PERFECT RUN
Broadneck breaks through for unbeaten season against Anne Arundel County teams
Jeff McGuire had the challenge of replacing a legend when he was hired as Broadneck boys lacrosse coach in June 2019. He succeeded Clay White, who led the Bruins to 408 wins and four state championships during a remarkable 33-year tenure.
However, Broadneck’s last state championship had come in 1997. McGuire was determined to end that drought and set a goal of challenging for the Class 4A title in four or five years.
After Broadneck was barely beaten by rival Severna Park in the Class 4A East Region II championship game last spring, the coaching staff adjusted that projection. The Falcons escaped with a 6-5 victory over the Bruins, then went on to capture their fifth straight state championship.
“I looked at my assistants in the locker room that night and we all kind of had the same thought — that we were already there. We realized we weren’t a few years away,” McGuire said. “We should be pushing for a state championship every year and we really got the boys to buy into that mentality.”
Broadneck broke through big-time this season, going unbeaten in the Anne Arundel County public school league with a 10-0 mark. The Bruins, who are 12-2 overall, have been dominant, outscoring opponents 166-56 in their 12 wins.
McGuire credits the team’s eight seniors for the success this season. They set the tone by working extremely hard during the offseason and the underclassmen followed that lead.
“It’s a really strong senior class supported by a solid junior class and the sophomore class is the ‘X’ factor,” he said. “We had great chemistry, great camaraderie and a great ability to respond to any adversity.”
By far the biggest victory came April 29, when Broadneck beat Severna Park, 10-8. The Falcons, who have captured a total of 10 state championships, had not lost to another Anne Arundel County public school since falling to South River in the 2015 playoffs.
McGuire said the Broadneck coaching staff had scouted Severna Park thoroughly and put together a sound game plan. The Bruins executed well in all facets, jumping out to an early fourgoal lead then holding off several rallies.
The Falcons cut the deficit to 7-5 at one point, but the Bruins responded with a 3-0 run to make it 10-5. Severna Park made one last push with three straight goals but ran out of time.
“I think the main thing we did was build confidence in our guys going into that game. That week was all about pumping up the players and we told them to go out and have fun and play loose,” McGuire said.
Severna Park will get a shot to reverse that result when it meets host Broadneck in the county championship game Monday night at Lawrence Knight Stadium in Arnold. Normally, the Bruins and Falcons would likely play a third time in a region final, but that will not happen this season since the latter has dropped down to Class 3A.
“That is what makes this county championship game really cool. It’s kind of winnertake-all,” McGuire said. “We’ll then go our separate ways and say thanks for helping each other get better for the playoffs.”
Broadneck has been led offensively by its balanced attack made up of seniors Davis Fisher and Jake Schroll along with junior Jackson Shaw. Fisher leads the team in scoring with 51 points on 23 goals and 28 assists, while Shaw ranks second with 40 points on 27 goals and 13 assists. Schroll has scored 25 goals and dished off nine helpers.
“All three attackmen complement each other well. Davis is that slashing dodger who kind of controls the speed of how everything moves,” McGuire said. “Jake Schroll is a lethal shooter who has really stepped up and improved his overall game this season. Jackson Shaw has become a very dangerous off-ball, stepdown shooter.”
Senior Kyle Pierce, a first team All-County selection by Capital Gazette last season, is the primary playmaker in midfield. Pierce always draws a long pole and has gotten quite adept at setting up teammates.
“Kyle kind of quarterbacks the offense from the midfield,” McGuire said. “Kyle realizes there are a lot of tools surrounding him, so when he draws the long pole or gets locked off, he can move the ball to other guys.
“We’ve given Kyle the go-ahead to call some plays and direct traffic.”
Pierce has produced 20 goals and nine assists to lead a midfield corps that also features juniors Ryan Della (19 goals) and Ryan Salazar (nine goals, seven assists) along with sophomore Tyler Hicks (12 goals).
Broadneck has played a lot of make-it, take-it this season thanks to the stellar work of faceoff specialist Graham Hartman, a sophomore who has captured 71% (185-for-259) of the draws he’s taken.
The Bruins have been as stingy on the defensive end as they have been prolific on the offensive end. Senior Nate Levicki, who was selected as a US Lacrosse All-American by vote of the Anne Arundel County Public School coaches on Saturday, anchors a tough, physical close defense.
McGuire refers to the 6-foot3, 195-pound Levicki and fellow senior Tyler Gilbert (6-3, 200) as the “twin towers” and said they are a disruptive combination. Levicki leads the team with 35 caused turnovers and has gobbled up 28 ground balls, while Gilbert has amassed 26 caused turnovers and 32 ground balls.
Those two are joined on the close defense by sophomore Albia Palsa, who “has some of the best ball skills on the defense as far as picking off passes and scooping up ground balls,” according to McGuire.
Junior Jake Chambers teams with sophomores Braden McCassie and Eli Harris to form a defensive midfield McGuire has proclaimed as the best among state public schools.
“Jake, Braden and Eli are three of the most athletic players you’ll see on a lacrosse field,” McGuire said. “We trust all three of them with the ball as much as we trust any offensive players, and that is a key factor to our style of wanting to play fast and push the transition on opponents.”
Levicki has become the clearcut leader of the entire defensive unit, working with defensive coordinator Dan Sadler to make sure he knows the schemes and understands where everyone should be on the field. He is also the shutdown defenseman responsible for covering such standout attackmen such as Severna Park’s Joaquin Villagomez and South River’s Connor Chick.
“Nate has developed into a tremendous athlete on the back end and has shut down some top attackmen in our big matchups,” McGuire said.
Anchoring the defense is junior goalie Colin Gray, who has recorded 119 saves and boasts a 6.2 goals-against average. Gray faced an onslaught of 51 shots against St. Mary’s — making 18 saves and giving up 16 goals — and came away the better for it, McGuire said.
Two nights later, Gray stood tall between the pipes and made several superb saves as Broadneck held Severn School to single digits in a narrow 7-6 loss.
“That game was the turning point for Colin because he really got to see some great shooters. He saw a ton of shots against St. Mary’s then played great against Severn,” McGuire said. “Colin has been playing out of his mind ever since. He has really gained some confidence.”
Those two contests in the Anne Arundel County Public School-Private School Challenge were the only losses for Broadneck, which beat Kent Island, 10-9, and DeMatha, 7-6, in its other two nonleague games.
Both Pierce and Gilbert will continue their lacrosse careers at Mercer, while Levicki has also earned a Division I scholarship from Mount St. Mary’s. Schroll (Nazareth) and Fisher (York) are both headed to the Division III ranks.