LAKE FOREST - DICK'S SPORTING GOODS TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS TEAM PREVIEW
(September 12, 2008)
Location: Lake Forest, Ill.
Head Coach: Jim Wasson
Established: 2007
Colors: Royal blue & gold
Qualified: Champion, Chicago Challenge
by Josh Gross
For Lake Forest (Ill.), winning the Chicago Challenge turned the seemingly impossible into a reality.
“We’d heard about the [Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions],” says junior attackman Jeff Wasson (Holderness School, Plymouth, N.H.). “We just didn’t think we’d ever make it.”
Jeff’s dad, Bob (Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame - Class of 2003), has a lacrosse biography that rivals any of the all-time greats. For seven years and two world field championships, he represented his country as a member of Team Canada. Now, as a coach, Bob has the chance to lead his program to the club national championship.
“It will be nice to battle some of the good teams and see how we do. [Our players] are at the peak of their games.”
Midfielder Joe Hrusovsky (Lake Forest H.S.), who has seen his face-off skills flourish while playing for Wasson (who himself took face-offs during his playing days), feels the team is on par with the best in the country on one front.
“I really think that we do match up athletically. I don’t think they’re any stronger or faster than us.”
But the fact that many of Lake Forest’s players haven’t been playing lacrosse since the second or third grade certainly won’t make it any easier on the Illinoisans come January.
“We’re definitely going to play the best competition we’ve ever played,” says senior midfielder Zack Telander (committed to Vermont), who aspires to one day try out for Team USA’s U-19 team.
As for the hopes of taking home the title?
“Winning it all would be great, but I don’t know if we’re up for that yet,” says senior goalie Peter Moore (Lake Forest). “If we win a few games and don’t ever get blown out, that would be awesome.”
Now that the near impossibility has become a reality, team organizer Doug Moore sees the championship tournament as a win-win, regardless of how the team fares in Florida.
“It’s a tremendous experience for our guys.”
|