High School: Congrats to Matt Emery – Named to Under Armour All-American team

Matt Emery was recently named to the Under Armour All-American South team. Congrats to this St. Ignatius Senior – and his family – for being named to participate in this prestigious, nationally televised, event. Matt will attend UVA in the Fall, joining his brother, Rob, who was also named an Under Armour All-American in his Senior year at St. Ignatius.

Inside Lacrosse player write-ups at Adrenaline Challenge

Adrenaline Challenge Recruiting Round-up

Inside Lacrosse has a nice recruiting round-up from the Adrenaline Challenge. You can read it here. It features comments on a number of NorCal guys, including:

Mikie Schlosser M Davis HS/Michigan
Joe Reid Casa M Grande HS/Denver
Jack McCormick A De La Salle HS/Dartmouth
Josh Wellman M/FO Oak Ridge HS/Penn State
Niko Souza LSM San Ramon Valley HS/Furman
Austin Appleton G Sacred Heart Prep
Matt Emery M St. Ignatius/Virginia

Landmark event for California lacrosse

The St. Ignatius College Prep Boy's Lacrosse team will take the field in 2013 with at least eleven NCAA recruits on the roster. I believe this is a high water mark for any team in California Boy's lacrosse history, Only teams like Garden City on Long Island or the best MIAA A Division teams in Baltimore produce numbers like this. Quite an accomplishment for SI.  Northern California's approach to Boy's lacrosse was to create a solid Youth Lacrosse program – the NCJLA – and have the talent "bubble up" to High School programs. This differs from most other non-hotbeds, which put most of their effort into High School programs – taking good athletes and teaching them the basics of lacrosse. I have long contended that the Northern California approach to building a strong Boy's Youth lacrosse infrastructure would prove superior to any other approach. Mission accomplished.

That same Youth lacrosse excellence will allow more High School teams to reach this "every starter an NCAA recruit" landmark. Don't have any idea which team comes next, but I'd be surprised if that team didn't have initials like BCP, DLS, MC, MV or SRV,.

Here's the rundown for SI 2013:

Attack
David Fleming Fairfield 2013 DI
Joe Lang Harvard 2014 DI
Moore Harris Washington & Lee 2013 DIII

Midfield
Chad Bell Boston University 2013 DI
Matt Emery Virginia 2013 DI
Spencer Evans Harvard 2013 DI
Brendan McDermott Trinity College 2013 DIII

Defense
Riley Burke Colby College 2013 DIII
Charlie Ford (LSM) Georgetown 2013 DI
Jack McGovern Holy Cross 2013 DI

Goalie
Cyrus Scott* Colgate 2014 DI
______________________
*I had earlier heard from a goalie on the recruiting trail at the Ivies that Cyrus committed to UPenn, but have subsequently confirmed with the Scotts that Cyrus committed very recently to Colgate. Congratulations to this fine lacrosse player with strong academics!

11/12/2012 UPDATE: A/M Moore Harris Washington & Lee 2013 DIII, has recently committed.

2012 Under Armour West team 2-2: not in playoffs

West on offense

The 2012 Under Armour UnderClassmen (UAUC) games are underway in Baltimore. Seven NorCal guys are on this team. Through Pool play, they ended with a 2-2 record. They did not make the playoffs, since the other contenders have defeated the West team in head-to-head play. Nonetheless, they have acquitted themselves well and they represented the Western States nicely. Seven of the 24 members of the West UAUC team are from NorCal. Here they are:

Matt Emery SI M*
Spencer Evans SI M
Charlie Ford SI LSM
Jack McGovern SI D
Wiley Osborne Menlo A
Mikie Schlosser Davis M
Cyrus Scott SI GK

Game results for the West team so far:
6/29
West 7 New Jersey 6

6/30
Baltimore 16 West 8
Washington D.C. 14 West 6

7/1
West 12 v Midwest !0
______________________
• A two time member of UAUC teams. Matt is only the second California player to have been selected to two Under Armour UnderClassmen teams.

Day 2 of the Langkammerer

I have only two of the 4 games results and will fill in the others as I get them. First, Corona Del Mar prevailed in a nice match with Marin Catholic, 10-4. The Sea Kings are a strong team, with strength where you like it. That is, strength along the imaginary line drawn between the two cages. That includes: Goalie, Crease sliding Pole, LSM, FO guy, dodging middie up top and an X Attackman. If you have strength along this axis, you'll be tough to beat. The Sea Kings have it! In addition, their skilled O passes as well and as fast as any team I've seen this year. Well, any High School team I've seen this year! For its part, Marin Catholic gave them a heckuva game. I love Marin Catholic! They're gritty, they're well coached and they get the principles of the game. They clear out the crease, they cut to the crease, they feed the crease. As a result, they get open shots on the doorstep. They just didn't get enough of them against Corona Del Mar. My congratulations to Coach McGettigan for getting his boys to this skill level so quickly. Hope he stays at MC for many years!

