| NEWS |
  
 |
| FEATURES |
| ENTERTAINMENT |
  
|
| COLUMNS |
     |
| CONTACT US |
|
| HOW TO SUBMIT |
|
|
| BACK ISSUES |
|
|
caption:
|
Rebounding From Shaky 0-3 Start, Hun Boys' Lax Wins Bianchi Crown
By Bill Alden
When the Hun School boys' lacrosse team stumbled out the gate this spring with three straight losses, the Raiders appeared to be headed for a forgettable season.
But senior attacker Alex Green and his eight classmates on the squad refused to let that happen as they made their last campaign one of the more memorable seasons in the program's history.
With the sharpshooting Green leading the way with 93 points on 57 goals and 36 assists, the Raiders won 12 of their last 13 games, losing only to eventual state Prep A champion Lawrenceville in the prep semis.
Hun's surge earned the team the Bianchi Division championship as the Raiders went 10-0 against division rivals.
As he reflected on his team's 12-4 season, Hun head coach Eric Kemp credited Green with holding the ship together.
"Alex Green was the key," asserted Kemp of his senior star who made second-team All-State and was named as a first-team All Bianchi performer.
"Alex really made the difference, he was our team MVP. He was so consistent and such a sharp shooter. He had a lot of games where he had goals on five of seven shots. He was the reason we could play the offensive style we did."
With a force like Green up front, Kemp never deviated from his complex, deliberate offensive approach despite his team's slow start.
"I always stress playing consistently and playing our game," said Kemp, a lacrosse star at Middlebury College in the 1970s who has coached the game at the college level.
"We try to get the kids to play up to their potential and we don't worry about the other team. We try to get them to concentrate and find a white spot in the net to shoot at."
The team's focus resulted in a productive attack which saw senior attacker Joe Campanella score 59 points (42 goals, 17 assists) and sophomore sensation Matt Loy chip in 62 points (50 goals, 12 assists).
"We got 149 goals from our attack, that's a record that's going to be hard to beat," said Kemp. "Joe got stronger and stronger as the year went on. Matt got to play with two good senior attackers and he the defenders had to spread out. Next year, he will always be drawing the No. 1 defender. We will have to come up with ways to find shots for him; he is such a good shooter."
Kemp also got some good shooting from his pair of senior midfielders, Mike Long and Dave Casper. 'Mike was one of our tri-captains and he became one of our strongest leaders," said Kemp of Long, who contributed 32 points on 16 goals and 16 assists.
"He came on as a shooter. Last year, he used to hit the goalie with his shots. He and Dave were great between the restraining lines. They played great defense, they helped the transition, and they contributed on the offensive end."
On the defensive end, Kemp got great work from senior goalie Chris Giordano. "Chris calls our defense and he had some great games," said Kemp, whose other senior defensive stalwarts included football stars Quartie Durrell, Bryan Severance, and Craig McGovern.
"Chris only gave up two goals against Pennington, two to Hopewell Valley and five against Mercersburg. He held Manasquan scoreless going into the fourth quarter."
Kemp, for his part, will certainly have pleasant memories when he looks back on Hun's Class of 2004. "They were not only a talented group, but a remarkable group to work with that had a lot of great personalities," maintained Kemp.
"It was great that they had success and won the Bianchi. That's a big step for the program since we don't have many lacrosse plaques on the wall here. We are going to miss these guys."
