By Mitchell Courtney
As the preseason rolls on and offseason training programs come to a close, the country’s top college lacrosse programs are just about ready to go to battle for real. However, a few scrimmages and tune-up contests stand in the way of the regular season for most teams.

Unfortunately for the Syracuse Orange and their head coach John Desko, junior Jerry Staats suffered an injury that will sideline him for the remainder of the 2019 season. Staats, an Onondaga Community College transfer, figured to find a niche on the Orange roster this season. With Staats gone for the year, Tyson Bomberry, Kevin Owen Hill and Troy Lauder are the only Native American players who will suit up for the Orange this year. None of the three tallied a point in an 11-11 tie with Vermont, or in the team’s 12-5 win over Hofstra.

Kyran Sunday and Hofstra did fall to Syracuse in the second of their two scrimmages but secured a 9-6 win over Vermont, a team the Orange tied. The Pride will wrap up their preseason schedule with a scrimmage at home against Hobart on Feb. 2.

Receiving three first-place votes in the preseason America East coaches poll, the Albany Great Danes are expecting a big year. A big part of their season rests on the shoulders of preseason All-American, and Native American, Tehoka Nanticoke. Nanticoke was the America East Rookie of the Year last season, and he will look to continue his success and avoid a sophomore slump. However, the Danes realize that you can never have too much senior leadership; and senior defenseman Chaunce Hill is at the center of those beliefs.

“As a senior, even if you are not a captain, you are looked at as a captain because you have the most experience,” said Hill. “The younger guys look up to you as a person that can help them both on and off of the field, and that is what makes our team so close.”

As the odds on favorite to win their conference, the Danes will need to use the cohesion noted by Hill to their advantage; and with seven seniors on the roster, there should be no shortage of leadership.

Johns Hopkins is expecting big things as well in 2019, as they have been named the preseason favorites to win the Big Ten Conference. Native American senior and Ottawa, Ontario, native Jake Fox will need to play a significant role on defense for the preseason prediction to come true, but an incrementally increased role over the previous three seasons has prepared him for the tall task.

When talking about senior leadership in the NCAA, it is nearly impossible to avoid the topic of Kason Tarbell. The senior was granted a fifth year of eligibility by the Ivy League Office, and he will certainly be a staple for Cornell at midfield. In what would have been his final season in 2018, Tarbell suffered a season-ending injury just three games into the year; which allowed for him to return in 2019. Tarbell has 23 points in 43 career games and has also proven to be a reliable defender when the time comes.

On the flip side, young players can make the difference between a well-rounded team and one that just does not have enough firepower. Wake:Riat Bowhunter of Jacksonville University, Matt Duncan of St. Johns, Devon Buckshot of High Point, Hartwick’s Kainen Francis-Thompson, Dan Burnam of Drexel and Chase Scanlan of Loyola will look to lead their teams as freshmen in 2019. It is undeniably a difficult thing to do, but Scanlan believes that it is hard work and preparation that can turn a timid freshman into a fierce leader.

“Every day we start off with film,” he said. “I believe that this plays a huge role in getting better as an individual and also as a team. Learning from our mistakes will help us grow and transition more effectively on the field.”

Scanlan appears to be a budding leader for Loyola, and he noted that the coaching staff at Loyola has helped him to understand what it takes to play at the highest level.

“The coaches can’t express enough that the Loyola standard and the bar is set by us as a unit,” he said. “The standard is going out and doing the right things on and off of the field.”

Genesee Community College seems to be building a junior college force in New York, and Akwesasne product Dante David is hoping to be a big part of their success athletically and academically.

“The coaches leave it up to the players to create our goals, and allow us to write them down on paper,” he said. “As a team, we talked about achieving a higher average GPA this semester.”

Academic eligibility is something that can either make or break junior college players as they attempt to transfer after their sophomore seasons, and it seems as if the GCC coaching staff is focused on helping their athletes get to the next level. Repetition and reinforcement are also a big part of improving in lacrosse, and David appears to have it down pat.

“If I’m not at practice, I am outside playing catch with my teammates,” said David. “I always try to keep my stick in my hands.”

Onondaga Community College also tends to prepare their players for the next level, and Owen Hill is looking forward to further improvement under new head coach Eric Miccio.
“Coach Miccio has been great,” said Hill. “He gets us extra help in the classroom and makes sure we are all set to go.”

Coach Miccio has instilled a belief of greatness into his players in a short period of time, and Hill’s goal for 2019 is further evidence of that belief.

“Our team goals are nothing short of a national championship,” Hill exclaimed. “We want to come in every day and work.”

From Division I to the junior college level, it seems that coaching staffs across the country have emphasized preparing their players for life as well as lacrosse; creating strong-minded and resilient players. This combination of education and athleticism is sure to boost the quality of NCAA lacrosse in 2019.