The second game I watched was a conundrum to me. This game was SI 9 San Clemente 6. SI is a better team than San Clemente – a substantially better team. Yet, San Clemente had a plan and the will to execute it. They would zone SI to death. Well, NEARLY to death. SI's vaunted Attack line was next to impotent against the zone. That impotence was contagious and spread to the defense, which allowed a couple of open shots (and goals) from within INCHES of the crease. Very unlike the parsimonious SI D! This year, SI has been an Attack-led team. The Attack line was mostly fallow today. Middie Spencer Evans had the hat trick, Middie Matt Emery had at least one, Middie Phil Alimam ripped one, Middie David Fleming had another... followers of SI will know that these fine fellows roam the middle of the field! You know, regular guys – salt of the Earth. Unlike those Flo Bros on the Attack line who dazzle with their BTBs and between the legs goals.

Hey! A victory is a victory. One should be happy with victories over good teams – and that's just what San Clemente is, a very good team! Glad to have them at the Langkammerer! They represent the Southern Section well and they have a gritty, blue-collar mentality that always gets me rooting for teams! Way to represent, San Clemente!

Brophy Prep defeated Monte Vista 6-5 in a BIG win for the Arizonans. I don't have details. but I'll try and get them.
As I get more info, I'll report on the remaining game, which was:
Menlo School v Bellarmine

SI pounds Rancho Bernardo, 17-6

One of the top teams in Southern California came calling at J. B. Murphy field at St. Ignatius Monday. Rancho Bernardo, sporting a gaudy 96.2 LaxPower rating and a record of 9-1, had lost only to the top team in San Diego, Torrey Pines. In seven of its nine wins, Rancho Bernardo had put up double digit goals. The Broncos are a very good team.

For their part, the St. Ignatius Wildcats entered the contest with an unblemished 9-0 record and notable victories over San Ramon Valley – the top team in the North Coast Section – and Dallas Jesuit – the top team in the State of Texas. I've been looking forward to this game between the Equines and the Felines since the SI schedule was announced!

Both teams have beautiful ball movement and off-ball player movement, with the Broncos primarily running a 1-3-2 and a  2-2-2 bow-tie offense, with lots of picking and re-picking in front of the crease to free up a finisher on the doorstep. The Wildcats have several offensive sets, but the ones I enjoy watching the most involve initiating via a pick and roll below GLE or a pick and roll up top. Very Canadian, eh?

In a flurry of early scoring, the Broncos drew first blood, SI responded with two quick tallies, then the Broncos tied it up at deuces. That would be the last time the game was tied, as all parts of SI's vaunted game were on display, from FO and wing play, to great speed in transition, to wonderful D middie athleticism, to effective EMO play, to a big-time goalie, and a defense that – while not huge – is agile, mobile, and hostile! The Broncos determined early on that they couldn't run with the 'cats and went to a slowdown game in their settled O. Slowed down so much that they were called for stalling in the second quarter when they were down by, I believe, three goals.

Things didn't improve much for the Broncos and, on this day at least, they were no match for the 'cats. I have only a casual grasp on the stats but, by my count, middies Peter Doyle (2G) and Spencer Evans (1G) had the only scores other than SI's starting Attack, which collectively tallied 14G with numerous assists. Assists by middies included beautiful feeds from Matt Emery, Chad Bell, and David Fleming.

Score by quarter:
Team    Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 Total
RB         2     2     1     1    6
SI          6      1    4      6   17

SI Offensive production:
Player                Pos  G   A  P
Joe Lang             A    6    2   8
Chad Cohan       A    3    3   6
JW McGovern    A    5   0   5
Peter Doyle        M    2   2   4
Matt Emery        M    0   2   2
Chad Bell            M   0   2   2
Spencer Evans  M    1   0   1
David Fleming   M    0   1   1

Totals:                 17 12  29  71% of goals assisted

Great win by the SI boys, but it doesn't get any easier. Archbishop Mitty Wednesday, De La Salle on Thursday, the SI Alumni game on Saturday and the Langkammerer next week, where the 'cats will take on Monte Vista from the North Coast Section, San Clemente from the Southern Section, and Brophy Prep from Arizona.

I encourage all lax fans with flexible schedules to take in some of the matches at the Jerry Langkammerer Invitational on April 12, 13, and 14. High level HS lacrosse for your viewing pleasure!

Question: I'm hearing noises that yet another SI laxer has committed to a DI school. If you can confirm this, add an anonymous comment.

