MORGANTOWN — After achieving an undefeated season of 16-0 and capturing a state championship, the Morgantown boys’ lacrosse team has seen its share of postseason accolades from late spring into early summer.
That trend continued as head coach Jeremy Bennett was named the state Coach of the Year, along with his assistant, Aaron Hood, being awarded the Assistant Coach of the Year.
“This year was a milestone year going undefeated for the first time in program history,” Bennett said. “I obviously don’t want to take away anything from this team and their success, but the foundation was set years ago for this type of season. I told this team at the end of the year that they fully embodied the style of play I always envisioned when I took over as head coach; creative offense, unselfish and smart play, physical defense, 100% effort and last but no less important, to have fun. That was also what made this team different.”
It goes without question that the fluidity of the play that MHS produced was second-to-none in all phases of the game. The Mohigans dominated nearly every single game they played the entire year. They outscored their opponents 239-53 over the 16 games. In fact, keeper Alex Bruni had more saves (65) than he had goals scored against him. The closest margin of victory was in the state championship by six goals over George Washington.
“They practiced at game speed consistently,” Bennett said. “Coaches always asked this team what were we going to do to be different from every other team and they always responded. It came down to how they practiced, prepared and their ability to stay eager to learn and get better.”
Attacker Weston White, who recently graduated from MHS, was named an All-American after a season in which he contributed 65 total points for his team in 16 games. He scored 40 goals while also dishing 25 assists for the Mohigans, a team loaded with talent and experience throughout the roster.
White says the standards for the season were set early on in the year, and that every day the team worked harder than they did the day before to get better.
“Every team says they want to win a championship, and nobody’s goal is to lose,” White said. “I think a big part of having such a successful season was that our team was very close outside of lacrosse and that translated to the field. It honestly made practices more competitive and feel like a game. Every day we tried to go out and better ourselves and work towards that end goal of winning the state championship.”
White says being named an All-American is “special and fulfilling”, as something that shows the hard work he has put in has paid off.
“I started playing when I was in eighth grade and fell in love with the game very fast,” he said. “My freshman season got cut short due to COVID so I knew I had to make every season count after that. Getting to grow and develop as an athlete and a person alongside my best friends was awesome and the most fun I have ever had doing anything. I’m truly grateful for all the time my coaches have devoted to bettering me as a student-athlete. I wouldn’t be anywhere without my family, friends, coaches, and community.”
White will attend WVU in the fall but doesn’t plan to play lacrosse as of now, but it is something he says he is considering at the club level.
“Again this team’s success came down to their hard work, coachability, comradery and they were obviously a fun group to be around,” Bennett said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
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