Jonathan Alder’s boys lacrosse team is pictured from left, front row, Sam Cameron, Troy Nicol, Maddox Kingry, Mason Curtis, Henry Drewes, Forrest Gregory, Grant Nicol, Gavin Murphy, Christian Watkins, Kaiden Snyder, Max Warner, Jordan May and Caiden Caldwell; second row, Gavin Johnson, Caleb Wiltshire, Caleb Clark, Eli Ricker, Connor Bodey, Alex Boggs, Wyatt Clemmons, Joe Kennedy, Travis Chany, Will Moeller, Jack Kennedy and and Elijah Thompson; third row, assistant coach Jason Arbogast, head coach Rob Davis, Calloway Kile, Maksim Anthony, Eli NIcol, Emmerich Mast, Alex VanBuren, Guy Goslee, Brody Hill and assistant coaches Ed Kennedy and Troy Cameron. Not pictured, Ryan Mark, Grant Teach and assistant coach Eamon Castello.
(Photo submitted)
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Jonathan Alder’s boys lacrosse team will lean on its youth this season after several of its top players graduated .
The Scarlet and Black produced one of their best regular season runs last season since being adopted as a varsity sport.
Producing a 13-6 overall record, the Pioneers also claimed a 7-3 mark in Region 7. That was good for fourth place.
Due to the Central Buckeye Conference’s lack of lacrosse, JA’s program is without a dedicated conference schedule.
Alder’s bread and butter last season was its strong trio at the attack end.
Mason Wolford, Aspen Cameron and Corey Kingry took many defenses to task, but have since moved on due to graduation.
While JA’s most prolific members of the program are no longer with the team, head coach Rob Davis hopes to lean on young players to fill in those roles.
“It is a daunting challenge,” he said. “I don’t know if we are exactly there yet, but the attack, which is being being led by Jack Kennedy, will come around
“Our offense is a little more spread out now and we are getting more guys into the scorebook because defenses have to choose who they are going to guard.”
The Pioneers will have 16 returning lettermen this season with nine starters coming back for the 2024 spring season. Four of those returners claimed All-Region status last season with one a returning All-Ohio lacrosse player.
Leading the attacks this year will be Kennedy, a captain this season, who is fifth all-time in career points for the program (122).
The Otterbein commit and 2023 All-Region midfielder is a four-year starter.
Bolstering what was JA’s strongest side of the field, he will be joined by Emmerich Mast, Kaiden Snyder and Grant Nicol.
“We are still trying to fill in a couple pieces at attack just to get that right mixture of guys,” Davis said. “The three we graduated last year left a big hole,
“But honestly, when they play as a unit, they are just as good as those guys last year.”
The midfield will also have a strong presence in the form of captain Wyatt Clemons and Ryan Mark who have been regular starters for the last three seasons. Combined, the juniors have tallied 94 career points for the program.
Others complimenting the midfield positions will include Maddox Kingry, Caleb Wiltshire, Brody Hill and Crist Watkins.
Junior Mason Curtis will take the helm of short stick defensive midfielder (SSDM).
The 2023 All-Region and All-Ohio SSDM ranks fifth all-time in ground balls for the program and eighth all-time in career caused turnovers with 44.
The SSDM position will also have Will Moeller, Nicol and Maks Anthony.
“Those guys, mixed in with our poles, will keep us in a lot of games and give us a chance to pull out wins, ” Davis said.
A fresh face will serve a vital role on the defensive side for Alder.
Senior newcomer Alex Boggs made a name for himself playing defensive end for the football program. He earned conference, district and All-Ohio honors as a three-year starter.
He will bolster the long poles this season.
“Alex is very athletic, but he’s a little raw right now with his stick skills,” Davis said. “He’s got great instincts and is very good on the ball defensively.”
Accompanying him on the defensive front will include Travis Chany, Joe Kennedy and Eli Ricker.
“Defensively, we aren’t quite as worried,” Davis said. “Travis plays a lot bigger than he is and Joe has great instincts for the ball.”
Forrest Gregory will take the role as the team’s Long-Stick Midfielder. A member of the 2023 All-Region team and a three-year starter, the senior has 65 career caused turnovers ranking fourth all-time in the program.
Standing in the cage for the Pioneers will be senior Eli Nicol who has 211 career saves (fourth all-time in program history). He is a captain this season.
“Having Eli back is a blessing,” Davis said.
Curtis will also serve as the team’s main face-off specialist with 134 career faceoff wins.
Moeller will also be a faceoff specialist with 68 wins on his resume.
When it comes to overall goals this season, Davis and his coaching staff seek to get past the first round of the postseason tournament.
“I think if we get a good draw, we can go deep as long as we stay healthy,” he said. “But mainly, we still have a young team.”
While the standard has been set the last two seasons, Davis wants to build on the strength of the youth coming into the program. He also has high praise for the freshman class.
“Next year with this freshman class, we will have a really good-sized team with a lot of experience,” Davis said. “Right now the goal is development.”