Scrimmage Play: WFS commemorative lacrosse 2011

Woodberry Forest lacrosse 2011 Commemorative Edition

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Getting topside Woodberry Forest’s lacrosse program takes a leap forward 2011 WFS Lacrosse Review

Woodberry Forest lacrosse 2011 Commemorative Edition

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Hitting Perfect Stride The Tigers round into midseason form.

LockDown Defender Charlie Archer anchors the defense for Woodberry Showdown Woodberry takes down longtime rival St. Anne’s-Belfield overtime SP’s Bart Isley reflects on the Tigers’ 2011 campaign

The preview: Starting off 2011 Griffin Burke, Hatcher Williams and James Malm graduated, taking a huge chunk of Woodberry’s firepower with them.

Tyler Houston, a physical enforcer on the defensive end also graduated while Burgess Robinson’s matriculation vacates the cage.

But there’s reason to believe that despite that exodus of talent, a new group of Woodberry players, stretched across all four classes, will be ready to roll in 2011.

Led by Carlson Milikin, who committed to play lacrosse for the University of Virginia starting in the fall of 2012, Woodberry appears to have a rock solid core of talent. Mark Monroe, a tall, tough attackman, gives Woodberry a solid optionon offense.

After that it’s up to the Tigers to figure out exactly how the offense is going to look, and with a challenging schedule, that process has to happen fast.

Woodberry suits up against Winter Park, one of the best teams in Florida as well as talented squads like St. Mary’s Ryken, Bishop Ireton and St. Alban’s before Prep League play against the usual powerhouses begins.

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Defensively, Charlie Archer, a Jacksonville University signee, returns to take the helm of what should be a strong unit with a lot of young talent.

Archer was named by ESPN Rise as one of the top 20 defensemen in the nation and gives Woodberry an anchor and rock in the center of the defense.

Archer is also adept at moving the ball in transition which should create a lot of opportunities for an offense that’s clearly got the potential to be a dynamic unit.

Among that young talent on defense is junior close defender and captain Wilson Craig as well as goalie Ben Pugh, a talented sophomore. Pugh played for a solid stretch against St. Anne’sBelfield last season, and appears to have the skills to carry Woodberry between the pipes, but he’ll need to come along quickly in order to shoulder the load.

Woodberry is a program in process, and quite clearly on the rise. The question really is how fast the Tigers are going to rise to the top of a challenging private school division in the state of Virginia.

Can it happen in 2011? ✖

Getting topside Woodberry Forest’s lacrosse program takes a leap forward 2011 WFS LACROSSE REVIEW

WFS Commemorative :: spring 2011

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Out and rolling Woodberry’s splits with Christchurch and Collegiate

THE CENTRAL VIRGINIA SPORTS AUTHORITY

S ta ff Bart Isley, Creative Director Bob Isley, Infrastructure Director Ryan Yemen, Creative Editor Journey Group, Art Direction O n t h e Cov e r Woodberry senior Joe Miller looks for room to work against Paul VI during the VISAA Division I quarterfinals.

M i ss i o n Stat e me nt Local sports are the lifeblood of every community in America, and we’re here to reach beyond the basics and give compelling accounts about Central Virginia athletes to our readers.

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Woodberry Forest

Tigers

Prep League, 2010 record: 8-8 3/29 3/31 4/9 4/15 4/19 4/26 5/6 5/10 5/14

vs. vs. @ vs vs. vs. vs. @ vs.

Key Matchups St. Alban’s Christchurch Norfolk Academy Collegiate Episcopal St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes St. Anne’s-Belfield Benedictine St. Christopher’s

Who’s Gone: James malm (midfield), Hatcher Williams (attack), Tyler Houston (Defense), Griffin Burke (Attack) Who’s Back: Carlson Milikin (Midfield pictured below), Charlie archer (Defense), Mark Monroe (attack) Who’s new: Ben Pugh (Goalie), Will Tucker (Attack)

Coach’s Corner

The man in the arena Woodberry coach Brian Hemming looks back on 2011

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he men of Woodberry lacrosse finished the season 11-6. We had one of the toughest schedules in the state of Virginia public or private, we finished 5-1 in the Prep League (which secured us a second place finish in the prep for the second year in a row) and were ranked fourth in the state in the final poll.

