The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Cyr heads to Franklin Pierce
First in short lacrosse program’s history to sign letter of intent
CROMWELL — The day was as significant for the Cromwell High lacrosse team as it was for the Panthers’ best player, Zac Cyr.
The senior, who took up the sport just five years ago, recently signed a national letter of intent to play at Division II Franklin Pierce. Cromwell’s varsity program will be four years old this spring, and Cyr is the first four-year lacrosse player to sign to play in college.
“I just hope it shows all the other kids around here that they can do this, too,” Cyr said after signing his letter in the company of his parents, grandparents, friends, teammates and coach Dan Vasquez. “It’s a big testament to the coaches, to coach Vasquez, to show what they are doing here. Coach is really making us much better lacrosse players. He really turned me into a lacrosse player.”
Vasquez, who took over as the Panthers’ varsity coach last season, said the evolution of Cyr’s game has come from equal parts natural ability and work ethic.
“With Zac, Franklin Pierce is getting an extremely athletic player who is willing to work hard and achieve whatever the coach wants out of him,” Vasquez said. “His potential is probably endless. His speed and
athleticism make it hard to defend him.”
Even though Cromwell won just one game last spring, Cyr established himself as one of the top players in the Shoreline Conference as a junior. He was a prolific scorer — 53 goals and 14 assists in 14 games. With 102 shots on goal, his scoring rate was 52 percent.
“I play a very fast-paced game,” Cyr said. “I hope (Franklin Pierce will) be able to refine my skills so I can be a better technical player. It’s Division II, so it’s a little bit higher level of athletics, which I’m very excited to start playing. The Northeast-10 is a very competitive conference. I’m just so excited to get to play with some very good lacrosse players.”
Cromwell does not have a youth lacrosse program. In 2014, the high school started a junior varsity program, the year before Cyr entered the ninth grade. Before then, he moved away from playing baseball and shifted to lacrosse, and became a starter in Year 1 of the varsity program.
He said he was “awful” that first year, a one-goal season for him.
“Then I focused on developing as a player outside of lacrosse season,” said Cyr, whose 16 goals as a sophomore tied for second on the team. “I’m really quick, I’m tough, I can take the hits. I’m not a big kid, but I’m really quick.”
His size — 5 feet 7, 145 pounds — and speed make him suited for Cromwell’s attack. Cyr is a four-year football player at Cromwell, but in order to keep his athletics career going, he said he realized lacrosse, not football, was his ticket.
“He’s a great kid who will fit well into our culture,” Franklin Pierce coach Rick Senatore said. “Zac is the kind of kid that can play attack or midfield, probably midfield. He’s a very good athlete and a good football player who probably was not on everybody’s radar.
“He’s a really nice kid — that’s one thing that really stood out. One thing about our program, we pride ourselves on having certain kinds of kids in this program. As soon as I met him, I felt, ‘I gotta have this guy.’ We are really excited about having him.”
Cyr said Franklin Pierce, a small, private school in Rindge, New Hampshire, was one of the first colleges he applied to. About two weeks ago, he visited campus. It was the last visit in his college search, he said.
“I loved it. It’s a very small school and there was a big family-like feel with their team,” he said.
“His signing is great for the program,” Vasquez said. “Kids see Zach and now see what the possibilities are. He will definitely be a big help this year again, pushing everybody else to get better.”