Toledo's St. John's Jesuit aiming to be known as more than just a regional power.
By Matt Florjancic
MaxPreps.com
By definition, the Titans were in control during the Golden Age in Greek Mythology. Prior to their overthrow by the Olympians, the Titans ruled everything with their absolute power.
On the lacrosse field, the St. John’s Jesuit Titans, who are 7-3 heading into Wednesday’s home game with Westerville North, rule between the lines.
With no other Ohio High School Lacrosse Association Division I team in the Toledo area, the Titans should stay on the top of the mountain in Northwest Ohio for the immediate future.
However, under the direction of coach Mike McComish, the St. John’s Jesuit team wants more than the label “Best Team in the Area.”
“We’re the only D-I program in Northwest Ohio,” McComish said. “We play the big boys from Columbus. Year in and year out, we play probably three or four of the top 25 teams in the country between the Michigan clubs that we play and the Columbus and Cincinnati clubs. We have a pretty advanced lacrosse program for Northwest Ohio.”
“We’ve been up and down,” he added. “We lost a lot of seniors last year. We have eight seniors this year, but the majority of our team is made up of juniors and a couple of sophomores. We’re doing fairly well. They’re real hard working boys. We don’t have the big game experience like we did last year.”
This young band of Titans proved how advanced they are compared to other teams in their area.
Last Tuesday, April 15, the Titans made the 11.5-mile trip to play the Perrysburg Yellow Jackets. Though they do not have the same experience as previous St. John’s Jesuit teams, the 2008 Titans made quick work of Perrysburg, securing the 11-1 road victory.
“We did fairly well against them,” McComish said. “Their program is not as developed as ours is. St. John’s-St. Francis is a pretty good rivalry and Sylvania-St. John’s is probably the biggest rivalry. We play them in the latter part of this year.
“We need to move the ball a little bit better and control and possess it on offense,” added McComish. “[We want to] keep doing what we’re doing on defense and surprising some of the bigger guys.”
The St. Francis and Sylvania games are back-to-back contests for the Titans. On May 8, St. John’s Jesuit travels to Toledo St. Francis de Sales High School to play a Knights team that is 3-1 over their last four contests. During the stretch, the Knights hold victories over Bedford, Mich., 17-0, along with a pair of 8-6 wins against Columbus Bishop Watterson and Gilmour Academy.
On May 12, just four days after the St. Francis game, St. John’s Jesuit will host the Sylvania Maple Leafs. Sylvania began the 2008 season with a loss in Indiana to the Culver Military Academy. Since the 8-7 setback, the Maple Leafs are 3-0. They defeated Tecumseh 18-2, Bedford 19-1 at home and earned a 10-8 road win at University School.
“[I need] to unify the team,” McComish said. “We were looking to win the Toledo Area Lacrosse Association Tournament, at least get through the third round in the state playoffs and come together as a team.
“We have some pretty good individuals, but we need to play more as a team,” he added. “Some of our individual athletes are outstanding. They’re being looked at all over the country to play.”
McComish relies heavily on his upperclassmen to provide the team with leadership and scoring chances. Junior attacker Riley Seidel gives the Titans the scoring punch they need. Against Pioneer of Ann Arbor, Mich., and Perrysburg, Seidel rifled nine shots past the opposing goalies.
“My one captain, Nadeem Abou-Arraj, is the anchor in our defense,” McComish said. “Riley Seidel would be the anchor in our attack and Connor Martin would be our midfield [playmaker]. Riley, Connor and Nadeem are our three captains this year.
“Connor and Riley are juniors, but they’ve really excelled in their leadership roles,” he added. “Our leader of our team is Nadeem Abou-Arraj. [He has] unbelievable academics. He’s very well-round, very mature. He leads by example.”
Another Titan focused on leading by example is Casey Brodbeck. The junior midfielder’s work ethic makes him an effective player on a good team.
“It’s his second year of really playing organized lacrosse,” McComish said of Brodbeck. “He has really, really come on strong, a tireless worker, always in the weight room, always on the wall. If I had 25 Caseys, I’d have a state championship because he’s an incredibly dedicated and hard working young man.”
Along with great attackers, solid midfielders and strong defensemen, St. John’s Jesuit has the luxury of two productive goalies in seniors Dan Kennedy and Matt Kruse who can keep shots out of the net.
For the Titans to be successful during the regular season and playoffs, the combination of Kruse and Kennedy must protect any lead they are given.
“They both have their strengths and weaknesses,” McComish said. “Dan Kennedy is a little bit quicker with his stick than Matt Kruse. Matt Kruse can clear the ball and is a little bit more athletic.
“They’re both great leaders,” he added. “I don’t think there’s a team in Ohio that has two goalies of their caliber in the same year on the same team. They split a lot of time and they do a great job for us.”
Matt Florjancic, a freelance reporter and a sports show host for WOBL and WDLW, covers Northern Ohio for MaxPreps.com