We made the state playoffs for the third time in four years and hosted a home game for the first round of the playoffs. We also had numerous players receive accolades at the end of the year for their performances on and off the field. We had multiple players earn All Prep (Mark Monroe, Carlson Milikin, Ben Pugh, Charlie Archer, David Little). Carlson Milikin, Mark Monroe and Charlie Archer were also named to the All State team. Carlson Milikin was voted the team’s MVP by his teammates, he was presented with the Robert F. Gillespie MVP award. Charlie Archer was presented with the Richard Godine Award during graduation weekend. This award is voted by the team and awarded to the player who best embodies the spirit of lacrosse. Tripp Grant also earned Academic All-American honors.

With all that being said that is not why I am so proud of the men of Woodberry lacrosse, in fact the wins-losses is secondary to what our season was really about. Throughout the season the men of Woodberry lacrosse were an example for all to follow in our community on and off the field. Discipline, Commitment, Toughness, Character, Effort, Pride and being Unselfish were the words commonly used to describe our team and men after games by the fans, opposing coaches, members of our school community as well as many others.

These student athletes are well on their way to being men. I know that the lessons they have learned from playing such a great game and being around each other and the coaches will only help them as they grow older. I know that Coach Conklin, Coach Alexander and myself would like to thank you all again for a great spring as well as your positive support and encouragment of the team and coaches.

There are few stories or words that I can put down on paper to let you know how I felt about this year’s team. The quote below is one that probably sums it up the best:

“Throughout the season the men of Woodberry lacrosse were an example for all to follow in our community on and off the field.”

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

-Theodore Roosevelt Thanks, Coach Hemming. ✖

Brian Hemming

Woodberry Head Coach

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Carlson Milikin, the Scrimmage Play boys lacrosse player of the year, celebrates a goal against Paul VI in the state semifinals. Despite a thrilling rally by the Tigers, Paul VI prevailed, ending Woodberry’s solid run to the No. 4 spot in the state’s toughest division . ✖ (Bart Isley)

Pregame

Slick celebration

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Pregame

Mad scramble

Senior longstick midfielder Adam Silva (12) had to step in at the faceoff spot when Dow Perkins was unavailable and Silva managed to win 10 faceoffs in the 14-10 victory over St. Christopher’s. Silva’s gritty work helped set the table for an explosive offensive day for the Tigers’ attack.

Both David Little and Mark Monroe notched hat tricks in the win. ✖ (Bart Isley)

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Out and rolling Slow start, fast finish Tigers get into gear in second quarter, roll past Christchurch

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David Little (left) and Josh Trudgeon celebrate a key goal against Christchurch. Below, Little makes a quick pass. (Bart Isley)

{ Attack Scoring } The distribution up front

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5 45 goals

38 Mark Monroe Josh Tucker

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Will Tucker David Little

oodberry Forest stumbled early Thursday, but the Tigers unleashed a monster run in the second quarter against Christchurch and never looked back. Woodberry rolled to a 17-8 win over the defending VISAA Division 2 state champions.

Woodberry fell behind 3-1 in the first quarter, but by halftime the Tigers were up 7-4 thanks to two goals from Josh Trudgeon and a pair from Carlson Milikin. Mark Monroe and David Little rounded out the 6-1 run that put the Tigers in control.

“Lacrosse is a game of runs and I think our guys are still learning that teams are going to come out gunning for us,” said Woodberry coach Brian Hemming. “That’s just kind of the way it is, but a lot of credit goes to Christchurch, they’re well coached and they’ve got some lacrosse players and some athletes.”

A big reason for that run was Dow Perkins’ work on faceoffs. The junior won 13 of 19 faceoffs he battled for, helping the Tigers maintain possession and string together critical goals. His dominance at midfield helped Milkin and Little pile up four goals each while Monroe finished with a hat trick of his own.

While the upperclassmen did most of the finishing, Woodberry is relying largely on young faces at attack beyond Monroe, who also had two assists. Hatcher Williams and Griffin Burke graduated, which allowed some new faces like Little and Will Tucker to move into the lineup. Against Christchurch, that offensive group helped move the ball well, leading to assists on 14 of the Tigers 17 goals, an impressive feat considering the unit’s lack of playing time together.

