell and senior attackman Jack Stransky will be relied upon for scoring along with sophomore Andrew DeLeon. "Expectation-wise, it's just to go as far as we can," Hoover said. "We want to get past the sectional finals."
Joining the Tigers in the DuKane is cross-town rival Wheaton North, led by Chris Weed. The Falcons' biggest scoring threat will be senior midfielder Tate Moorhouse, whom Weed said is establishing himself as the team's leader. "I've been on the varsity team for four years, so I've been around for awhile, and this year, we have a lot of freshmen coming in and I'm excited to get to know the guys and teach them things," Moorehouse said. Junior attackman Matt Gemkow will also help in the scoring department, and they "can create, feed, work from outside," according to Weed. But the most intriguing player might be a newcomer, freshman midfielder Kaiden Libby. He's 6-foot-1 and a really polished player for a first-year high school player.
Benet will have to contend with the graduation of speedy and strong midfielder Jason Rowaiye. The answer is probably going to be junior midfielder Kevin Lorenzl, along with junior attackmen Hunter Randolph and Kyle Bollman. "We'll be more skilled offensively overall," Lorenzl said. "We'll have more guys scoring one or two goals a game, instead of a few scoring four or five." But the Redwings will miss a pair of players that will miss the season due to football-related injuries - senior long pole Luke Flaska and junior defensive midfielder J.P. Lawler. The defense will be anchored by senior defensemen Brendan Tarpey and John East, along with junior defenseman Connor Meagher, who has started since he was a freshman.
Technically, Wheaton Academy, IC Catholic Prep and St. Francis joined the Metro Suburban Conference, but since they are the only lacrosse-playing schools in the league, they will basically play independent schedules. The big blow for the Warriors came when sophomore midfielder Nick Schrepferman transferred to St. Charles North. Senior attackman Ian Venard had a great finish to 2018, coach Geof Wiesenborn said, and is committed to Division III John Carroll. He'll be relied upon for scoring punch, along with the team's most intriguing player, senior midfielder Ben Thorson. Thorson played lacrosse as a freshman before tearing his ACL, then played football for two years before returning to lacrosse.
In addition to Wheaton Academy and St. Francis, York and Fenwick will be the toughest opponents for IC Catholic Prep, which graduated 70-point attackman Charlie O'Brien. His dad, coach Tom O'Brien, will counter with junior attackman Jack O'Brien, a starter a year ago when the Knights went 7-8 overall. A huge asset will be senior midfielder Gabe Remy, the team's faceoff specialist, who corralled 58 percent of his faceoffs a year ago. Junior long-stick midfielder Max Cook will also be relied upon on offense for goal scoring, along with senior attackman (and lefty) Joe Bigane. Goaltender Ryan Kenneally is back as well.
St. Francis went 12-6 overall a year ago and 6-0 in the Chicago Catholic League White - a solid campaign. But the Spartans graduated 16 seniors and lost 55-goal scorer Pat Dunlea, who transferred to an East Coast prep school. "It's going to be a fun year rebuilding," said St. Francis coach Bob Grisanzio. "Last year was a great season, That was by far the most talented group I've ever coached," he said. Senior midfielder Christian Minear will be counted on for a lot this season, while junior midfielder A.J. Donati scored 18 goals a year ago, the highest returning scorer. The Spartans' JV goalie from last year, junior Joshua Casuga, will have to continue an impressive end to 2018 to give his team a chance to win.
It was a tough off-season for Montini - coach Mike Thuma passed away in December, which means Lee Fuller, Brian Orr and Ted Fleckles will be co-coaches this season for the Broncos. "I told (the players) right off the bat, we've got a transition and building year," said Fuller, who will have only about 20 players. But there is talent - for example, freshman attackman Mario Florio should make an immediate impact, while junior goalie David Leonard will be the defensive stalwart. Nine freshmen coming out have experience with club lacrosse. But because there are so many freshmen, size will be an issue. At least five wins is attainable, Fuller said, along with having "this young team jell together and be a powerhouse in a couple of years."
- Gregg Voss