Lacrosse News - 2009 Lacrosse News - 2009
News | Roster | Schedules--Results | Archives
7/19/2010- Lacrosse
Brambs and Chwalibog named to 2010 All-County Team
By JEFF KANAN
Special to The Oakland Press
Oakland County produced three state finalists and a state champion this year and showed that the local teams are still among the elite in the state high school lacrosse scene. Birmingham Brother Rice won its sixth straight Division 1 title and Pontiac Notre Dame Prep made a splash in Division 2, reaching the title game, but falling short against Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central.
Novi Detroit Catholic Central also had an impressive postseason as it defeated Birmingham Unified in the state semifinals before losing to Catholic League rival Brother Rice in the Division 1 finals.
Beyond the four state semifinalists, several area teams also reached the regional finals and can use that as experience for next season.
Here's a breakdown of the county's top players:
Attackers
Luke Jackson, Birmingham Brother Rice Jackson was one of the best attackers in the state during the regular season, and he just kept getting better. The senior turned in his best performances late in the playoffs as he notched seven goals in Brother Rice's semifinal win against Detroit U-D Jesuit and then performed well in Brother Rice's state finals win against Novi Detroit Catholic Central. He was a very steady and consistent attackman, Brother Rice head coach Rob Ambrose said. He improved his shooting tremendously. The two-year varsity player was named Mr. Lacrosse for Michigan in 2010 and finished the season with 76 goals and 22 assists.
Mitch Burgin, Novi Detroit Catholic Central The junior All-American led the Catholic Central attack and helped land the Shamrocks in the Division 1 title game. He finished with 65 goals and 29 assists, and was able to set up his teammates for easy opportunities in addition to scoring. Mitch has phenomenal hands, Catholic Central head coach Dave Wilson said. He's able to catch and go. Burgin is sure to be a force next season and will look to run his team even further.
Andrew Stanton, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood Cranbrook's leading scorer during the past two years, Stanton enjoyed a career that not many prep players can equal. Stanton was named to the all-state team for the third time this season and was additionally an All-American. He had 45 goals and 29 assists. He has great field vision and quarterbacked the offense, Cranbrook head coach Justin Ronayne said. The senior captain is headed to Albion College next season and plans to play lacrosse.
Brandon Beauregard, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep The junior three-year varsity player was Notre Dame Prep's game-changer as he came up with big plays. He finished with close to 65 goals and more than 50 assists. He will be counted on to lead Notre Dame Prep next season. For a junior, he's got great speed and skills, Notre Dame Prep head coach Ben Ingram said. He can carry the team on his shoulders. Beauregard was an All-American selection this season and scored five goals in Notre Dame Prep's loss against Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in the Division 2 state title game.
Ian Brambs, Orchard Lake St. Mary's The three-year All-American finished with 354 points in his career, including 106 last season. He scored 48 goals and tallied 58 assists on the season, but St. Mary's coach Greg Normand was impressed by Brambs' ability to raise his level of play against good competition. He has one of the highest lacrosse IQ of any player I've ever had, Normand said. He's a very solid talent and always plays to the level where he's playing. Brambs faced double-teams and triple-teams all season long, but still managed outstanding numbers. He plans to play next year at Army.
Midfielders
Scott Drummond, Birmingham Unified Drummond quarterbacked Birmingham's offense and was one of the team's top offensive players. Birmingham head coach Jeff Martin said Drummond had close to 85 points on the season and was a steady offensive player. Although his greatest asset was providing offense, the senior captain also played well defensively when called upon, Martin said. He was pretty good in transition, Martin said. He led the team in assists, which is hard to do. Drummond plans to play for Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia next season.
Joe MacLean, Birmingham Detroit Country Day One of the best two-way midfielders in the state, MacLean was a leader on the Country Day squad for four years. The senior collected 45 goals and 25 assists, while also slowing down the other team's offense. Joe is really a throwback to the classic two-way midfielder, Country Day head coach John Kenney said. He's a stellar offensive midfielder as well as a stellar defensive midfielder. MacLean will play lacrosse at the University of Detroit Mercy next season.
Grant Fisher, Birmingham Brother Rice The deceptively-fast Fisher was one of the most dangerous players in the state. The All-American and two-year varsity player finished with 52 goals and 31 assists. He is headed to Georgetown University to play lacrosse next season. He has deceiving speed and a great shot, Ambrose said.
Joe Kemp, Troy Athens The diversely-talented junior is hard to describe in one word. His hard work is noticeable, but Athens head coach Nick Stensen said he's dynamic enough to do a variety of things. He's faster and bigger than most players on the field, and he works really hard, Stensen said. Kemp showed off his ability in a game against Catholic Central this season, in which he scored eight goals against one of the state's best teams and was difficult to slow down. He had 38 goals and 35 assists and was first-team all-state.
