Prep Wraps
All-Area Boys Lacrosse: These players take game to the next level
BY Dan Stickradt
Jul 15 2010
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
There’s something different about boys lacrosse in the area these days.
The talent level has soared in the past couple of years.
That is all evident on the www.northoaklandsports.com 2010 All-Area Boys Lacrosse Team. There were 14 players from this region that garnered some type of all-state recognition, the second straight year that has happened, and more than two dozen local stars that were honored as all-league.
These players form a talented bunch.
Below are the capsules of the 18-member all-area first team:
Attack
KEVIN SOISSON, Rochester Adams: The senior had a memorable year in two sports. After converting into a soccer goalkeeper last fall, Soisson helped lead the Highlanders to the Division 1 state semifinals and earned third-team all-state honors in that sport. This spring in lacrosse, he helped Adams to a 14-6-0 overall record and to the third round of the Division 2 regionals. He finished with 31 goals and 18 assists for 49 total points. He was Division 2 All-State Second Team for lacrosse. With a 3.8 GPA, Soisson will attend the University of Michigan.
SHAUN TRUSH, Troy Athens: Another one of the region’s top offensive threats, Trush earned All-OAA Red Division and All-State Third Team honors in Division 1. Trush collected 25 goals and 25 assists for 50 points, displaying talents as both a goal scorer and set-up man.
“Shaun was a great attacking player,” said coach Nick Stetsen. “He was never very flashy, just went out and did his job. He was really consistent and always knew what he had to do.”
DAN KRESSA, Troy Athens: This talented player was among the area’s scoring leaders and earned All-OAA Red Division and All-State Second Team status in Division 1. Kressa, a junior, led the area with 60 goals and 25 assists for 85 points, which ranked among the highest single-season totals in the program’s history.
“He was out stud on the attack,” said Stetsen. “He was one of those players that was hard to stop. He has great hands, he’s a great athlete and he was always a (threat) to score.”
MICHAEL CONNERS, Rochester United: Conners finished up the year by making All-State Honorable Mention in Division 1 and collected All-OAA White Division honors after leading United in scoring. He racked up a team-best 46 goals and 20 assists for 66 total points.
DANNY WARNER, Rochester United: Another talented offensive threat, Warner was named to the All-OAA White Division and All-State Honorable Mention in Division 1. He was third on the team with 23 goals and eight assists for 31 points.
HUNTER LAYSON, Clarkston: It was an injury-plagued season for the Wolves, as many of their top players went down with injuries. Still, Layson thrived in 2010 and helped Clarkston still salvage a 9-9-0 season. He finished the year with 38 goals and 25 assists for 63 points. The senior finished up as All-State Honorable Mention Division 1 and All-OAA Red Division.
“He was a three-year starter for us and he got better each year,” said coach Brian Kaminskas. “We had some injuries this year to key players and Hunter became one of our team leaders. He’s going to the U-M and he might try to walk on there.”
TYLER PLETS, Lake Orion: This senior led the Dragons’ attack this season, collecting 42 goals on 125 shots, and added eight assists for 51 total points. He also fielded 43 ground balls and was a consistent offensive threat in every game for the 7-7-0 Dragons.
Midfield
TYLER KILPATRICK, Rochester Adams: Coming out of the midfield, Kilpatrick was still an offensive threat to finish among the scoring leaders in the area. The senior finished with 49 goals and 17 assists for 66 points and earned All-State Second Team honors in Division 2. The veteran was also All-OAA Red Division and All-Region. He will play next year at Albion College.
JOE KEMP, Troy Athens: Few teams could stop this junior, who collected 37 goals and 30 assists for 67 points. Named to the D-1 All-State First Team, the sole area player to earn those honors, Kemp drew a double-team in every game. He had seven goals against state power Novi-Detroit Catholic Central in a regular-season contest
“I think Joe was the one player that nobody we played could stop,” said Stetsen. “He was the best athlete on the team and just ha d a (knack) of getting the ball in the right spot. He was our go-to guy in the midfield.”
MATT LINING, Troy Athens: After earning All-State Honorable Mention status in Division 1 during the hockey season, where the Red Hawks won the OAA White Division title, Lining was back at it again this spring on the lacrosse field. Finishing among the team leaders in offensive points with 35 goals and 31 assists for 66 points, Lining earned All-OAA Red Division honors and will play next year at the University of Detroit-Mercy.
“What a great athlete and a great kid,” said Stetsen. “He was a lefty and could see the play develop before it actually happened. He was solid defensively and offensively he was always scoring goals or could put others into a position to score.”
JIMMY SHORT, Troy: The Colts suffered through some rebuilding pains with a 6-13-0 record, but short still put together a solid senior season. Named to the All-OAA Red Division team, the senior was among the team leaders in total points.
“Jimmy did a good job in the midfield for us,” said coach Towbey Kassa. “He worked hard and never gave up. He was one of our leaders.”
Special Teams
CHALPIN WHITE, Clarkston: Named to the D-1 All-State Honorable Mention list for special teams, White departs Clarkston after a fine three-year career. He finished with 11 goals and 20 assists and will play for Davenport University next season.
