that there was a lot of room for growth and opportunity. And playing these teams, just watching how well they moved the ball and how well they played the game, I could see that there was a lot of room for Melrose to grow and become the organization that it is today.”
Jack: “It was great. There’s a lot of good towns out there that surround us so playing in the league was really competitive. We ended up doing very well. I remember as a sixth grader, we made it to the championship game against Hamilton-Wenham, but we ended up losing. We had a great team.”
After going through the ranks in Melrose Youth Lacrosse, you both continued on to play at Melrose High School. What can you say about your high school lacrosse experience?
Will: “It was unbelievable. When my older brother was on the team, it was only JV. It became a varsity team my freshman year. Just seeing the [how] the team operated from my freshman to senior year, it was a completely different team. Coach James came in, made a couple changes, took over and ran away with it. It was just a huge difference from my freshman to senior year.”
Jack: “When Melrose first started out, it wasn’t a varsity sport. Once my brother Will made it to high school, the program started to get better. By the time I was a senior at Melrose, the program was really excelling.”
How did playing all your pre-college lacrosse in Melrose benefit your career in the long-term?
Will: “Playing with the same guys from when you were young through high school, you kind of develop this rhythm with them. Things start clicking, they might know where you are going to be on this one play, or I will know where they are going to be. Being able to mesh ends up with a great result.”
Jack: “The league is very competitive, so playing those good teams definitely helped me improve my game and motivated me. When it came down to it, I was ready for the moment when I was playing those good teams. It also helped me to prepare for college lacrosse because every kid was the best player on their high school team.”
Why did you choose to play Clark University?
Will: “I liked that it was Division 3. I knew that Clark was a place where I could continue my academic career while also being able to play lacrosse at a very competitive level. I visited the school and met with the coach and fell in love with the place right away. My coach said the team was going to be building around the freshman group the year I came in. Once again, it is like the situation I had in high school where I was coming in with a lot of room for growth and a lot of room to compete in a tough league. It was kind of a no brainer for me.”
Jack: “The main reason why is because my older brother Will went there. It was honestly the best school I got into, and it is only an hour away from Melrose.”
What did/are you major in at Clark?
Will: “I majored in business administration.”
Jack: “I am majoring in business management and still deciding if I am going to minor in economics.”
The Scoop / Summer '18 11
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