Towne • AT H L E T E
Jonah Smith GUNSTON SCHOOL LACROSSE, BASKETBALL, SOCCER By Tom Worgo
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acrosse means tradition in the Smith family. Seven close family members of Jonah’s have college lacrosse on their resume. His father Jeff Smith played at the University of Maryland, while his uncle, Jason, suited up for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Jason’s sons Jamie (Christopher Newport) and Jack (Randolph-Macon) took up the sport in college, too. Jeff’s oldest son Jude plays at High Point, while daughter Joey at Saint Delaware. “And we appreciate each oth“I WAS RAI SE D I NTO I T. Vincent. So, it’s not surprising that er’s game.” I KNE W I WAS GOI NG Jeff’s youngest son, Jonah, a senior and Smith appreciated earning New BalTO PLAY I N COLLE GE . I T three-sport athlete at Gunston School, ance All-America honors last year, playWAS JUST A M AT T E R OF has also fallen in love with lacrosse. ing on a Baltimore team called The Burn. W HE RE I WOULD P LAY.” Jonah, a Kent Island resident, will The process of making the team started play at Flagler University in Florida in June with tryouts involving hundreds next season on an academic and athletic schol- of players. Smith made the team in July and played in a tournaarship. He carries a 3.8 grade-point average. ment the same month against teams from across the country. “I was raised into it,” Smith says. “I knew I was A lot of kids [on the team] were from big-name schools like going to play in college. It was just a matter of Calvert Hall and St. Mary’s,” Smith says. “I thought it was realwhere I would play. Just being in a lacrosse family ly cool to make it, being from Gunston—which isn’t a big-name helped me love the game. I have learned so much high school team.” from them.” Gunston Boys Lacrosse Coach Millicent Sheets was thrilled for The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Smith wanted to be Smith to receive All-America honors. like his older brother Jude, currently a sopho“He is probably one of the most impressive athletes that I have more goalie at the North Carolina school High coached in more than 20 years,” Sheets says. “It was amazing for Point. So, he decided to play between the pipes him to make the team. There were 50 goalies from our region and at a young age after a couple of years of partici- two were selected. He beat out all other MIAA teams’ goalies.” pating in Kent Island’s Chesapeake Storm. Soon, Smith’s focus will be on college lacrosse. He signed a NaAt Gunston, the brothers alternated between tional Letter of Intent in November for Flagler. He plans to major goalie and field positions in both 2021 and 2022. in finance. “We have a little bit of a rivalry,” says Smith, who It’s ironic that Flagler Men’s Lacrosse Coach Brian Duncan played also plays for Brotherly Love Lacrosse Club in with Smith’s uncle Jason at UMBC. Duncan is excited to coach him.
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