Colonials Men’s Lacrosse Announces 2005-06 Recruiting Class
 
Head coach Kenneth “Bear” Davis will bring in 24 recruits for the second season of men’s lacrosse at Robert Morris University. 10 different states are represented in the rookie class that consists of nine midfielders, eight defensemen, six attack and one goalie.

The class is highlighted by two all-American midfielders in Dan Kerch (Chesterfield, Mo. / DeSmett) and Truett Valentine (Alexandria, Va. / Mt. Vernon) and an all-American goalie in Jason Kho (Malibu, Calif. / Malibu).

“Dan is a player who we think can help our offense through the midfield. Truett is possibly one of the best athletes in the class. He’s very fast and very dynamic,” said Davis. “Jason, a lefthanded netminder, is a very strong athlete in between the pipes.”

Kerch was an all-America, all-state, and all-conference selection in addition to earning a spot on the All-Missouri team at the Vail National Tournament. Valentine was the National District Player of the Year and his team's offensive MVP as well as earning spots on the all-America, all-national district and the all-region team. He finished the year with 64 goals and 30 assists for 94 points and rounded out his career with 160 goals and 60 assists for 220 points. Kho was a two-time all-American goalie at Malibu, leading his league with a 2.71 goals against average while his team won 37 straight games with him in the net.

Of the nine middies joining the squad, three hail from Pennsylvania – Greg Chamness (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester East), Ryan Colley (Downingtown, Pa. / Downingtown West) and T.J. Sarnese (Horsham, Pa. / Hatsboro-Horsham).

“Greg brings a physical presence to the midfield and also uses that to his advantage on face-offs as well,” said Davis. “Ryan shows strong leadership and athletic abilities while T.J. can dominate face-offs while adding size and strength to our midfield.”

Chamness was an all-league and 2005 Daily News all-area selection after tallying 32 goals and 26 assists for 58 points. Colley was also an all-league pick, an honorable mention 2005 Daily News selection, and a team captain while accumulating 21 goals and 17 assists in addition to 39 ground balls at Downingtown West. Sarnese helped Hatsboro-Horsham to a 19-3 mark and set a new school record with 160 ground balls in 2005, earning all-league honors in 2004 and 2005 as well as a spot on the Eastern Pennsylvania Senior Lacrosse Association All-Star squad.

Justin Backstrom (Littleton, Colo. / Heritage) and Cole Sieja (Troy, Mich. / Troy-Athens) will also add size to the midfield. “Cole and Justin are both big, strong, physical players in the midfield while Cole also brings the ability to take draws,” said Davis. Backstrom was a captain as a senior, leading Heritage to a 12-2 mark while scoring 10 goals and four assists.

Rounding out the midfield recruits are Aaron Bottazzo (Rochester, N.Y. / Irondequoit) and Billy Conques (Fairfax, Va. / Paul VI),

“Aaron is an athletic player who can play either end of the field while Billy is a versatile player who will help us on offense,” said Davis.

Bottazzo was an all-county selection while chipping in with five goals, five assists, and 48 ground balls. Conques was a two-time all-conference player, finishing his senior season with 23 goals, eight assists and 93 ground balls.

Two Ohio natives dot the six attack class for 2005-06. Stephen Heffner (Terrace Park, Ohio / Mariemont) was a first-team all-state and all-Southern Ohio selection as well his team’s MVP. He finished the year with 53 goals and 36 assists for 89 points in 19 games, placing him in the top-10 in the state in all three categories. Coleman Proctor (Powell, Ohio / Worthington-Kilbourne) scored 37 goals and eight assists for 45 points en route to earning honorable mention all-Midwest and second-team all-Ohio honors.

“Stephen could play either attack or midfield for us with his size and potential,” said Davis. “Coleman is a physical left-handed player who can create in the crease.”

Frank Keel (Fairfax, Va. / Robinson / Bridgton Academy), Brandon Johnson (Finksburg, Md. / Westminster), Ryan Juntunen (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer) and Tom Moriarty (Rockville Centre, N.Y. / South Side) round out the attack recruits.

“In addition to a strong outside shot, Frank’s year at Bridgton will add experience to our attack unit. Brandon is another lefty who is very dangerous in transition. Ryan is a slick attackmen who I feel is one of the toughest players, pound-for-pound, that I watched play this past year while Tom is a versatile player that will add depth,” said Davis.

Johnson was Westminster’s Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year and the team’s Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year while earning first-team all-county honors and leading the squad to the county, conference and regional championships. He led the team in scoring as he finished with 53 goals and 15 assists for 68 points. Moriarty finished the 2005 season with 13 goals and three assists for 16 points. Keel led Robinson to district championships in 2002, 2003 and 2004 as well as the state championship in 2002.

Nine of the 24 incoming recruits are defensemen, while just one goalie, joins the squad for the 2006 season. Two of the defensemen, Dan Mulford (Lutherville, Md. / Calvert Hall) and Joe Sewell (Mt. Airy, Md. / Linganore) come from the state of Maryland.

Mulford led the Calvert Hall defense with 57 ground balls and anchored a squad that allowed just 6.5 goals per game. He earned the team’s unsung hero award as a senior and a spot on the Maryland U-19 team. Sewell, who’s older brother Alex is on the team, was his squad’s defensive player of the year while adding eight assists and 137 ground balls.

“Dan and Joe are both leaders on the field,” said Davis. “Dan has big game experience and can play long-stick midfield or close defense.”

Jason Sousae (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester East) has impressive credentials including first-team all-league and all-area selections in 2005. He tallied four goals and four assists in addition to taking faceoffs for the 2005 league champions. Andrew Medsger (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine Richland) joins Sousae as another Keystone State product in the back.

“Jason is a solid all-around player who will add depth for us as a long-stick midfielder while Medsger, a transfer from Howard C.C., brings physical and mental maturity to a young program,” said Davis.

Alec Rahe (Libertyville, Ill. / Libertyville), Chris Mankowski (Troy, Mich. / Troy-Athens), Matt Hastings (Greensboro, N.C. / Western Guilford) and Andrew Heric (Malibu, Calif. / Malibu) round out the incoming defensemen.

“Alec and Andrew are both physical players,” said Davis. “Chris is a well-rounded player who will, along with Matt, give us some athleticism along the defensive front.”

Rahe was a two-time member of Team Illinois and was named first-team all-state and all-conference as a senior, helping Libertyville to the state championship game. Mankowski is a three time all-state, three time all-league and three time all-district pick on defense. Hastings was a three-sport letterman in high school, earning all-state and all-conference accolades in addition to being named his team’s top defensive player. Heric, perhaps the most physical player on the incoming team, will split time between football and lacrosse at RMU.

 
Released: 8/30/2005