“We’ve got a lot of chemistry on that unit right now,” Monroe said. “And not just our starting three, but the two guys who come in

after them. We’ve got a lot of strength in the midfield that helps our attack out a lot, like Carlson Milikin drawing a (longstick defender) and an early slide.”

Christchurch allowed big offensive numbers by two Central Virginia squads thus far this year now, surrendering 20 goals to Blue Ridge just a couple of weeks ago. But if Woodberry can keep that offensive flow going in the next three games, all on the road, the Tigers should be in good position when Collegiate and Episcopal come calling in home games in mid-April.

Defensively, the Tigers settled in after the early three-goal outburst by Christchurch with Charlie Archer holding standout Pat Young largely in check when he was marking him. Archer was picking up the junior star, a second team All-State wideout in Division 2 during football for the Seahorses, after transition, but Woodberry eventually attached Archer at the midfield line to Young, which helped disrupt a talented Christchurch offense.

Woodberry keeper Ben Pugh finished with seven saves on the night. ✖

Close loss Collegiate nips Tigers Woodberry falls in overtime to Cougars

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hen David Little finished off a feed from Joe Miller to knot the game with a minute left, Woodberry Forest appeared to seize the momentum of a seesaw battle with Collegiate.

But momentum is, obviously, fleeting, and Friday it disappeared with the flick of Dyson White’s stick, the Vermont-bound attackman’s lone goal of the day that came seconds into overtime and wrapped up a 7-6 Collegiate win over the Tigers.

“We did some things early in the game and at the end of the game that hurt us,” said Woodberry coach Brian Hemming. “It’s part of the season, you learn from it and you move on.”

Big-time performances from Collegiate goalie David Noftsinger and Woodberry keeper Ben Pugh highlighted the defensive struggle. Noftsinger, a Delaware-bound senior, came up with 12 saves for the Cougars, but Pugh a sophomore, matched him more than stop-for-stop, tallying 15 saves on the day. Pugh came up with two straight pointblank stops near the six-minute mark of the

third quarter in an incredible sequence. The back-to-back saves kept Woodberry even with Collegiate at 3-3, the score at the half.

“He played so great today — that kid’s a sophomore and he’s really good,” Hemming said. “He’s got a lot of great lacrosse left in him here at Woodberry.”

Carlson Milikin and Mark Monroe finished with two goals each on the day, with Milikin scoring the game’s lone third-quarter goal to break a halftime deadlock. That score gave Woodberry a 4-3 advantage.

Will Tucker also scored for the Tigers, finishing off another Miller assist in the fourth quarter to put Woodberry up 5-3.

Miller’s flip to Tucker on the play was spectacular as the hit he absorbed on the pass left him sprawled on the field. Tucker made it count with the ensuing shot.

But Collegiate rallied after that, scoring three straight to jump ahead 6-5 on a Wilson Speight score. After Little’s goal tied the game again, Woodberry had one chance to score again late but a turnover at midfield set the stage for overtime and Holly’s heroics. ✖

Senior Peter Henderson only took 10 shots all season, but he put nine on goal and scored on five of those attempts. Below, Wilson Craig tries to clear the ball against Christchurch.

(Bart Isley)

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Hitting

perfect stride Pounding the Saints Woodberry edges St. Christopher’s in regular-season finale

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Above, Jay Mitchener gave Woodberry tremendous depth on offense, providing a reliable stick for the Tigers. Center below, Tripp Grant works for room against St. Chris. (Bart Isley)

{ Midfield assists } Helpers dished out by the WFS midfielders C ar lso n M i l iki n

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Tripp Grant

Joe Miller

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Dow Perkins

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ince falling to St. Stephen’s-St. Agnes back on April 26, Woodberry Forest has been on an absolute roll, winning five straight. The Tigers kept it going Saturday, picking up a dominating 1410 victory over St. Christopher’s to wrap up the regular season.

Woodberry’s offense, which has gradually come together as the season has worn on, looked crisp in the battle with the Saints, taking advantage of St. Christopher’s aggressive defensive approach.

“They slid quick on Carlson (Milikin) and Joe (Miller) all day and that left other guys open,” said Woodberry attackman Mark Monroe. “Wide open.”

The rest of the Tigers took advantage, with attackmen David Little and Monroe both notching hat tricks. Jay Mitchener was the earliest beneficiary of the quick slides by St. Chris, scoring two first half goals to help Woodberry jump to a 6-4 lead at the half.

