By Bill Alden

When the Hun School boys’ lacrosse fell behind 2-0 to the Hill School (Pa.) last Wednesday, Randall Brown took matters into his hands.

The Hun post-graduate midfielder raced through the Blues defense and fired a shot into the back of the cage to narrow the gap to 2-1 with 5:50 left in the first quarter. After Hill responded with two straight goals, Brown was at it again two minutes later, sprinting up the field and notching another tally to make it a 4-2 game.

“I like to set the tone for our team and bring a lot of energy,” said Brown. “I was hoping we could make it a game in the first quarter.”

Hill, though, dominated the game from there, reeling off six unanswered goals in rolling to a 10-3 win.

“We brought back the energy in the fourth quarter, we should have brought it earlier,” said Brown, reflecting on the defeat. “We will work on it and make it better.”

The energetic Hill defense, though, posed problems for the Raiders.

“They like to press out, they like to get on our hands,” said Brown. “On our man up, they were playing harder than you would expect. They were definitely aggressive.”

In order to get better, Hun needs to find a better offensive rhythm.

“It is slowing down the game for us,” said Brown, who helped Hun rebound from the loss to Hill with a 15-3 victory over Peddie two days later to improve to 4-2.

“When those defenses press on us, we need to step up and play our game and make sure that we move the ball, catch it, and move it swiftly.”

Brown is enjoying playing for new Hun head coach Jim Stagnitta, who has more than 30 years of experience guiding college and pro teams.

“It is great, he has been a real help and an inspiration,” said Brown.

“From that first week, we look like a completely different team. He has definitely shaped us into a team.”

Having come to Hun for a PG year before he heads to Hobart College, where he will be playing for its men’s lax program, Brown is looking to be a positive influence.

“It is my first year here and as one of the older players, I just want to be a leader,” said Brown who previously played lacrosse and basketball at the Shipley School (Pa.).

“I want to help these guys. I try to give them the experience, the talks and the advice that I can before I ship off next year.”

Brown has some simple advice for his teammates as Hun looks ahead to playing at the Lawrenceville School on May 13 and then hosting Bergen Catholic on May 18.

“Everyone needs to hit the wall, everyone needs to throw and catch,” said Brown. “When we get back to basic fundamentals we will be ready.”