2006
Presbyterian College
Men’s Lacrosse Prospectus
The inaugural season of NCAA Division II competition for the Presbyterian College men’s lacrosse program has arrived after a two-year wait. The first-ever season of PC lacrosse will be both an exciting and highly anticipated one. Head coach Jason Childs will be at the helm for the 2006 season as he readies the Blue Hose for competition in the Deep South Conference. This will certainly be a year of firsts for the program and the team will be very young, which is something Childs is very excited about. “This is a team that will be together for two years without many, if not any, changes due to graduation. That is something that is very encouraging and exciting.”
Childs, a 2001 graduate of Dickinson College, arrives on the Clinton campus after a successful two-year stint as an assistant coach with seven-time reigning Deep South Conference Champion, Limestone College. While at Limestone, Childs coached the Saints’ offense that set several Division II scoring records.
Attack
The attack will be young to say the least. The lone returner will be sophomore Jared Domino (St. Albert, Alberta, Canada), a heavily recruited athlete out of Canada. Domino will be looked to carry the load for the Blue Hose offense as he will be paired with freshman Tyler Dunn (Cashiers, N.C.). Dunn had a great fall season, but will be seeing his first game action in the spring. Although young, the attack is a talented bunch that Childs is looking forward to working with very closely. “We will have our ups and downs early on, but there is enough talent and desire to make a solid impact and put the ball in the net.” Sophomore T.J. Scott (Clarence, N.Y.) will round out the attack as he looks to bounce back from a rough freshman year.
Midfield
The Blue Hose will again have a very young group between the lines. Sophomores Tim Cassios (St. Albert, Alberta, Canada), Walton Crosby (Jacksonville, Fla.,), and freshman William Hackett (Nesbit, Miss.) will start in the midfield and carry the load for the middies. The trio worked well together in the fall, setting a standard for the young players. Although the position is not as deep as Childs would like, he still sees many positives as he looks at the group as a whole. Billy Rinaldi (Birmingham, Ala.) is one particular freshman that Childs is very excited about. “Billy had a great fall, and he is such a raw talent that has the commitment and drive to become one of our best middies.” Alex Fraser (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) will round out the middie group.
Defense
PC’s defensive unit is a very young group, but one that is tough and head strong. The group will be led by the lone senior, Ashton Elmore (Ft. Motte, S.C.), who is a very talented athlete. Elmore will look to lead this young squad with the experience he gained as an outside linebacker for the Blue Hose football team two years ago before a shoulder injury ended his career. Though he has no collegiate lacrosse experience, Childs sees Elmore’s NCAA football experience as a great positive. “When you look at Ashton, you see a true athlete and competitor. He will lead by example and by what he learned on the PC gridiron. We are truly lucky to have him back there.” A group of talented first-year players will help Elmore secure the defensive end this year. Carl Spilly (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Drew Tobias (Whitsett, N.C.) will look to start. Spilly comes to the Blue Hose by way of the 2005 NJCAA Champions, Herkimer County Community College. Spilly gained valuable experience at HCCC, working along side the Generals’ defensive unit everyday as a red-shirt. Tobias will look to anchor in with Spilly and Elmore. A very gifted athlete, Tobias has a great understanding of the game and will look to solidify his spot on defense throughout his tenure at PC.
The defensive midfield unit position will also be a strength this year for the Blue Hose. This athletic group will be led by sophomore Pat Varner (Las Vegas, Nev.), a very solid longstick defender. Varner, a native of Colorado, toned his skills while living in Japan and Las Vegas. “Pat is a natural born leader and has had so many experiences on the field. People will just follow him and it’s clear that he’ll have a great impact on everything we do in the defensive end.” Varner will work closely with freshman Matt Roach (Greensboro, N.C.). The pole position will run two-deep and it will be up to Varner and Roach to lead the midfield defense. Roach will move from keeper to pole this spring after showing great athletic ability during the fall season.
Goalie
The Blue Hose goalies will perhaps be the best asset that the team will have this spring. However, the question remains as to who will get the starting nod. Freshman Alex Tureman (Jacksonville, Fla.) was a highly touted player out of The Bolles School who showed some very nice things in the fall. Tureman was selected as a high school All-American out of Florida. His competition in the cage will come from freshman David Hetu (Apex, N.C.), a quick and solid goalie who led Apex HS to its first state championship in 2005. Childs is very excited to see where this race will lead. “I have two very good goalies, and that is both a good and bad thing. I’m looking forward to seeing who will step up and take control of this position. At this point, it’s still very much up in the air.”
Childs is looking forward to the group as a whole and feels it will be a very good season of firsts. “Although we are young and new to the sport, I feel we will compete at a very high level. The attitude of this team is one that will not quit. We have too much at stake here and a lot of these guys on the team will work to become contenders in the conference race. It’s a long shot right now, but don’t count these guys out, they have too much heart.”