“They were in a zone defense and it left our outside guys open and gave us a lot of opportunities,” Mitchener said. “We had a lot of good movement today and it opened up a lot of looks for us.”

Milikin and Miller made some sharp passes after drawing double teams as both notched two assists each. Miller managed to finish with a pair of goals, while Milikin notched one score. The most impressive goal for the Tigers came when Charlie Archer started a fastbreak from the defensive end. He quickly moved the ball to Monroe, who whipped the ball down to Little. Little made one last pass, connecting with Will Tucker who put the ball easily back into the net as St. Christopher’s keeper dove back across the

crease after overplaying toward Little.

“Our team loves transition and our attack loves to run it,” Monroe said. “Every time we get a chance we’re going to go for it.”

Woodberry keeper Ben Pugh had a solid game, and at one point had helped the Tigers build a 14-7 lead with several point-blank stops. The Tigers did seem to have a bit of a letdown after taking that commanding advantage as St. Christopher’s strung together three goals and nearly got back into the contest. But a couple of faceoff wins spearheaded by senior Adam Silva helped Woodberry ice the game.

Woodberry will likely hold onto the fourth seed in the VISAA Division 1 tournament, giving the Tigers a home game in the quarterfinals Tuesday likely at 4 p.m. It was unclear Saturday who Woodberry will host. ✖

Gaining steam The building blocks A pair of victories helped Woodberry along in 2011 Woodberry boys lacrosse shells Benedictine

Quick start sparks Woodberry past O’Connell

At 6-foot-4, Mark Monroe is often a matchup problem for opposing defenders.

That was certainly the case for Benedictine Tuesday on the road.

Monroe poured in four goals and dished out an assist as Woodberry rolled 12-3 over the Cadets. David Little also got in on the act with five points coming on three goals and a pair of assists as Woodberry’s attack continues to develop into a formidable group. Senior Jay Mitchener came up with a pair of goals while Carlson Milikin and Joe Miller had a goal each. Hunter Faulconer had an assist.

The Tigers have just a single game left on the regular season schedule before the state tournament ramps up. They take on St. Christopher’s Saturday at 2 p.m. ✖

Woodberry Forest and Bishop O’Connell had to scramble and head over to Georgetown University to get their game in Tuesday, but once the Tigers got there, they got comfortable fast and in turn rolled 17-6 over O’Connell.

Woodberry poured in three goals in the first 90 seconds, with Carlson Milikin, Mark Monroe and Tripp Grant stringing the early trio together. O’Connell tried to stem the bleeding with a timeout, but Woodberry’s David Little and Zach Hollander kept it going. By the end of the first quarter, Woodberry was up 9-1 with Will Tucker, Little, Monroe and Spencer Brewer finishing off that incredible start.

Woodberry didn’t even slow down after that with the defense locking up O’Connell to the tune of a 13-1 halftime lead. Ben Pugh made four solid saves before the break, including a shot from point blank range.

Dow Perkins won seven of his 11 faceoffs on the day.

Monroe finished with four goals while Tucker also notched a hat trick with three.

Milikin added another goal to give him two on the night. Joe Miller dished out three assists to lead the Tigers. Tucker rounded out a five-point game with two helpers. ✖

Ben Pugh proved up to the task as a sophomore playing in goal for the Tigers and should provide Woodberry with a solid foundation going forward. (Bart Isley)

WFS Commemorative :: 10

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Woodberry senior Mark Monroe, the Tigers’ leading scorer in 2011, played a big role in the Tigers’ rally against Paul VI in the state playoffs that eventually fell short. Monroe hit the game-tying goal. He was a rock solid performer on attack all season. ✖ (Bart Isley)

Halftime

Pushing it

WFS Commemorative :: 12

Tough

finish Paul VI halts Tigers

Woodberry can’t claw past Paul VI in state quarterfinals

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Woodberry Forest’s Spencer Brewer pushes the ball upfield during the Tigers’ playoff battle with Paul VI. (Bart Isley)

{ The scoop up } Ground ball leaders

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Charl i e Arche r

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C arls o n Mili k i n

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D ow Per k ins

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K ar a El der

David Little

hen Mark Monroe evened the game with just about a minute left, everything was going Woodberry Forest’s way. With the score, the Tigers completed a rally from an early five-goal deficit to tie Paul VI. But all that work unraveled with a single crafty move during a ride in the final minute

by Paul VI’s Connor Murphy and a timely poke check from a teammate.