Saint Ignatius defeats Dallas Jesuit, 7-6

JW McGovern (SI) up against Mike McCarney (DJ)

photos courtesy of Dave Hilbe

I've been looking forward to this game since the schedule was released! Dallas Jesuit is the top team in Texas this year, according to almost all the rating services. SI is, arguably, the top team in California. Intersectional battles don't get any better than this. Both teams have a number of commited DI players and StickStar Lacrosse, a website focusing on Texas High School lacrosse lists Dallas Jesuit as having the #1 Faceoff guy and the #1 close D in the State of Texas.

The SI boys got up at 3:30 AM yesterday, got to SFO at 4:30 AM and took a 4 and a 1/2 hour flight to Houston today. Then, after spending another two hours collecting their bags and bussing to their hotel, they headed off to Strake Jesuit for a game against Dallas Jesuit, the top-rated team in Texas. The game started at 7PM. They defeated a very, very good Dallas Jesuit team, 7-6.

Saint Ignatius was, decisively, the better team in the first half. They led, 5-1 after two quarters. Dallas Jesuit owned the second half, 5-2. Final score: Saint Ignatius 7, Dallas Jesuit 6.  I believe some of that second half was due to SI's travel weariness, but most of the 2H results came about because a very good Dallas Jesuit team fought back from adversity and almost pulled out the victory. Congrats to both teams on a well-played, exciting game!

SI Offense:
JW McGovern 4G 0A 4P
Joe Lang 1G 2A 3P
Chad Cohan 1G 0A 1P
Peter Doyle 0G 1A 1P
Matt Emery 1G 0A 1P

FO: Rare off night at the X for Will McKee. He went up against the top face-off guy in Texas. On any given night, odd things can happen! Will's a tremendous asset for SI lacrosse.

SI Defense:
Jack McGovern with numerous CTs. An outstanding on-ball defender
Cyrus Scott exceptional night in the cage
Cullen Vincellette excellent night at D mid by this high-speed player

More of Dave Hilbes's photos may be seen at:

http://www.pbase.com/dhilbe/12sisfvsdj

2012 SI v SRV game highlight reel

Here is a brief highlight vid of the Saint Ignatius v San Ramon Valley game of March 9th, 2012

http://www.laxratz.com/2012/03/st-ignatius-prep-v-san-ramon-valley-9th-march-2012/

Saint Ignatius defeats San Ramon Valley, 12-7

JW McGovern (SI) covered by Kane Franklin (SRV)

photo courtesy of Michael Ennis

In the most anticipated NorCal lacrosse game in years – maybe ever – the Saint Ignatius Wildcats boarded their yellow CYO bus at 4PM and headed off to the East Bay and Wolves' Stadium in San Ramon. Two hours later, they de-bussed, to find the largest regular season crowd in my recollection of NorCal lacrosse. The crowd was not surprising given the back story below:
• In the prior 7 seven years of this rivalry, SI had won 4 and SRV had won 3. No other team has played SI this well
• SRV had won the last two games – 10-8 in 2010 and 11-10 in 2OT during the 2011 season
• That rara avis, the Junior year US Lacrosse All-American shows up on both these squads and no others in NorCal (Michael Tagliaferri and Patrick Worstell at SRV & JW McGovern at SI)
• These two squads lead NorCal in number of NCAA DI recruits with SI having 7 and SRV having 3.
• The only West Coast member of the USA U19 team plays for SRV
• Lacrosse Magazine's top Western Player To Watch plies his trade at SI
• 7 players in this game were members of the 2008 U15 team that dominated at Vail – 4 from SI (Chad Cohan, Peter Doyle, Matt Emery, & JW McGovern) and 3 from SRV(Mike Tagliaferri, Jordan Weiss, and Patrick Worstell). That team was coached by Peter Worstell, SRV's Head Coach. The boys have known each other for years, as have the parents of those boys.
•The winner had 10 goals in 2010, and 11 goals in 2011. Would the winner have 12 goals in 2012?

It would! SI 12 and SRV 7

The game was everything it was expected to be! All seven members of that Vail U15  team scored in this game. 15 of the 19 goals came from players on that Vail team, and six of the eight assists in the game came from those self-same players! But, the key statistic of the game, for me, was that the SI defense held a powerful SRV offense to just 13 shots on cage for the entire game. Astonishing!

Here's the write-up from San Fran Preps
http://www.sanfranpreps.com/2012/03/10/prep-wrapup-st-ignatius-boys-lacrosse-wins-rivalry-game-against-srv/

Boys Lacrosse: St. Ignatius 12, San Ramon Valley 7

The Wildcats (2-0), ranked by West Side Lax as the best high school team west of the Mississippi, took down rival San Ramon Valley (1-1) on the road on Friday night, behind two goals and three assists from senior attackman JW McGovern and three goals from junior midfielder Matt Emery. Senior attackman Chad Cohan also had three goals and two assists, and SI snapped a two-game winning streak by the Wolves in the series between the two teams.

Thanks to the coaches and players of both teams for producing such high level lacrosse in this tremendous rivalry!