RIVERSIDE HIGH SCHOOL LACROSSE 2004, DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA

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2005 season outlook

by Coach Jim Kirkley

MAKING A CASE TO THE JURY

After tying for the regular season conference championship in 2004 and winning the conference tournament, the Pirates graduated 14 seniors and lost all of their assistant coaches. The attempts to fill those holes, and the adjustments to new coaches may take a while and thus it may take a while for the jury to come back with a verdict on this year's edition of Pirate lacrosse. Right now the evidence is all circumstantial, not very deep, and only the season will produce the hard facts.

ATTACK

All-Conference sophomore attackman Tim Woolley (35g, 14a) is the leading returning scorer for the team. After catching some people by surprise last year, Tim is sure to attract a lot of defensive attention this year and it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the pressure. But a year of maturity and a good fall should help him.

Joining him on attack is senior Lowell Dyer (10g, 3a). Heading to UNC to play football in the fall, at 280 pounds, Lowell will present match-up problems for most teams and could prove to be a force at attack. The third spot will be filled by junior Alvin Black (12g, 0a), who has shown a new commitment to the game and dedication to improvement. This unit has worked well together in early season practices and should lead the team in offensive production.

Backing them up will be four guys in their first varsity season. Junior Matt Tieszen, and sophomores Doug Cook, Colin Cash and Ben Gibala need to be ready to fill in for the starters in case of injury.

MIDFIELD

Senior captain and honorable mention all state middie, Joey Pietrantoni (21g, 9a) will miss the first part of the season with a thumb injury. When he returns, expect him to be the sparkplug that ignites the team, from face-offs to fast breaks to defense. Senior captain Andy Ross (15g, 12a) has made the switch from attack to midfield this year, and it looks to be a smart call. His speed and outside shot should produce a lot of scoring. Sophomore Bob Kercher (14g, 2a) has made huge strides on the field and could be the team's most volatile weapon. He has a cannon from the outside and is a tough, smart player.

The question at midfield is the lack of offensive depth. Unless some other players step up, the Pirates could be seriously short of scoring punch past the top three. Senior Kyle Rooney (4g, 0a), junior face-off specialist Jonathan Beck (3g, 3a) and senior Daniel Hodges-Copple were all on varsity last year and could offer a solution. Additionally, middies up from last year's JV include sophomores Phillip Tieszen, Corey Stanford and junior Kyle Massey. All three of those guys should get significant playing time with improvement.

DEFENSE

The defense returns two of the three starters from last year's unit. Senior captains Murray Forbes and Chris Woolley will be joined by sophomore Matt Weaver. Forbes (2g, 2a) led the team with 93 LBC's last year and was an honorable mention all conference player. An intense player with a good stick, he will continue his career at Queens or Goucher next year.

Woolley (49gbs, 50Lbc's) is a tall, lanky player with a reach that tends to bother a lot of attackmen. Weaver was a part-time starter last year after being pulled up from the JV part-way through the season when injuries were plaguing the team. Matt is a solid, physical, player who loves the challenge of stopping an opponent. This is a good stickhandling unit that could also help generate some offense for the Pirates. Backing them up will be senior Stephen Crockett, junior Derek Adrian, and sophomore Bobby Trimble. At long-stick middie, senior David Atwater and junior Kieron James will share time.

GOAL

In the goal, junior Brad Smith has been a two-year starter for the JV but will now look to carry on the Pirate's long-standing tradition of excellence between the pipes. For six straight years, since 1999, Riverside has had an all-state goalie tending their nets. Brad, after an excellent fall playing for the Triangle Select Team, has a great chance to continue that tradition. Backing him up will be sophomore Max Cheatham who has looked very solid in early practices.

COACHES

The coaching staff is also making it's own adjustments. Last year's assistants Pete Kitrinos and Greg Tate (RHS 1998) were unable to return due to job demands, and JV coach Thurston Webb is graduating from UNC. This year's varsity assistant will be Al D'Amelio who just moved down from New York. Al played collegiately at Cornell and has coached previously in his home state. He will take over the offensive responsibilities for the varsity.

Returning to their lacrosse roots are two RHS alums. Anthony Howard ('03) and T.L. Hutchins ('04) will be guiding the JV and assisting with the varsity. They continue a long tradition of Pirate players passing on their experience to the next generation.

CLOSING ARGUMENT

In the final analysis, this is a young Pirate team, from the players to the coaching staff (with one notable exception), with a lot of adjustments and growth to be had. The final verdict will be determined by whether they can produce enough evidence to sway the judgment in their favor.

It should be an exciting season as this year's version of the Pirates presents their case to a jury of their peers.

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