“I remember the goalie and that far defenseman talking and he was telling the guy who had the ball originally to go all the way across so I just tried to split them,” Murphy said. “I think it was Logan Aunon or Kyle Koehler but they checked the guy’s stick and it came right to me.”

Murphy, a second team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference attackman, turned the interception into a point-blank goal and a 12-11 victory, sending the No. 5-ranked Panthers on to the VISAA Division I semifinals and abruptly ending Woodberry’s season.

The Tigers struggled most of the game to push past Paul VI keeper Zachary Tuell, who finished with 20 saves on the afternoon.

Woodberry finally found an offensive groove late, with Carlson Milikin and Monroe scoring back-to-back in the final two minutes and five seconds on unassisted strikes. Woodberry managed to force a couple of turnovers in the closing minutes but struggled to clear. The final mistake on a clear led to Murphy’s goal.

Still, the rally was an incredible one as Woodberry had to hang around and stay engaged with Paul VI for the majority of the game.

“You start out a game 6-1, come back and battle and get it done to 11-11 with under a minute left — that 36 minutes of lacrosse says a lot about these young guys character and what type of people they are,” said Woodberry

coach Brian Hemming.

Milikin put together perhaps his most brilliant performance of the year, and certainly one of the most efficient. The junior led the Tigers with four goals and three assists while taking just 10 shots. He was also a force on the defensive end with 12 ground balls and three forced turnovers.

Woodberry’s offense, which has made strides all season, benefited from Milikin’s inspired play, and moved the ball effectively in the offensive zone. Eight of the 11 Woodberry goals were assisted. Mark Monroe had a pair of assists to go with his two goals while Joe Miller triggered the offense all day with three assists.

David Little’s hat trick as well as Will Tucker and Dow Perkins’ single goals rounded out the scoring for the Tigers. Charlie Archer forced six turnovers on the day on the defensive end while Adam Silva won 14 of 24 faceoffs to give Woodberry a slight possession advantage.

Tyler Aunon led the Paul VI offense with three goals as the imposing Georgetown-bound senior took advantage of the few opportunities that Woodberry allowed. His work when Paul VI was trying to melt the clock was particularly impressive as he ate up nearly 30 seconds while sprinting around the box on his own.

Woodberry wrapped an 11-6 season as the program continued its upward trajectory under Hemming. The team went from 6-8 to 8-8 to 11-6 in the last three years, a steady increase in wins against an always challenging schedule.

“I couldn’t be more proud of a group of guys than the guys we have here,” Hemming said. ✖

go online »

For more Woodberry coverage, go and check out the school’s page at www.scrimmageplay.com.

See a photograph you like?

Defensive stand Warriors goalie has more than one trick | By Ryan Yemen

At Scrimmage Play we pride ourselves on offering the best possible graphics Two years ago the Western Albemarle boys to Shin, who doubles as a Junior National Judo we can get our hands on, in both our soccer team was fueled by its underclassmen medalist, but has developed into one of the with sophomores and bearing the website area’s most magazine asfreshman well as at our atversatile goalkeepers.

brunt of the work load.

Now two years later, forwards Aaron Myers and Alex Nolet, as well as senior defender Tom Rogers are all in their senior seasons and looking to earn a Region II bid, something that Orange County snatched away from them in the Jefferson District semifinals last season.

After the first month of play, the Warriors seem to have the defensive side of the equation figured out and junior goalkeeper Kai Shin is a big part of that.

Before Western went on its spring break, none of its four opponents were able to score more than once, a testament to the team’s play in the middle of the field, but also a nod

The netminder has shown he’s capable of

www.scrimmageplay.com making big saves, particularly in the team’s

two ties. In the first game of the season, Shin endured wave after wave of Albemarle attack, but stood tall and showed no rust in the 1-1- tie.

But while Shin’s on the field because he can make stops, his strong leg has also been of great use as he’s able to easily clear the zone but also spark fast breaks all by himself.

The Warriors averaged a little over two goals per contest before the break, but if that average starts to increase, don’t be surprised if it’s because of Shin’s ability to contribute to the transition game. ✖

We want to make sure that our readers have the same opportunity to have these photos. If something catches your eye in either the magazine or on the web, you can order the photograph for yourself.

