Childs Excited About Future
Of Blue Hose Lacrosse
As Year Two Begins
The Presbyterian Men’s Lacrosse Program will return to the field this spring after a somewhat successful inaugural season. The 2006 Blue Hose squad recorded their first ever win as a NCAA Division II member. Two weeks later they won their first conference game in a thrilling game against Lees-McRae. Head Coach Jason Childs will be at the helm for his second season and has his Blue Hose ready to compete in the Deep South Conference. This year’s squad is one that Childs is very excited about. With the addition of 19 freshmen and one transfer, Childs will have young team. The Blue Hose will be without any seniors and feature just 5 juniors. The team has bonded well since the beginning of fall practice and that has Childs very excited: “I do not know if I have ever been around a team that is closer than the group we have,” said Childs. “From day one they have all clique and we are looking forward to what happens from that.”
Jason Childs arrived in Clinton after a successful two year stint as an assistant from 6 time reigning Deep South Conference Champion Limestone College. It was there where Childs learned to take charge as he was put in charge of an offensive group that continued to set records in Division II lacrosse. Childs will need to use some of that magic this year as last year’s offensive stats were not up to his expectations; “Last year we did not put the ball in the back of the net, and that is something that will change, it has to change.”
The offense has received a much needed face lift with the addition of four very talented attackmen, and a slew of athletic midfielders. However, even with the offensive additions to the team the defense will again be the strong point to this team. Childs will see some solid help from first year assistant Matt Lindner who will assume the role of Defensive Coordinator. Childs is happy about the addition of Linder, and sees it as a way to boost his offense as well as his defense. “I could not be happier with Matt. He has dove head in and has the defense looking very good. We are on the same page and I have the utmost trust in him to do the right things. That trust will now allow me to spend more time figuring out ways to put the ball in the net.”
Attack
The attack will be young to say the least. There are no returners from last year’s attack that saw any real playing time. The attack will be lead by Brian Foley (Meyers Park). Foley is an athletic and quick attackman who can dodge to shoot or feed. He will be teamed up with Jeremy Metcalfe (Harrison) and Sean Mulford (Loyola) who both had a great fall. Mulford has a knack for finding the open man, while Metcalfe is a natural finisher on the left side of the goal. The attack is young, but it is also a talented bunch that Childs is looking forward to working with very closely. “We have here a great group of attackmen. I am very excited about the talent and work ethic on this entire group. They will shock some people this year and will put some impressive numbers up in the spring” Freshman Jake White (Overlea) also had a very good fall and will look to see some time as the fourth attackman. Clint Armstrong (Academy at The Lakes) and Matt Christ will look at playing both midfield and attack this spring. The two will look to steal some time due to their work ethic and desire to play.
Midfield
In what will be the theme this year, the Blue Hose will have a very young group in between the lines. George McManus (Neis), Ben Ewing, a high school All-American, (Pace), and Marc Handel (Quinnipiac) are all new to the program but have very impressive athletic ability that has Childs very excited about the season. “You know these three kids can flat out play between the lines. All three have very solid skills and are about as athletic as I have coached.” 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 (Shades Valley High School) is one particular sophomore that Childs is very excited about. “Billy had a great season last year, and he is such a raw talent that has molded in a good player. His drive to become our best middie is unmatched by any other player on the field.” Walton Crosby will compete on the second line with Rinaldi and looks to be as fit as he has ever been. “Walton looks great and is playing great. He will have a solid impact this year both on face offs and offense.” A talented group of freshman will round out the midfield this year. Bryce Simantel (Calvert Hall) will look to round out the second group of middies with his stick skills and play between the lines. Andy Halperin (Riverwood), Steve Getty (Northview), and Casey Minick (Kennesaw Mountain) all will look to see time as the all are very talented and athletic. “From top to bottom, this group of middies is special. I feel pretty confident with everyone on the midfield to run and see significant time.”
Defense
This is the strength of the Blue Hose Lacrosse Team. Again, a very young group, but one that is tough and head strong. The group will be lead by Carl Spilly, a very talented and smart defenseman, who had an injury plagued first year. Alongside Spilly will be Andrew Tobias (Northeast Guilford High School) who started every game at defense last season. Spilly and Tobias are co-captains for the 2006-2007 campaign, and Childs is happy to see their development with that. “Carl and Drew are very smart, tough, and athletic defenders. It has been a joy to watch them develop their leadership skills and I think they will help lead this team wherever it is going.” Ryan Boyce (Calvert Hall) will fill the third spot on the defense for the Blue Hose this year. He has a great understanding of the game, and will look to solidify his spot on the defense for years to come. David Clark (Oviedo) will look to spell time for the defense. Clark is a strong defenseman with very good feet and will look to help anchor what should be the strength of this lacrosse team. Returnee Reece LeMay will look to push and compete for significant playing time with newcomer Campbell Ware (Norfolk Collegiate). “Our defense will have guys top to bottom looking to fight and compete for a spot. Reece and Campbell will fight everyday looking to get a crack at the starting lineup, and that is the competition that we need to make sure we succeed.” Rounding out the close defense is freshman walk-on Robert Watters (Wesleyan). Robert has great size, and will look to use this year to gain valuable experience that will pan out over the coming years.
The Defensive Midfield unit position will also be solid this year for the Blue Hose. The athletic group will be lead by Billy Schilling (Hilton Head), a very solid longstick defender with great speed and athleticism. Schilling, a high school All-American selection, will look to make most of the runs, while splitting time with another newcomer Jason Bentley (St. Pius X). Bentley and Schilling mirror each other well and they will look to hold suite over the top midfielders in the conference.
Chris Williams, Nick Plaisted, and John Mark-Dias (Greenville) will all look to run short stick defensive midfield this year. This group may be perhaps the most talented group of athletes on the field at any given time. Childs will look to lean on them to push the ball in transition and get his offense moving early. “This group is a hard nosed bunch of athletes. They do not handle the ball the best, nor are they going to score many goals, but they will outwork anyone and have the athletic ability to do so.”
Goalie
The Goalie Unit will be a question mark for the Blue Hose this spring. After starting all 11 games last year, David Hetu did not return and left Childs relying on another freshman to start the entire season. If you think Childs is upset about starting Pat Slaughter (Calvert Hall) you wrong. “Pat Slaughter does pretty much everything you could ask a goalie to do. He is a great leader for being 18 years old, and his work ethic is very good. He has brought this defense even closer, and I cannot wait to see the year he has. I am very excited about Pat this year.” T.J. Scott will look to be the back-up this year for the Blue Hose in the net. A converted attackman, Scott has shown some good things in the goal this past fall, and has become a solid back-up to Slaughter.
The Future Of Blue Hose Lacrosse
This year’s squad has Coach Childs very excited about the future of the program. With 19 freshmen and not one senior, Childs is looking at the same team for two consecutive years. “This is an awesome situation to be in. I love the guys on this team, they are great people and very good lacrosse players. I am very excited to use this season not only as a springboard into the NCAA Division I leap, but to also have a very solid season this year. Just because we are young does not mean we will not win. I am excited to get that first whistle blown on February 3rd in our scrimmage against Clemson’s club team.”