Boys Lacrosse 2020 Breakout Seniors: Class B South

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of the spring season of New Jersey high school sports, dealing a crushing blow to everyone in the athletic community. No group has been hit harder than the athletes, especially seniors who were getting ready to enjoy their final season as a high school athlete.

All athletes were robbed of something, but there is a subset of players who will not get to partake in what was going to be their breakout season. For some seniors, the 2020 season was set to be the exclamation point of their career, a season where they finally put it all together to become one of the Shore Conference’s best. For others, this was going to be the year they finally got their chance to shine after being stuck behind superstars.

The best of the best in the Shore Conference are well known, and we’ve highlighted them in varying capacity throughout the spring. This time, we wanted to find out which boys lacrosse seniors were set to break out, so we reached out to each Shore Conference head coach to get their input. Over the next week, we’ll be featuring those players.

The feature will be broken down by division, which there are four of for boys lacrosse in the Shore Conference.

BREAKOUT SENIORS

CLASS B SOUTH

DONOVAN CATHOLIC

Austin Sabol, midfielder: “Austin is a great athlete who played defensive midfielder, LSM and attack as an underclassman,” said Donovan head coach Michael Santos. “He really refined a lot of his skills in the offseason and was poised to be a major contributor in the midfield on both sides of the ball.” Sabol will continue his career at Albright College.

Chris Cormann, defenseman: Cormann is a three-year starter on defense who will be continuing his career at Ocean County College. “Coming into his senior year he added a few steps to his acceleration and top-end speed, greatly improved his footwork and improved his stick skills,” Santos said. “He was definitely going to be a leader on defense for us.”

Daniel Fleming, face-offs: The Griffins graduated All-Shore face-off specialist Trevor Barber last season but were confident there wouldn’t me a massive drop-off thanks to Fleming being ready to step into the role. He will attend Monmouth University. “He is a skilled, athletic midfielder who was looking forward to filling a pretty big positional void,” Santos said.

Nick Calvetto, midfielder: “Nick is a big, athletic midfielder with a lot of skill and experience but had battled injuries as an underclassman,” Santos said. “As a healthy senior, he was poised to be a major two-way threat in the midfield. He is committed to playing at Georgian Court next year.”

Ronan Bova, midfielder: “Ronan has seen significant playing time since his freshman year because of his coachability and his athleticism,” Santos said. “His stick skill – especially his shooting – took a big leap forward between his junior and senior year. He is committed to playing at Centenary next year.”

Sean Eagan, goalie: Sean has been the varsity backup goalie since his freshman year. As the elder statesmen amongst our goalie corps this year, he was looking to have a great year as the starter,” Santos said. “He is aggressive, competitive and a natural leader on the defensive side of the ball.” Eagan will be joining the United States Coast Guard after graduation.

LACEY 

Brett Spafford, midfielder: A three-year varsity letterman who was a 2020 captain, Spafford collected 15 goals, 10 assists and 22 ground balls for the Lions. He was also a starting cornerback on Lacey’s football team. Spafford will continue his career at Drew University where he will study pre-med with hopes of becoming either a physical therapist or physician assistant. 

Mateo Wolf, LSM: Wolf was a three-year varsity lettermen and a captain of the 2020 squad. He finished his career with 29 ground balls and also tallied one goal and one assist. He will continue his career at Ocean County College.

Garrett Sayre, LSM: Sayre was a three-year varsity player who head coach Shane Allen described as a “high-energy player and a charismatic leader”. He produced three goals, one assist and 12 ground balls. He will continue his career at Ocean County College. 

Michael Kudlacik, defenseman: A two-sport standout who was also a three-year captain and starting middle linebacker for the football team. He was a two-year varsity letterman but would have been on varsity as a sophomore if not for a bout with mono that derailed his 10^th-grade spring. He accumulated 43 ground balls along with two goals and one assist for his career. He will attend the University of Pittsburgh. 

Matthew Kuligoski, midfielder/face-offs: Kuligoski suffered an ACL injury during the first lacrosse game of the 2019 season, so he essentially missed both his entire junior and senior seasons. He finished his career with three goals and one assist. At 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, Kuligoski was a physical presence in the face-off circle and a threat in the open field. He was also a two-year starter on the gridiron as a cornerback. He will attend Seton Hall University.

POINT BORO 

Ben Williams, attack: Williams posted 17 goals and 10 assists while also collecting 36 ground balls as a junior. Head coach Pat Brady was looking forward to Williams having a breakout year as a senior.

John Skinner, LSM: Skinner picked up 36 ground balls while running as a long-stick midfielder last season. “He is the ultimate team guy who is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team,” Brady said.”

Brendan Munyan, midfielder: Munyan earned a varsity letter as a junior. His commitment and hard work in the offseason had he and the coaching staff looking forward to him making a big impact as a senior.

Colby Biggs, defenseman: Biggs was a midfielder as a junior and tallied three goals and two assists. He was set to switch to close defense as a senior to help the team and make an impact on a relatively young program.

SHORE REGIONAL 

Terry Carlstrom, midfielder: Carlstrom posted 10 goals and 10 assists along with 44 ground balls as a junior playing alongside first-team All-Shore middie Gil Goldsmith and second-team All-Shore middie Jack McCrae. He had a crucial goal in an 11-9 win over Delaware Valley in the South Group 1 sectional final and scored the Blue Devils’ only two goals against Manasquan in the sectional final. He was selected as a captain as a senior. Carlstrom was also a standout football player for the Blue Devils.

“He was poised to have a huge senior season as one of our leading scorers,” said Shore head coach Gregg Malfa. “He is most likely going to play club lacrosse in college. He is a combination of power and finesse.”

Danny Kelly, defensive midfielder: Kelly was exclusively a defensive middie as a junior and totaled 18 ground balls and one goal.

“After the summer and winter leagues, when Danny came back this spring he transformed himself into a two-way middie,” Malfa said. “He was chosen as a captain along with Terry Carlstrom and together they were going to be our answer for the loss of Gil (Goldsmith) and Jack (McCrae) to graduation, just maybe not quite as seasoned.”

ST. ROSE

Nolan Boehmcke, attackman: “Nolan was our leading scorer last year on our attack and we were looking for big things from him this year,” said St. Rose head coach Nick Caruso. “He is a player who can go to the goal for his own shot but can also see through the defense for someone else.  He is a leader on and off the field and has great character.”

Spencer Flynn, midfielder: “Spencer is a dynamic midfielder for our team,” Caruso said. “He is a tremendous offensive player and an equally talented player on the defensive end. He is an old-school, do-it-all player.

Drew Aldi, defense: “Drew is the heartbeat of our defense,” Caruso said. “He can play close defense as well as LSM.  He is very good playing on-ball defense but truly excels getting the ball off the ground and starting transition.”

Managing editor Bob Badders can be reached at bob.badders@townsquaremedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Bob_Badders. Like Shore Sports Network on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel for all the latest video highlights.