“He was one of the leaders of the team,” said Kaminskas. “He is the type of player that was always making the pass first, setting up the right teammate. He’s a very unselfish player. If guys like Andrew Miller and Jon Avery didn’t get hurt this year, his stats would have been higher. He was great at getting the ball to the right people.”
BRIAN BRINKER, Troy Athens: A defensive-minded player, Brinker didn’t have the high points totals as his teammates, but the Red Hawks would not have been a top 10 team the whole year and won 15 games without his services. Brinker was named All-OAA Red Division and All-State Second Team for his efforts. He will play at Michigan State.
“Brian was our best defensive player and our smartest kid. He was like having a coach out on the field,” said Stetsen. “He knew the roles of everyone on the team and what they should be doing.”
Defense
DEVIN NEEDS, Rochester Adams: Headed to Division I Brigham Young University to play lacrosse, Needs only had two goals and four assists on the offensive end, but it was on the defensive end where he shined. The senior collected 100 ground balls and 155 total defensive points to lead the Highlanders’ backfield. Needs was named All-State Honorable Mention in Division 2, the second straight year he garnered that award.
SHAWN COX, Rochester United: The OAA White Division champions put up some big numbers on the offensive end, and defensively limited teams to just 3.95 goals a game (172-67, plus-105). Cox was named one of the top defensemen in the league on the all-conference team.
MATT GATTINGER, Lake Orion: One of the attributes of a fine defensive player is not only frustrating the opposing team’s offensive schemes, but staying on the field. Gattinger, a senior, did both of those quite well. He fielded 40 ground balls and took only two penalties the whole season, rarely coming off the field. He chipped in with two assists offensively. He was named to the All-OAA White Division squad.
Goalkeepers
NATHAN DUFF, Rochester United: With his team winning the OAA White Division title this year, Duff was able to rack up some fine numbers between the pipes. He finished with All-OAA honors and made the Division 1 All-State Third Team in the process. His team finished 13-4-0 overall and unbeaten in the OAA-White. He collected 202 total saves and a .732 save percentage.
NICK KINSLER, Lake Orion: The junior switched to goalkeeper just a couple of years ago and turned into one of the top netminders in Oakland County this season. Named to the All-OAA White Division, Kinsler collected 179 saves and 12.8 saves an outing this season.
COACH OF THE YEAR
NICK STETSEN, Troy Athens: The Red Hawks were a ranked team for all the season and Stetsen guided them to a fine 15-5-0 overall record, including 4-1 in the OAA Red Division. Athens was second to Birmingham Unified in league and lost to that same team in the Division 1 regional finals, 10-8, as one of the elite eight teams in the postseason. Athens has finished first or second in the league for each of the past eight years. Of the Red Hawks’ five losses, four were against ranked teams from Michigan and one was a ranked school from Ohio. The Red Hawks scored double-digit goals in 17 of 20 games with one shutout and scored 15 or more goals in six games. The Red Hawks were ranked as high as No. 2 and never fell below No. 6 in D-1 in coaches poll.
“We had a great group of seniors and we lose 16 of them,” said Stetsen, who played on Athens’ 2001 state runner-up team. “We have some good kids coming back and I think we’ll be a better defensive team next year, but we lose a lot from our offense.
“Birmingham (United) had our number this year, for whatever the reason, and that was disappointing to finish second to them in the league, but we’ve had a good run and a good season,” continued Stetsen.” We were ranked the whole season and made it to the regional finals.”
ALL-AREA BOYS LACROSSE 2010
FIRST TEAM
Attack
Kevin Soisson Roch. Adams
Shaun Trush Troy Athens
Dan Kressa Troy Athens
Michael Conners Roch United
Danny Warner Roch. United
Hunter Layson Clarkston
Tyler Plets Lake Orion
Midfielders
Joe Kemp Troy Athens
Matt Lining Troy Athens
Jimmy Short Troy
Tyler Kilpatrick Roch. Adams
Special Teams
Chapin White Clarkston
Brian Brinker Troy Athens
Defensemen
Matt Gattinger Lake Orion
Devin Needs Roch. Adams
Shawn Cox Roch. United
Goalkeepers
Nick Kinsler Lake Orion
Nathan Duff Roch. United
COACH OF THE YEAR
Nick Stenson Troy Athens
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Clarkston: Jeff Turner, sr. G; Lake Orion: Matthew Kuehl, sr. LSM; Jon Hill, sr. D; Tyler Misiak, jr. D; Oxford: Adam Cook, sr. M; Derick Stinson, sr. G; Rochester Adams: Alec Trumbel, jr. D; Brad Nylen, jr. M; Rochester United: Kurt Urbin, A; Jacob Pincura, M; Alex Labrecque, M; Troy: Nicholas Knolden, soph. A; Yurey Bogtarey, sr. D; Troy Athens: Josh Oswald, sr. M; Neil Minstry, jr. G.
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Last updated: Jul 15 2010 at 7:52 PM
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