Recap and Standouts: Lawrenceville Throttles Boys' Latin, 10-1

We had a windy and overcast day in Lawrenceville (N.J.), where the No. 7 Big Red hosted No. 18 Boys' Latin (Md.) at the great facility at Kueffel Stadium. With Lawrenceville (N.J.) having lost to undefeated Calvert Hall (Md.) in double OT to start its season and Boys' Latin having lost to top-ranked Malvern Prep (Pa.), both teams were looking to make a statement in this game and get off to a hot start.   Both teams turned the ball over in their first possessions but eventually started settling in, with Lawrenceville dominating possession time and playing at its own pace. [player_tooltip player_id='19274' first='Garrett' last='Held'] (Navy) came up with some nice saves early for the Lakers, but the Big Red's 10-man ride caused issues for the Lakers. [player_tooltip player_id='14558' first='Sawyer' last='English'] (Brown) was incredibly aggressive offensively early, attacking his matchup from up top and kickstarting the offense, which eventually led to freshman attackman [player_tooltip player_id='36028' first='Harrison' last='Tyler'] finding junior [player_tooltip player_id='16718' first='Hansen' last='Peck'] (Syracuse) for a step-down goal. Peck also dished out a man-up assist to sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='126348' first='Matt' last='Souter'] and another assist to [player_tooltip player_id='16729' first='Jake' last='Sturtevant'] (Michigan), who was able to sting the corner on a wide-open step down from the top. At the end of the first quarter, it was 3-0 in favor of the Big Red.   To open up the second quarter, both defenses played well, forcing shot clock violations on both ends. [player_tooltip player_id='19274' first='Garrett' last='Held'] was seeing the ball well and came up with multiple tough saves, but the 10-man ride forced the Lakers into some bad decisions, which gave Lawrenceville more possession time and less time for the BL defense to rest. They got on the board with a slick dodge and cross-field pass from senior attackman [player_tooltip player_id='14526' first='Matt' last='Higgins'] (Maryland) to sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='23607' first='TJ' last='Shaw'] on the backside to give the Lakers some life and momentum, but the face-off X was controlled by Big Red senior [player_tooltip player_id='20825' first='Alex' last='Swinnie'] (Johns Hopkins) who went 14-for-15 with quick clamps and very few ground ball battles. Sturtevant found the back of the net again, as he was able to get under his defender and find senior [player_tooltip player_id='20833' first='Ted' last='Rawson'] (Syracuse) off a cut inside. Sturtevant capped off his first-half hat trick as Rawson returned the favor and found him backside for an easy goal. The half ended 6-1 after a great defensive stand by the Big Red.   The Lakers switched to a zone defense coming out of halftime and at first, it gave Lawrenceville some problems and caused some turnovers, but the Lakers weren't being patient when clearing and ran into some turnovers of their own. Eventually, Rawson found [player_tooltip player_id='36028' first='Harrison' last='Tyler'] for his first of two goals in the quarter, and Sturtevant found Peck for another step-down. Tyler capped off the scoring for the quarter on a broken play in front of the net with Held out of position. The last goal came in the fourth quarter when Peck finished his hat trick after taking a hit and the Big Red coasted to a 10-1 victory, making a statement in the process.   The Lawrenceville defense played lights out all day, constantly putting pressure on the Lakers and not letting them get good looks at the cage. Sophomore goaltender [player_tooltip player_id='16730' first='Jett' last='Stake'] took command in net and made a few saves when tested and played a big role in the 10-man ride that was so effective. The trio of senior [player_tooltip player_id='14597' first='Nick' last='Voultos'] (Michigan), junior [player_tooltip player_id='16777' first='Wyatt' last='Stamnes'] (Michigan), and sophomore Don Bosco Prep transfer [player_tooltip player_id='121315' first='Luke' last='St. Pierre'] played terrific as a unit and gave the Lakers issues all day and made sure nothing came easy. Harvard-bound Brock Getson stayed active at LSM and junior SSDM Ben Okupski was able to lock down the Lakers' attempts to attack to shortsticks, but the defensive unit helped show why the Big Red could make another run this spring.   Lawrenceville will host a big matchup again on Wednesday, welcoming a strong St. Sebastian's (Mass.) squad to New Jersey.   Boys' Latin (Md.) will open MIAA play on Friday, hosting Archbishop Spalding.    The Virginia native finished with three goals and three assists and showed exactly why he was my preseason X-Factor for the Big Red. His first goal was a step down from top center, destroying the top right corner with time and room. On his second, he beat his defender from the wing and got underneath and upfield for a good angled shot, then his third came on the doorstep. He's able to create for others as well, hitting Rawson on a good cut inside and then connecting with Peck twice in the second half, showing his versatility as a passer and shooter.     Peck was very active all day from his lefty attack spot, posting a goal and two assists in the first quarter alone to finish with a hat trick and two assists overall. He's a playmaker who can create for himself and his teammates, and when he got the open looks, he made them count. The Syracuse commit is a marksman with time and room and when he's dealing with pressure, he's crafty and uses his speed and athleticism to positively affect the game. He's a smart player and doesn't try to do too much or force shots or thread the needle in tight.     English was the driving force for Lawrenceville's hot start offensively and a matchup nightmare for BL's defenders. Although he did not score, he kickstarted the offense by dodging from the top, drawing a slide, and dumping it off. He's a quick, shifty dodger and can create space to shoot or find a teammate. The Ontario native is a workhorse who dodges hard every time and doesn't spend much time on the sidelines. He'll continue to be a big part of the offense, especially if opponents are going to play man-to-man defense against the Big Red.     Held was peppered all day by the Big Red offense, but he held his own in the cage. He recorded over 10 saves on the day, coming up with big stops time after time. He had saves on the doorstep from Peck and Tyler and had a big save at the end of the third quarter to spark some life for the Lakers. He was also a big part of the clearing game and took the ball over midfield a few times to help the offense. The New Freedom (Pa.) native also recorded multiple shots while trying to catch the Lawrenceville defense sleeping in its 10-man ride. He's one of the leaders for this Lakers team and is always going to help in way way he can.

We had a windy and overcast day in Lawrenceville (N.J.), where the No. 7 Big Red hosted No. 18 Boys' Latin (Md.) at the great facility at Kueffel Stadium. With Lawrenceville (N.J.) having lost to undefeated Calvert Hall (Md.) in double OT to start its season and Boys' Latin having lost to top-ranked Malvern Prep (Pa.), both teams were looking to make a statement in this game and get off to a hot start.