It didn’t take long for one of the top juniors in the region to make a college commitment. And it’s a big one.
Shortly after Division I coaches became allowed to contact current juniors on Sept. 1, Somers (N.Y.) defenseman Eddie Schurr has given a verbal commitment to Johns Hopkins.
Schurr, the lone sophomore from Section 1 (Westchester, Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess counties) named all-section this past season, didn’t waste any time making his decision.
“Well, I didn’t really plan on it coming this quickly,” he said. “It’s kind of the way things happened. I realized I was ready to commit. The recruiting process started before Sept. 1 for me. I had plenty of time to think about it.”
Eddie Schurr, Somers
File photo by Jim Stout
Schurr said he heard from close to 10 Division I schools after the contact period began.
“Not nearly as many as Mike Daniello,” he said, referring to the John Jay (N.Y.) rising junior attackman who received contacts from more than 30 D-I programs, including UNC, which he visited unofficially this weekend, as well as Syracuse, Virginia and Hopkins.
Schurr said his final list of schools also included Notre Dame, UMass and Army.
He becomes the first player in school history to commit to Hopkins. Just last year, Somers’ JoJo Marasco became the first Tusker to ever commit to Syracuse.
“I was thinking about that,” Schurr said. “We also have four kids on our team now going to D-I schools. It’s got to be good for our program.”
The others are seniors Greg Petre (attackman, Army); Erik Pfiffner (midfielder, Colgate); and John Bello (defenseman, St. John’s).
Schurr said another factor in his decision is the fact that two longtime friends, Yorktown stars John Ranagan and Kevin Interlicchio, committed to Hopkins. Ranagan, a midfielder, is a freshman there now. Interlicchio, an attackman, is a rising senior in high school. John Jay rising senior defenseman Jameson Pickel also has committed to Hopkins.
“There are so many things,” Schurr said. “It’s a great academic school, maybe 14th in the country, I think I saw. The school is incredible, and you can’t beat the lacrosse.”
An outstanding and technically sound left-handed defenseman with good size and understanding of the game, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound Schurr is the son of Tim Schurr, the former Somers varsity head coach and Yorktown assistant and current Briarcliff assistant who is regarded as one of the top defensemen to ever play the game.
After starring at Washington & Lee and in the World Games, Tim Schurr has remained active as both a player and coach.
Joe Lombardi, who has been a fixture on the lacrosse scene during the sport’s rapid growth in the New York metropolitan area, produces editorial and video content for LaxLessons.com. He may be reached at joe@laxlessons.com.
