Men's Lacrosse Season Preview

Announced just over twelve months ago, the Hilbert College men’s lacrosse team is racing to prepare for their 2011 inaugural season this March. “While we may not have roster numbers, the returning player or senior leadership, or time playing together that some teams have, we are happy with the level of talent we were able to bring to Hilbert. We are very pleased with the hard work and the effort the team has put in to prepare for this season,” said head coach Rick Schunke.  The team will feature talent from mainly local high schools with just a few upperclassmen some of whom already were attending Hilbert participating on the College’s club lacrosse team. Schunke looks forward to his first collegiate level coaching opportunity and the challenges of an upstart program but with his nine years at the high school level (Frontier and West Seneca East) he is well versed in the recruiting process and is prepared for this next step.  

When the Hawks begin their season March 5, they anticipate that their young recruits will bring in the offensive firepower and leadership necessary to be competitive right out of the gate. Freshmen Sean Purtill (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park), Josh Baker (Blasdell, NY/Frontier), and JJ Jewett (Blasdell, NY/Frontier) will look to spark the offense at attack while sophomore Greg Zitnik (Blasdell, NY/Frontier) will pull double duty on both attack and as a back-up goalie. 

Midfield will also be dominated by freshmen with Ryan Wagner (Orchard Park, NY/Canisius), Kori Halftown (Gowanda, NY/Gowanda), Doug Takac (Elma, NY/Iroquois) and Nick Kieffer, one of the only non-Western New Yorkers on the roster (Lee Center, NY/Rome Free Academy), seeing plenty of playing time. Senior Matt Lamb (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro/MVCC/Springfield), juniors Eric Russell (Hickory, NC/Iroquois) and Tony Marchitte (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West), and sophomore James Knapp (Lancaster, NY/St. Mary’s of Lancaster) will add some experience at the midfield position. Sophomore Luke Cellino (Lancaster, NY/Lancaster) should see plenty of action as the long-stick midfielder. The Hawks have also been impressed with the development of newcomers Mike Cavanagh (Orchard Park, NY/Orchard Park), Tom Knoop (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West),  Matt Gernold (Colden, NY/Orchard Park), and Tyler Mason (Appleton, NY/Barker) and hope all will contribute as the season progresses.

Defensively, a lack of pure physical size means the Hawks will rely on speed and aggressive play to stifle the opposition. Freshmen Sean Manning (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West), Kyle Mackowiak (Buffalo, NY/Bishop Timon), Jose Lopez (Rochester, NY/Brighton) and Adam McCulle (Angola, NY/Lake Shore) will be joined by senior Brandon Morse (Central Square, NY/Paul V Moore/OCC), junior transfer Justin Peterson (Batavia, NY/Batavia/GCC) on the defensive half of the field. Sophomore Paul Liedkie (Leroy, NY/Pavilion) although relatively new to the game, has caught on quickly and should become a regular presence on the field. Freshman Pat Lunderman (Niagara Falls, NY/Niagara Wheatfield) anchors the defense at the goalie position and will be relied upon heavily to make the stops and start the transition play.

“Starting a new program always has its challenges, but we hope to capitalize on our strengths to catch some teams by surprise. We have a talented core group that we can build off for the next several years,” said Schunke. “I am excited about developing a strong program that can be successful at Hilbert College for many years.”