Stories courtesy of www.Phillylacrosse.com
Matt Morton
By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/25/09
Council Rock South senior midfielder Matt Morton has become the first from his school to sign a Division I letter of intent and will play next year at Binghamton University.
Morton, a second-team All-Suburban One Continental Conference pick last year who scored 30 goals, was impressed with eighth-year Bearcats coach Ed Stephenson, the only coach the school has ever had.“I just really liked the school,” said Morton, who also considered St. Joseph’s and Army.
“When I got there and watched them scrimmage, I liked how coach Stephenson talked about the program. I think they have a good class coming in this year.”
Morton plans to major in business.
While he is proud to be the program’s first Division I recruit, he is more concerned about helping CR South become a power in the Suburban One League. Last year the Golden Hawks went 6-14 overall and 3-9 in the Continental Conference.
This year they hope to contend in the National Conference.
“We’ve had a lot of growth since I started here,” Morton said. “We have a new confidence this year and we’re hoping to make it to the (District 1) playoffs.
“We’re looking to improve. We have a solid starting lineup and not as much depth as we want, but we’ll work with what we have.”
Shawn Kaplan
By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/8/09
Plymouth Whitemarsh junior face-off specialist/midfielder Shawn Kaplan recently has committed to play at Ohio State, adding to a growing list of Philly underclassmen to make verbal commitments to Division I schools.
Kaplan, a second-team All-Suburban one American Conference pick last year, said the Buckeyes’ academic help system, the Student-Athlete Support Services Office (SASSO), was the major factor in his decision.
“The biggest thing, especially for my dad, was SASSO,” said Kaplan. “It’s all about student-athlete support. Their coaches are constantly getting updates on how we are doing, and it’s very structured.
“You have to be there a certain amount of hours and we have free tutors to take care of athletes getting (academic) help. They make it hard not to do well.”
Kaplan also liked the coaching staff and new head coach Nick Myers.
“After getting to know the coaches and all the people there, I see the atmosphere is unbelievable,” Kaplan said. “This is definitely a team on the rise.”
Kaplan last year helped the Colonials finish third in the American Conference with a 13-4 overall record. He won 76 percent of his face-offs and this winter starred for Rebel Elite Lacrosse Club, which placed fifth in the Dick’s Tournament of Champions in Wesley Chapel, Fla.
Kaplan said the key for winning face-offs for him is his mental approach and ability to work with his wings.
“It’s about technique and hand speed, but at the higher levels everybody has this,” he said. “I pride myself on never giving up. Even if I lose the actually draw, in my head I go crazy to get the groundball.
“For Rebel Elite, I really worked hard with my wings, Ben Sampson of Emmaus and Ed Coombs of Hatboro-Horsham. I knew if I couldn’t win it right away, if I could get it near them they’d scoop it up. We worked hard to make face-offs a three-on-three game instead of one-on-one.”
Kaplan plans to pursue business at Ohio State, but for now, he is focusing on helping PW move up in the American Conference.
“We are really excited about the season because there has been a lot more (training) going on in the offseason,” he said. “We are also bringing back a lot of seniors and experienced players.”
Martin Goldfarb
By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, posted 2/1/09
Springfield-Montco senior midfielder Martin Goldfarb has signed a letter of intent to play at Drexel.
Goldfarb, a first-team All-Suburban One American Conference pick last year when he scored 35 goals, said he liked Drexel’s co-op program and its head coach, Chris Bates.
“My main focus is going to be in business and the big attraction is the co-op program there,” said Goldfarb, who is considering accounting. “I liked coach Bates’ coaching style and I liked him as a person.“Plus, my mom went to Drexel before attending Wharton Business School (at Penn) and I am pretty familiar with the city, having lived in Center City.”
Golfarb actually attended Penn Charter in Philadelphia until his junior year when his family moved to Springfield Township. One of his teammates at Penn Charter, defender Brian Teuber, is a redshirt freshman at Drexel.
“Brian told me only great things about Drexel and the campus,” Goldfarb said. “I like the college life and the lacrosse.
“It’s definitely going to be exciting playing teams like Virginia and all the rest of the teams in the (Colonial Athletic Association).”
Goldfarb also shares a common interest with Drexel and Bates. He recently volunteered to help work a clinic run by the LEAPS program at the MLK Day Fundraiser in Manayunk to help get city kids started with lacrosse. Bates and his players have been involved in running clinics and after-school programs for city youths for years.
“I’m doing a senior project on the LEAPS program,” Goldfarb said of the new non-profit program run by Philly pro players John Christmas and Eric Gregg. “I’m kind of a big community service guy and when I first saw it on the Web site I thought it was kind of interesting.
“I saw Eric Gregg at a Far Post League game and wanted to help out. So, myself and a couple of other high school guys like (St. Joseph’s Prep) Colin Fleming and a few others helped out at the clinic.
“I plan to continue with this.”
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