Whether it’s a 4x6 glossy print or a 13x11 mounted photo, we’ve got a full range of possibilities for you to choose from.

Simply visit our smugmug website at

scrimmageplay.smugmug.com Covenant 1/2 page

Western Albemarle’s Kai Shin hauls in a shot during his team’s 1-1 tie with Albemarle that kicked off the soccer season for both squads. (Frank Crocker)

Lockdown Defender It’s going to be a long year for attackmen in the private school ranks with Woodberry Forest’s Charlie Archer patrolling the field.

S t o ry by B a r t Is l e y — p h o t o s by F r a n k C r o c k e r

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hen Charlie Archer is closing in on you, you’re in trouble ¶ Whether you’re a midfielder flying downfield and drawing the slide or an attackman working from behind the cage trying to drive out front, if Woodberry Forest’s Archer is the guy coming at you, you’ve got problems. Big problems. ¶

He has the ability to take the ball from his opponent in an instant, lock down the opposition’s best player or push the ball into transition to create a scoring opportunity on the other end. In short, Archer can make an offensive player look silly in a hurry.

Archer is part of a solid class of defensemen in the private school ranks that are going to be joining collegiate rosters next year. He’s a tall, rangy and fast athlete who can match up against any number of different types of offensive players, be it a quick attackman or a lanky midfielder that attacks from the top of the box.

He’s also playing a critical role for state title contenders this spring.

Archer faces a situation at Woodberry where in the first time in years, he doesn’t have a senior goalie stepping into the cage.

After Peter Sisk and Burgess Robinson controlled the defense the last two years in their final season at Woodberry, the Tigers turn things over to Ben Pugh. That’s got Archer, as the defense’s senior captain, thinking more about making sure that his young keeper is comfortable — but Pugh has the tools to be special, otherwise he wouldn’t be in there as a sophomore for Woodberry.

“I feel like we need to look out for him a little more,” Archer said. “He’s the best, in my opinion, when it’s a one-yard shot.

He’s so fast and he just kind of gets in his element.”

Pugh has the pleasure of lining up behind a lockdown defender in Archer, a Jacksonville University signee. Archer gives the Tigers a reliable defender who’ll be called on to do even more with the departure of Tyler Houston, an enforcer-type who gave Woodberry a physically-imposing presence on defense who’s now playing football at Seton Hill.

With Houston’s absence, Archer will have to bring a little bit of that intimidation.

“It changes my dynamic personally a lot,” Archer said. “He was a guy that would really bring the wood if you ever needed it and that was a big aspect of his game. I’ve kind of realized we don’t have that guy anymore. I’m kind of thinking in the back of my mind when I’m about to slide, don’t just go to stop it, go and put him down, which I’ve never really

had to do before.”

That’s a scary thought for midfielders daring to bring the ball into the Woodberry zone as Archer brings nearly 200 pounds of force to those checks out of his 6-foot-2 frame. But his positioning, recovery speed and patience defensively remain staples of Archer’s approach. He’s learned to become a formidable presence by waiting for the opposition to make a mistake and striking immediately. If he creates a turnover, he can quickly turn on the jets and create chances on offense for the Tigers. With high-octane offensive players like UVa-commitment Carlson Milikin and Mark Monroe manning the offense for Woodberry, that can only lead to good things for the Tigers.

“Ever since middle school, guys would drag their stick and I’d go for that overhead check,” Archer said. “I’ve changed that a little bit now to go after that lift on that bottom hand right when they’re about to pass or shoot. Waiting for them to make that mistake is crucial.”

It’s also what’ll help make him a reliable defender in college, where attackmen and midfielders don’t hang the stick nearly as often as they do in high school. In fact, Archer’s adaptable athletic ability surely

“I’ve changed that a little bit now to go after that lift on that bottom hand right when they’re about to pass or shoot. Waiting for them to make that mistake is crucial.”

made him a more attractive recruit for Jacksonville.

But for now, they’re putting it to use at Woodberry Forest, a team that should play a big part in the VISAA Division 1 state championship race.

And that’s going to make life tough on attackmen and midfielders throughout the region. When either of them mark an opposing offensive player, that player’s best chance may be to pass it off quickly.

