Towne Athlete Meet

TOWNE ATHLETE

Kasey Heath

Kent Island High School Football, Lacrosse

By Tom Worgo

Senior Kasey Heath ripped off long runs again and again for the Kent Island High School football team in 2022. The running back averaged an eye-catching eight yards a carry, led the state in rushing touchdowns with 30, and gained nearly 2,000 yards on the ground.

“THERE’S NO QUESTION IN MY MIND THAT HE COULD BE THE BEST GOALIE IN THE STATE. “HE HAS THE ABILITY TO PLAY AT ANY COLLEGE. A TOP-FIVE GOALIE IN HIS RECRUITING CLASS, HE IS GOING TO WRITE HIS OWN TICKET.”

Health possesses college size (6-foot-1 and 215 pounds) and a punishing, physical running style. He even played middle linebacker earlier in high school.

Kent Island Football Coach Bryon Sofinowski calls Heath a rare player. “Everybody compares him to John Riggins because of the way he runs,” Sofinowski says, noting the former NFL Hall of Famer. “You can’t tackle him with just one player.”

After games, Heath often got the same question from opposing coaches and players. “Where are you going to play college football?” Heath recalls. The 18-year-old Heath told them he’s committed to play lacrosse at Division I Lehigh University on an athletic scholarship. He’s that talented a goalie. Heath signed a National Letter of Intent in mid-November.

“There’s no question in my mind that he could be the best goalie in the state,” Kent Island Boy’s Lacrosse Coach Bobby Woolley says. “He has the ability to play at any college. A topfive goalie in his recruiting class, he is going to write his own ticket.”

Some of the best lacrosse programs in the country recruited him, including Johns Hopkins, Maryland, Notre Dame, Loyola Maryland, and Navy. Lehigh, however, ended up being the perfect fit for Heath, who carries a 3.75 grade-point average and plans to major in environmental science.

He connected well with Lehigh Men’s Lacrosse Coach Kevin Cassese since both are avid hunters— but talking to the other college coaches as well, paid dividends. Through the recruiting process, he picked up tips on how to improve his game.

“I saw how these coaches looked at my play and it really made me look differently at the game, and how different I am than the other goalies,” Heath says. “They told me how excited and explosive I am in the goal.

“When I visited Lehigh, I loved the chemistry among the players,” he adds. “It didn’t matter if you were

a freshman or a senior, they all treated each other the same. And I really loved the coaches.”

Heath proved to be invaluable to the Kent Island lacrosse program. He helped the Buccaneers in 2020 to the Class 2A state final, where they lost to Hereford. Heath then keyed Kent Island’s run to a state championship the following year as the Buccaneers beat Huntingtown, 11-7.

He made plenty of clutch saves, directed the defense well with his outstanding communication skills, and broke up potential offensive chances with touch checks. “His ability to make plays in crucial moments certainly sets him apart from just about everybody,” Woolley says. “He could adapt to any kind of pressure.”

Heath recorded a combined 10 shutouts between his sophomore and junior seasons. Three years on varsity helped fine-tune his game, but more development with Heath’s elite skills came from playing nine years for the Annapolis Hawks lacrosse club.

“He would be an early impact player for college programs,” Woolley says. “You are recruiting a man among boys. He is a proven big body with tremendous athleticism who has commanding elements in his game that most kids coming out of high school just don’t have.”

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