Moeller High School 1988-89 Lacrosse Articles

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THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 1989, SYCAMORE MESSENGEn NEWS PAGE 10

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Detroit De la Salle plays :LaCrosse,· Moeller style Dy Cynthia M. Brown

rn less than two ye::\rs Moeller Hl,gh School has developed the fourth largest LaCrosse program In the stnte. The learn had a .500 season last year. According lo Fat her Tedesco that Is not bad for a nrst year team.

Fnther Tedesco Is the founder of the program. He organized the team at Moeller at the

request of the LaCrosse Foumhll ton. · "Moeller's sports reputation Is so wdl thought of, they (the foumlation) asked us to form a team. The foundnllon thought It wo11ld be good for Moeller and the sport." said Tedesco.

The game March 30 cnlntnly Indicated the strides the te<im has mnde In one year. The learn lost to De La Salle 7-4. but the

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Improvements did not go unno~lced by the competition.

Nter the game, De La Salle hosted a dinner and presented Moeller with a plaque to commemorate. last year's match. which was the nrst ever for the Moeller temn.

The Detroit team applauded the phenomenal development of the Moeller program and extended the Invitation for a continued annual competition I

between the two teams. , ., "We did alright, especially :. · when yoi.t consider· we were ' mlsslrig seven varsity players due to spring break," said Tedesco. ; . The team has an excellent · , ' coaching staff. Including head , ' coach, Tom Kennedy, varsity defense. coordinator and : reserve coach Stu Newman. , and attack coach, Scott Mortensen.

The Moeller team Is the only LaCrosse team . In the Cincinnati area, however, several schools are working together to form another club.

The club, Northland LaCrosse Association, will Include Sumrnll. Seven Hills, Purcell, and Xavier. Coach Blll Devine.· Is organizing the group.

Tedesco said he Is looking forward to the possibility of playing a local team.

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According to Father' Tedesco, LaCrosse Is one of the fastest growing sports In the area and Moeller In f

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Interested In helping other teams get started. The school also plans to have a summer league for all Interested players, city-wide.

MoetMr Crusader M~i Ouetromennt (center) tries ta swamped Worthington 9-0.

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Continued fioom A9 '

.lt's almost unbeli~vable.

We're thrilled," said.·_Tom Kellliledy, a MontgQmeq- resident.

"It's due to an aWful lot of hard work on the part Of tbe players."

Ke~edy creditecll The .Rev. Joe Thdesco, .a Moeller .staff member who helped begin the ' ice hockey pl'Ograin, for proViding. the _impetus for lacrosse.

Kennedy, a .fonner Syracuse University lacrosse player, COlllceded it baS been a challenge educating players how to play 44

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break ;thrOugh two Worthington · 1· . .

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this relatively unlmown sport .in .- -~club l~vel teajn to~'t9!Jo: ~~.· the· Midwest. "None of the IS. even ,a, Cmc~ti .. J~lt:m s players bad evet seen a (live) Lacrosse 1. Club,· accordihg to': lacrosse game before," he said. Thesing. ; .

"They had to learn how to catch Kennedy said there aie twoi and throw and pllck up teanis in t"'"" Cleveland area-and; groundballs. '' ...,.

He ,.~lailied. that the team · five in Columbus, -Mciell~ .hasl ~r· . beaten CollQilbus teams Qilblin1 who ~ up ~ most ground- and Worthington this 8pririg, but: , lost to Upper Arliilgton · i balls ~any ~ tine game. . Kennedy smd there are 63'boys · · · . playing varsity and reserve . ! The !text C~der home game lacrosse at Moeller. He said IS against Dublin at 1 p.m. May: Lakota lfigh Schoon is consider- 20. · · ·s. ,. i1 ing adding lacrosse to its pr&l · ,Thesing; said,· "People, (~t ~and! that St. XaVier, Seven Moeller). think it's a new wave Hills and SUmmit Country Day sport; but it's the oldest ~rt jn are planning to combine a vam-.. North Ametma.'' · ~

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Lacrosse Moeller's LaCrosse Team beat Worthington 9-0 on May 4.

The Crusaders are now 4-3 in only their second year of varsity competition. Team scoring was as follows: Dan Fisher (3). Dan Ward and Matt Kennedy (2 each). and Todd Vollner and Todd Thesing (1 each).

Track On April 29, Moeller placed 5th at the Anderson Track In vita tiona I. Tony Walker (Montgomery) set a school record in the triple jump, with a jump of 41' 11-1/2". Scott Popolin established a Moeller record in the steeplechase.

Tennis Moeller's tennis team remains in the top ten in the city as they continue to improve.

Baseball Moeller's varsity baseball team is in the number one seed in the upcoming District Tournament. Moeller plays Friday at 4 p.m. at the Blue Ash¡ Sports Complex. Moeller will play the winner of the â&#x20AC;˘ Anderson-New Hichmona game. The Crusaders currently hold a 17-6 record.

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Moeller bears lacrosse with great intensity B){; Michael Rhel.n Staff Reporter

Moeller's Keith Kroeger (left) passes the ball to a teammate during last week's game against Worthington at Malsbary Park. Moeller Is

the fourth seed In the Qhlo Lacrosse Association Tournament May 27 at Worthington.

Moeller High School continues to set the athletic trend in nontraditional sports.

First, it was ice hockey a few years ago. Now it's lacrosse, which has been in existence for a year. The Crusader program is the only one in Cincinnati to offer these officially-sanctioned varsity sports.

Oh, by the way, lacrosse is not for wim~_>s. Think of it as a mixture of Ice hockey, soccer and field hockey. Add plenty of bodychecking and stick swinging to those elements and you get a picture of lacrosse.

Imagine trying to catch a hard small rubber ball at . about 70 miles ap bOur being hurtled tbrou~ a mass of players, wav. mg sticks with small nets on to:p, · crowded near the goal. That IS the challenge for Moeller goalie TomNugent.· · · .

Nugent, a football defensive end, wears gloves, chest protector, helmet and neck guard.

Even he is· impressed by the pme's physical demands. ' ·"(I was surprised at) how much pain's involved with it," ~ent ~1 adding, "I useb!:if shoillder ana legs to stop the .

I'm hit by tbe ball and players. I have bruises everywhere on my.

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body."

Nugent, who had never seen a lacrosse game until he saw one plared on ESPN, said he gets satisfaction out of stopping the shooter one-on-one.

Nugent, remembering watching the televised lacrosse

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-Moeller junior To1 ldThesing

games, said, "It was different.

They were throwing the ball with big sticks and hitting people."

Junior attackman Todd Thesing said lacrosse is very popular in the east. He said he likes the speed of the game, stickhandling and teamwork involved.

"It's an intense,' fast-paced sport," Thesing said.

Moeller has improved its quality of play such that the Crusaders are seeded fourth of 16 teams in the Ohio Lacrosse Association Tournament at Worthington May 2:7. The Crusaders beat Worthington last week 9-0 to improve their record to 4-2.

Please see LACROSSE, AlO

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