Jake, Molly Vana ones to watch
Siblings lighting up lacrosse fields
A pair of young siblings are about to take the lacrosse world by storm, having already done so in Massachusetts.
LACROSSE NOTEBOOK
Ever since their childhood days, Jake and Molly Vana have strived for nothing short of greatness. Jake, a sophomore at St. John’s Prep, has the Eagles flying high this season, already with 14 goals and 13 assists. Meanwhile, Molly is only an eighth-grader at Austin Prep. However, she has played like an upperclassman, with 21 goals and five assists.
The two attribute their athletic drive to their parents. Their mother, Becky Blaeser, was a soccer standout at Harvard, while their father, Frank Vana Jr., golfed at Assumption College and is a member of the Massachusetts Golf Hall of Fame.
“They emphasize work ethic and holding yourself accountable, up to a higher standard each day,” Jake said. “Obviously, with the way it’s going, we always push each other too. (Molly) will push me too if I’m having a tough day. If I’m not too happy, she’ll always be like: ‘Come on, let’s go! Turn it around!’ I’ll do the same for her. We’re always competing. If she scores four goals, she’ll always give me grief for that. “
Jake broke his right hand at the conclusion of the 2020-21 hockey season, and was forced to miss most of last year’s lacrosse campaign. St. John’s Prep still managed to finish 13-1, and entered the Div. 1 Eastern Mass. tournament as the No. 3 seed. By that time, Vana was ready for a return.
“I think we knew the talent that he had,” St. John’s Prep coach John Pynchon said. “Just in general. I’m pretty good friends with his club coach. His club coach absolutely loves him, and put in a good word for him. When Jake was finally cleared to play… as a freshman, he kind of jumped right in and practiced with us at the varsity level. It was impressive. Pretty much seamlessly, he was in there making plays.”
Vana played a key role in leading St. John’s Prep to its first Div. 1 title since 2010 shortly thereafter. His highlight performance from the postseason came during an 18-6 victory over Peabody on June 20, when he registered a pair of goals and had an assist. The Eagles captured the championship less than two weeks later with an 11-7 victory over BC High July 1.
Molly Vana first emerged for Austin Prep last season as a 7th-grader. It didn’t exactly take too long for Cougars coach Meredith Prior to realize that her team had a special talent.
“Last year in tryouts, Molly was in the front of all the sprints,” Prior said. “I kept rechecking the paper, saying: ‘Wait, are you sure she’s in 7th grade?’ I coach club too, and she’s the best 7thgrader I’ve seen play. I’ve coached a lot of very good players that have gone Div. 1 in all different positions.”
So far, Vana has Austin Prep off to a hot start at 7-2, despite a difficult Catholic Central League schedule.
“I want to win a championship for Coach Prior,” Vana said. “Because it’s our last year in the MIAA before we go to the NEPSAC.”
For Nick
If you were to stop by Pisi
ni Field at some point Monday evening, you will be greeted with a wave of Carolina blue, as hundreds will be packing the complex alongside Franklin High School to support Panthers freshman
Nick Gaspar.
Gaspar is a member of the school’s lacrosse program. In May 2021, doctors discovered a non germinoma germ cell tumor in the pineal region of his brain. He was later diagnosed with growing teratoma syndrome.
The original plan was to have each of the team captains and the rest of the players on-hand present a customized lacrosse stick to
Nick prior to the varsity game, but unfortunately he is facing another new challenge. A second tumor was found on his spinal cord, and he will be starting chemotherapy again shortly. His goal is to receive a stem cell transplant in the near future.
Whether or not he is able to attend, the community is hoping to show Nick and his family support. A state helicopter will fly over the stadium prior to the game, and a ceremony will take place.
So far, $100,000 has been raised for Gaspar. A raffle is expected to be held at the gates, with all proceeds benefiting the Gaspar family;
20% of the money raised from concessions will later be presented to Nick’s family. The game will begin at 7 p.m.
“The (Franklin lacrosse community) has been amazing to Nick,” said his mother Jennifer Gaspar. “They include him in everything. They made him part of the team, they made him team captain. He goes to practices when he can, when he is feeling up to it. He goes to games, and he’ll still try to shoot. He’s been carrying his lacrosse stick around the hospital, cradling it. Today, he was throwing balls off the windows. But they’ve been amazing.”