Thomas Sardelli, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep Sardelli helped Notre Dame Prep reach the state finals for the first time ever by turning in stellar performances night-in and night-out. The four-year varsity player posted nearly 125 points and could do it all in the Fighting Irish midfield. He's the complete package his unbelievable field awareness makes him stand out, Ingram said. Sardelli collected roughly 83 goals and 42 assists and was an All-American this season.
Will Miller, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood Draws, goals and groundballs are all a part of Miller's overall talent range as the first-team all-state player did a lot to help Cranbrook this season. Miller, the Cranes' team MVP, won 65 percent of draws, recorded 63 points and collected 121 groundballs. He does everything and has pretty good stats for a midfielder, Ronayne said.
Drake Chwalibog, Orchard Lake St. Mary's Chwalibog's elusiveness was the key to creating opportunities for St. Mary's. Eaglets coach Greg Normand said Chwalibog was arguably the fastest player in the state last season, and that he knows how to finish. Chwalibog, who is headed to Adrian College next season to play lacrosse, poured in 51 goals and 29 assists. His best single gift is his ability to get open, Normand said. He led the team in shots. St. Mary's schedule for the past season featured several challenging opponents from across the Midwest, and Normand said the three-year starter Chwalibog was prepared for the difficult schedule.
Jeff Janer, Novi Detroit Catholic Central Janer was Catholic Central's Mr. Everything this season, scoring goals and chipping in defensively when need be. He scored 20 goals and had 29 assists. He was an all-state selection. He did a little bit of everything, Wilson said. Early in the year, he scored a lot of goals
He's sort of a trust factor. Janer is headed to the University of Michigan to play lacrosse next year, and his versatility will be missed at Catholic Central.
Defense
Scott Prior, Birmingham Detroit Country Day A four-year Country Day lacrosse player, Prior would often be asked to defend the player with the ball. The All-American Prior is headed to Colorado College next season for lacrosse. Scott's real strength is on the ball, Kenney said. Prior led the team in groundballs and takeaways this year.
Alex Moore, Novi Detroit Catholic Central The senior defenseman, who was described by his coach as a rock solid player, rarely needed any direction on the field because of his understanding of the game. Moore's defense helped Catholic Central storm to the Division 1 state title game. He has a great love for the game, Wilson said. He's exceptionally intense. Moore was an All-American this season.
Richard Varos, Birmingham Brother Rice Varos almost always drew the assignment of the other team's best player. His play was key to Brother Rice's Division 1 championship run this season. He had 66 groundballs and will play next season at Denison University in Granville, Ohio. We put him on the other team's best players, and he rose to the occasion, Ambrose said. He did a great job. Varos won three state championships as a member of Brother Rice's team and was a first-team all-state player this season.
Dakota Sherman, Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood Sherman's stick skills separated him from other defensemen in the state. The senior All-American and four-year starter collected more than 50 groundballs and used his athleticism to stop the other team's scorers. He's one of the better takeaway defensemen in the state, Cranbrook head coach Justin Ronayne said. Sherman plans to play at the University of Michigan next season.
Goalie
Kevin Lerg, Novi Detroit Catholic Central The senior All-American goalie made huge saves in the playoffs, and his play put Wilson in awe sometimes. In the (regional finals) game against Grand Rapids Forest Hills Eastern, he made three saves in 10 seconds, and each one was like Wow,' Wilson said. Lerg was one of the best goalies in the state all season-long and is headed to Adrian College to play lacrosse next season.
Coach of the year
Ben Ingram, Pontiac Notre Dame Prep Ingram navigated the Fighting Irish to the Division 2 state championship game for the first time in school history and has made the Irish a consistent contender in four years as head coach. Notre Dame Prep defeated big-name programs such as Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood and Flint Powers Catholic and proved it can hang with the state's best teams.
The Fighting Irish have won three straight Catholic League B Division titles and have advanced as far as the regional semifinals each of the past four seasons, advancing twice to the regional finals. This year was a breakthrough season in that Notre Dame Prep had never been to the state finals, but Ingram's senior-laden team made the trip this year.
We had a lot of team camaraderie this year, Ingram said. We lost some guys to injuries, but other guys stepped up and helped us. Ingram's instilled dedication in his players that starts before the season and continues throughout. It starts long before we pick up sticks and balls it starts with conditioning, Ingram said.
Notre Dame Prep ended the season with a loss to Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central in the finals, but finished 19-3 and had a nine-game winning streak during the middle of the season. The Fighting Irish will lose several seniors, but have enough experience to try to make another run next season.
Copyright 2010, St. Mary's Preparatory, Orchard Lake, Michigan. All rights reserved.
No logos, photographs, or graphics on the site may be reproduced without written permission.