(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) MIDPOINT: Hun School boys’ lacrosse senior midfielder Brendan Gallagher unloads the ball last Thursday in Hun’s 18-4 victory over Academy of New Church. Gallagher chipped in four goals and three assists in the win. The Raiders will look to keep rolling as they host Peddie on April 15, Princeton Day School on April 17, and St. Luke’s on April 18 before playing at Pennington School on April 21.

Senior Star Gallagher Finds a Good Groove as Hun Boys’ Lax Produces Sizzling Start

Bill Alden

Brendan Gallagher took on a lot of responsibility last spring for the Hun School boys’ lacrosse team.

Trying to be a one-man show in the midfield left Gallagher uptight at times as Hun produced an up-and-down 11-9 season.

This spring, Gallagher is taking a more relaxed approach. “I think sometimes I get in the habit of trying to take it on myself, it’s not just me but a lot of guys,” said Gallagher.

“I think it is important to let the game play itself out. You need to make decisions when they come to you and not try to force things.”

Last Thursday, Gallagher was in the flow of things as he tallied four goals and three assists as Hun drubbed Academy of New Church 18-4 to improve to 4-0.

The Raiders wasted no time in seizing control of the contest, scoring five times in the first quarter and building a 13-1 lead by halftime.

“We like to come out on fire and make teams play catchup against us,” said Gallagher. “We started off pretty well today. We have been working a lot on our sets and everybody is getting used to each other.”

Gallagher is certainly used to playing with classmates Harry Blackburn and Zach Martin, who scored six goals and five goals, respectively, in the win over Academy of New Church.

“Harry and I have been playing together since we were in fourth grade and Zach and I since sixth grade.” said Gallagher.

“We have been playing together for a long time so basically you know where everybody is on the field.”

In Gallagher’s view, Hun’s new head coach Bill Quirk, has given his seniors the freedom to utilize that chemistry.

“He understands us as players and he lets us do our own thing,” said Gallagher. “I would refer to him as an overseer but when we get out of line or we are not doing it right, he makes sure that we get ourselves in shape.”

Head coach Quirk thinks his team is rounding into fine shape. “We took advantage of our strength and our strength is transition,” said Quirk in assessing the win over Academy of New Church.

“Our kids have good lacrosse skills — passing and catching and seeing the open man. From day one when we started practicing, we said that is going to be our strength,”

Quirk certainly sees Gallagher as one of the team’s strengths. “Brendan has become a commanding force on the field for us,” asserted Quirk.

“He is playing a much more settled game. He is selective about when he is dodging and taking shots. We are happy with his leadership. I think last year, he felt a lot of pressure to carry the team. This year, he seems to be ‘like hey I am going to enjoy my senior year and have fun doing it.’ Whatever happens, happens.”

The Raiders have some good things happening on defense as well with a battle-tested unit led by seniors Stephen Norman, Chris Loy, Geoff Rogers, and Will Brundage.

“They are a year older, a year stronger, and a year smarter,” said Quirk. “I would probably put smarter as the big key there. We sit down and watch films of college games. They come out everyday wanting to learn. The nice thing is that we have an offense that is able to challenge them; they have some fierce battles in practice.”

Hun has been getting some fierce play from sophomore goalie Peter Blackburn.

“Peter is the quarterback back there,” said Quirk. “He controls the defense, he makes the calls. I think Pete feels comfortable with the people in front of him and the people in front of him feel comfortable with him. He’s tell them what he wants, he calls it out.”

Quirk believes his team can answer the call as it hosts tough Peddie on April 15.

“Peddie will be a good test for us,” said Quirk, noting that the Falcons knocked Hun out of the state Prep A tournament last spring.

“They are going to control the ball; I think the key for us is to get the transition game going. If we can do that, I think we can come out on top.”

Gallagher, for his part, is looking forward to the clash with Peddie. “That is a big game,” said Gallagher.

“We have got a few games under our belt. I think it’s good that we have a lot of confidence; I think that’s really important. We would like to come out and get in the groove early.”

And with Gallagher in a nice groove, Hun should come out on top plenty of times this spring.

Return to Previous Sports Story | Return to Top | Go to Next Sports Story