A complete list of the 2009 U.S. Lacrosse All-Americans can be found at the end of the article below.
Matt Hughes is in some very elite company.
The Central Bucks East senior recently was named to the U.S. Lacrosse All-American squad, the lone SOL player to earn that prestigious honor.
“The All-American (selections) are pretty competitive,” East coach Bruce Garcia said. “You look at the pool, and you’re dealing with all the Inter-Ac teams, and the Inter-Ac schools pull the best of the best.
“Then there’s LaSalle and all of the Catholic League and all the public schools that are on the other side of the river that have had lacrosse around for 30 years – (those schools) have a lot of players that are up for this award also.
“Matt, on his own, deserved it, and he earned it regardless of where he went to school, which is an accomplishment.”
Hughes is the third East player in the past four years to earn All-American honors. Jimmy Green, who has gone on to have a standout career at Ohio State, earned that distinction in 2006. Kyle Quist received All-American recognition in 2008. He is playing for a Salisbury squad that advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division 3 Tournament this spring.
For Hughes, the award is the culmination of an outstanding high school career.
“It means a lot, especially with the group of kids that are on that list,” he said. “It’s very special to me and my family.
“Coming from a family of three brothers, it’s nice to get that award and have my brothers be proud of me.”
Hughes, the youngest of four brothers, expressed special gratitude to his brother Sean, who introduced him to the sport.
“Just going to his games and seeing him play – it was fun to watch,” he said. “He taught me a lot of things, and I want to thank him for teaching me how to play.”
Hughes will be attending Towson University this fall, the recipient of a lacrosse scholarship. It’s an ending he couldn’t have imagined.
Hockey, it seems, had been his sport of choice since he began playing it at the age of five.
“I thought I was going to play hockey in college,” he said. “I was playing in different tournaments for top club teams.”
Two years ago, he was part of a Valley Forge Minutemen U-18 hockey squad that finished third in nationals, but it was around that time that he also began playing varsity lacrosse.
“In my sophomore year, I got the feeling as I got better and progressed that I could play lacrosse in college instead of hockey,” he said. “Going to the NCAA championship games – we went to the one in Philly and the one in Baltimore – I said, ‘I want to do that when I get older.’”
Hughes was all but signed, sealed and delivered to play for the elite Twist club lacrosse team when he was asked to play for Garcia’s fledgling Bucks Select squad.
“I figure it would be more laidback to play with his team,” Hughes said. “We got a core group of players, and we did better than I thought we would.”
While Hughes was competing in the MVP Tournament at Rutgers University last summer, he was spotted by Towson coach Tony Seaman.
“He saw Matt play the second day there, and he came up to me on the sidelines and said, ‘Where the heck has Matt Hughes been all my life?’” Garcia said.
The following day a scholarship offer from Towson was on the table for Hughes.
“It was very shocking,” he said. “On the ride home, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Several weeks later, Hughes visited Towson.
“That was the first school I visited and the only school I needed to visit,” he said.
Garcia is a big proponent of athletes who play more than one sport, and Hughes was a natural from the outset.
“We like athletes that are football players, soccer players, swimmers because we feel they bring different traits to the field that can’t be coached,” the Patriots’ coach said. “Matt brings certain attributes of hockey to the lacrosse field, and it makes it difficult for defensemen and people who aren’t used to that style of play.
“I truly believe without playing hockey – I’m not sure he would have gotten as far as he did.”
Hughes agreed.
“Definitely from playing hockey, I have the hands that go along with lacrosse,” he said. “Seeing the ice is the same as seeing the field. Hockey is almost exactly like lacrosse except hockey is on ice and there’s a puck.
“If you can handle the puck, you can handle the ball. You just have to know where to be around the net at certain times and have the touch to score.”
Hughes has the magic touch on the lacrosse field.
“He has very good field vision,” Garcia said. “He has a sense of where he is in relationship to the goal at all times, and he never stops moving.
“Put all of those three together and package them with an athlete who’s well conditioned, and you have a formidable opponent.”
In other words, an All-American like Hughes.
U.S. Lacrosse All-American
Player/Grade/Position/School/College (if senior)
Niko Amato, senior, Goalie, LaSalle, Maryland
Mike Bronzino, senior, Defenseman, Conestoga, Cornell
Josh Cavanaugh, junior, Midfield, Springfield-Delco
Matt Cherry, senior, Attack, Radnor, Dickinson
Billy Conners, senior, Long-Stick Midfield, Malvern Prep, Duke
Mic Debellis, senior, Midfield, Emmaus, Siena
Tucker Durkin, senior, Defenseman, La Salle, Johns Hopkins
Bobby Hill, junior, Midfield, Malvern Prep
Matt Hughes, senior, Attack, Central Bucks East, Towson
Tyler Johnston, junior, Midfield, Ridley
Tyler Knarr, senior, Long-Stick Midfield, La Salle, Georgetown
Matt Lerman, senior, Goalie, Episcopal Academy, Syracuse
Liam O'Connor, junior, Midfield, The Haverford School
Jackson Place, junior, Defenseman, Episcopal Academy
Mason Poli, senior, Defenseman, Downingtown East, Bryant
Austin Rogusky, junior, Attack, Conestoga
Peter Schwartz, senior, Midfield, La Salle, Harvard
Grady Stevens, senior, Midfield, Unionville, Johns Hopkins
Dan Wigrizer, senior, Goalie, The Haverford School, Duke
Jordan Wolf, junior, Attack, Lower Merion
Mike Bronzino, senior, Defenseman, Conestoga, Cornell
Josh Cavanaugh, junior, Midfield, Springfield-Delco
Matt Cherry, senior, Attack, Radnor, Dickinson
Billy Conners, senior, Long-Stick Midfield, Malvern Prep, Duke
Mic Debellis, senior, Midfield, Emmaus, Siena
Tucker Durkin, senior, Defenseman, La Salle, Johns Hopkins
Bobby Hill, junior, Midfield, Malvern Prep
Matt Hughes, senior, Attack, Central Bucks East, Towson
Tyler Johnston, junior, Midfield, Ridley
Tyler Knarr, senior, Long-Stick Midfield, La Salle, Georgetown
Matt Lerman, senior, Goalie, Episcopal Academy, Syracuse
Liam O'Connor, junior, Midfield, The Haverford School
Jackson Place, junior, Defenseman, Episcopal Academy
Mason Poli, senior, Defenseman, Downingtown East, Bryant
Austin Rogusky, junior, Attack, Conestoga
Peter Schwartz, senior, Midfield, La Salle, Harvard
Grady Stevens, senior, Midfield, Unionville, Johns Hopkins
Dan Wigrizer, senior, Goalie, The Haverford School, Duke
Jordan Wolf, junior, Attack, Lower Merion
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