Before things get bad. ✖

Senior Charlie Archer leads an up and coming Woodberry defense for a VISAA Division 1 contender.

WFS Commemorative November 27, 2009 :: 16

[ SHOWDOWN ] Woodberry Forest 8 St. Anne’s-Belfield 5

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Woodberry coach Brian Hemming is convinced that if you’re judging the Tigers just on their record — pretty good considering the difficulty of Woodberry’s schedule — you’re misjudging his squad.

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S t o ry a n d p h o t o s by B a r t Is l e y

That explains why when the Tigers put that development during practice into play with a huge 8-5 victory over St. Anne’sBelfield, Hemming and Woodberry were hardly surprised.

“I think sometimes people that aren’t around the team and don’t see us in practice and don’t see us in film sessions, they come to the game and they just see a 48-minute snapshot of what we’ve been doing,” Hemming said. “But just like anything else, it takes time to build that continuity, that consistency and that ability to just play as a team.”

Woodberry (9-5) leaned on sophomore goalie Ben Pugh for the win as the young keeper, in conjunction with a seasoned, talented defense, helped limit the dynamic Saints to just five goals. While STAB struggled at times to put the ball on cage, that was largely because Woodberry’s defense moved seamlessly with Pugh directing traffic throughout the contest.

“Our slides seemed to come at the right time every time, we did great today sliding,” Pugh said. “And I was excited about that because sometimes we don’t do that very well. But our slide

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“Our slides seemed to come at the right time every time...Our slide packages were just perfect today.” packages were just perfect today.”

Things appeared set to go STAB’s way when attackman Andrew Crockett buried a shot just 45 seconds into the proceedings, but Woodberry wasn’t rattled and the tide changed — fast.

“You had that first possession where you feel pretty good about things and then it’s really all down hill from there on the offensive end,” said STAB coach Bo Perriello. “We just lost the possession time game and we knew that would be big today.”

Woodberry’s David Little started a 6-0 run that stretched from midway through the first quarter until early in the third with a finish off a Joe Miller feed. Little then buried a second goal for a 2-1 lead Woodberry never relinquished off a Carlson Milikin pass.

“When I’m in trouble that’s my go-to guy I kind of look to him,” Milikin said. “He’s a great finisher and a great feeder.”

Milikin scored a goal of his own shortly after Little’s second tally and Miller put the Tigers up 5-1 early in the second quarter, a lead Woodberry held onto until the break. Will Tucker then got in on the action in the third quarter, scoring just 30 seconds into the half on a Miller assist. After Milkin and Tripp Grant scored later in the third, Woodberry held an 8-3 lead. STAB (9-7) started to string together a rally with Nicco Freeo and Crockett scoring a pair of goals to cut the lead to 8-5, but with Pugh on lock down, that was as close as STAB could get.

Woodberry hits the road to take on Benedictine Tuesday while STAB faces another difficult road test against Collegiate Friday at 5 p.m.✖

Overtime

Program packed with passion It’s clear what drives Woodberry Forest lacrosse

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t’s evident that Brian Hemming loves Woodberry Forest lacrosse — the program, the players, all of it. I see Hemming pretty regularly during football and basketball seasons and this year, despite an exodus of talent, Hemming was all smiles about his team early on — like in September.

Sure, Griffin Burke, Hatcher Williams, James Malm, Tyler Houston and Burgess Robinson were all gone, but Hemming was more fired up than ever.

At one moment he said “If you’re impressed with Carlson Milikin out here (during football) just wait till lacrosse season.” Another time he started raving about Ben Pugh, a goalie I’d only seen a few minutes of in the closing stages of the 2010 playoff game with St. Anne’s-Belfield. During a basketball game it was about how often players were shooting on their own down at the field. Hemming cares about every single player, every single action, every single activity that involves Woodberry lacrosse. Honestly, that’s rare. Woodberry is blessed with a number of passionate coaches, and the rest of Central Virginia has a lot of leaders who are always pumped up about their sport and their team. But Hemming’s passion for Woodberry lacrosse stands out.

When you saw this 2011 edition of the Tigers play, it’s easy to understand why.

