Members of the Pioneer lacrosse squad are from left, front row, Jacob Lee, Mason Curtis, Sean Martt, Ryan Mark, Maksim Anthony, Forrest Gregory, Braden Walker, Eli Ricker, Grant Nicol, Kaiden Snyder and Nathan Reynard; second row, Aspen Cameron, Morgan Seum, Wyatt Kaizer, Ryan Bailey, Ethan Kuhns, Corey Kingry, Travis Chany, Alex Kerr, Mason Arbogast and Keeghan DeWitt; third row, Emmerich Mast, Mason Wolford, Kyle Hines, Joe Kennedy, Blake Seum, Will Heisler, Wyatt Clemons, Nick Lisska, Eli Nicol and Jack Kennedy; fourth row, Scottie Wallace, Andrew Heisler, coach Ed Kennedy, coach Eamon Costello, head coach Rob Davis, coach Jason Arbogast, coach Troy Cameron, Evan Catanella and Andrew Mark. Not pictured, JJ Bay. (Photo submitted)
After falling out of the post-season in the first round last year, the Jonathan Alder Pioneers are seeking to raise their stock with a wealth of returning lacrosse experience.
“The boys are really excited about the season,” JA coach Rob Davis said. “We’ve got a lot of kids returning who got a lot of playing time last year, so they are really excited.”
With many returning to the field this season, Jonathan Alder hopes to remain competitive amidst a growing lacrosse community.
“It’s interesting… we would love to see lacrosse grow in our county and in our area,” Davis said.
JA boasts 11 seniors on its 36-member roster. With a wealth of experience on the team, expectations are higher than they’ve been in the past.
Most of Jonathan Alder’s sports play in the Central Buckeye Conference.
However, the lacrosse team is not in the CBC. That prompted the coaching staff to schedule games with other teams such as Bishop Watterson and Chaminade-Julienne.
“It’d be even good to have a lacrosse-specific league like what the Ohio Capital Conference has, but for smaller schools,” Davis said. “We reach out to schools that are in a reasonable driving distance.”
Starting for the Pioneers this season will include the likes of Corey Kingry, Mason Wolford and Aspen Cameron starting at attack.
The first line of midfielders will involve Wyatt Kaizer, Drew Mark and Alex Kerr.
Taking to the cage will be Mason Arbogast, with Evan Cantanella, Kyle Hines and Morgan Seum starting at long pole.
Mason Curtis, Kaizer and a few other Pioneers will also take face-off responsibilities.
Davis said Curtis was one of the most notable surprises heading into the 2022 spring season, along with “several other freshmen.”
“Curtis has stepped in to do faceoffs along with Kaizer,” Davis said. “He’s just a tenacious kid when it comes to ground balls.”
Lacrosse became one of the high school’s varsity sports in 2017.
Davis, however, has been with the program since its fledgling years, or since about 2013.
The Pioneers hope to have their stock rise this spring after organizing a tougher schedule than in years past.
“We tried to add some teams that we consider to be top-tier teams in our region,” Davis explained. “We figured that’s a good test for us heading into the post season.”