There’s a collection of players on this team with top-end talent. Milikin is gifted enough to have committed to UVa, one of the nation’s premiere programs. Charlie Archer is a rare combination of size and speed on defense that earned the attention of Jacksonville University where he’ll suit up next year. Mark Monroe is a matchup nightmare on attack, and frankly as a former defenseman I wouldn’t want to guard him, David Little or Will Tucker — all three are just terribly dangerous. Throw in Joe Miller and it’s just an overwhelming group on that end of the field and we haven’t even touched guys like Josh Trudgeon and Tripp Grant.

But you wouldn’t know it when you watch the squad interact and work together.

There’s very little ego at work — everyone seemed awfully comfortable playing their role and staying within it. Rarely did any of those offensive stars try and do too much or take over the game. The unit excelled within a flexible but deliberate system, with Milikin’s 17 assists on the year from the midfield a testament to his unselfish, wise approach to the offensive end.

There was an understanding of the game that was striking — players like Monroe in particular understood concepts and applied them, which allowed Woodberry to reach a higher level than simply freelancing would have.

But what really seemed to separate Woodberry’s 2011 lacrosse team was the way the Tigers relished a challenge. Every player had a particular personal challenge to face. Young players like Vance Spillman had to take on big-time roles as part of the starting lineup. Charlie Archer had to increase his physicality with Houston gone.

At one point during the Christchurch game after Maryland-Baltimore County commitment Pat Young created another goal for the Seahorses, Archer started talking to Hemming about the scheme against the talented midfielder. After a few sec-

21 :: scrimmageplay

“What really seemed to separate Woodberry’s 2011 lacrosse team was the way the Tigers relished a challenge.” onds, Hemming yelled something like “Well, you’ve got him.” Archer immediately shot back “That’s what I wanted!”

Every single Woodberry player seemed to bring that attitude to the table every game. They wanted the opportunity — they embraced it. They wanted a chance to show they belonged among the state’s private school elite.

They did just that with a sterling 2011.

No wonder Brian Hemming loves this program. ✖

Bart Isley,

creative director

Woodberry Forest Number 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 28 30 33 34 35 36 39

First Name Last Name Position Nick Gimbal Goalie Joe Miller Midfield Sam Russell Attack Carlson Milikin Midfield Peter Henderson Midfield Sean Spector Defense Mark Petrone Defense Ian McGraw Midfield Ben Pugh Goalie Gibson Montgomery Defense Adam Silva LSM Thomas Doughty Midfield Lee Beauchamp Defense Spencer Brewer Midfield Tripp Grant Midfield Zach Wiesler LSM Mark Monroe Attack George Sutherland Midfield Dow Perkins Mid/Face David Little Attack Hunter Faulconer Midfield Will Tucker Attack Zach Hollander Midfield Josh Trudgeon Attack Wilson Craig Defense Charlie Archer Defense Vance Spilman Defense Jay Mitchener Attack Clinton Rasberry Goalie Reid Swearingen Midfield Jeff Smith Midfield

Grade 11 12 11 11 12 11 11 11 10 11 12 11 12 11 12 11 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 12 11 12 9 12 11 11 12

Statistical leaders Goal scoring Leaders Player Points

Goals Assists PPG

Mark Monroe

59

45

14 5.43

David Little

57

38

19

6.1

Carlson Milikin

54

37

17

4.6

Will Tucker

48

21

27

6.4

22

3.9

Joe Miller

30

8

Tripp Grant

13

10

3 0.76

Josh Trudgeon

11

5

6 0.64

Passing Leaders Player Assists H. Assists Will Tucker

27

8

Total 35

Joe Miller

22

9

31

David Little

19

6

25

Carlson Milikin

17

6

23

Mark Monroe

14

6

20

Ground ball leaders Player

Ground balls

GBsPG

70

4.1

Dow Perkins Carlson Milikin

69

4.1

David Little

54

3.2

Charlie Archer

54

3.2

Will Tucker

46

2.7

Vance Spillman

44

2.6

Adam Silva

43

2.5

Tripp Grant

40

2.4

Wilson Craig

29

1.7

Mark Monroe

26

1.5

Spencer Brewer

23

1.4

Faceoffs Player

FO won FO lost

FO%

Dow Perkins

116

87

57.1%

Adam Silva

82

63

56.5%

Saves Player Ben Pugh Nick Hambal

Saves

SV%

131

48.9%

8

42.1%

WFS Commemorative :: 22

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