Here is the second installment of a series that checks in with the eight Division III programs in the state to give a glimpse into the past and the future. Teams are scheduled to appear according to the chronological order in which their seasons ended. Wednesday's visit was with St. Mary's. Thursday's visit is with Hood.
REVIEW
The good: The Blazers' six victories (against 10 losses) were the most since 2011 when that squad went 8-9. They also won two games in the Commonwealth Conference after capturing their first league victory last spring. One of those wins came against conference rival Lycoming, which had walloped Hood, 13-4, in 2014. And coach Brad Barber said stopping Bridgewater's four-game winning streak was another encouraging sign.
"Those were tests," he said. "It came down to gut lacrosse, and our guys gutted it out in the final minute to come out on top. That's the new Hood College. That's stuff that [shows] they're buying into the system, everything's starting to take shape. The season could have been better, but I'm proud of what we accomplished, and we're hungry to take that next step forward next year."
** The offense endured its share of troubles (more on that later), but Hood appears to have found its field general in Patrick O'Brien. The sophomore midfielder recorded 15 goals and five assists in 14 games, including four starts, and while that may not sound like much, Barber said O'Brien handled the offensive responsibilities with the ease of a veteran.
"He really stepped up, and he's got great lax IQ," Barber said. "He really understands the game of lacrosse and knows when to push it and when to slow it down. I wasn't surprised. If you know Pat, he's very passionate about the game, and he really devotes a lot of time to not only becoming a better lacrosse player but also as a student of the game. He really understands the X's and O's, and he's really helped develop a lot of the guys around him just based on his understanding of the game and what to do."
** One aspect of the offense that fared well was the man-up unit. The Blazers converted 29.4 percent (20 of 68) of their extra-man opportunities, which was good enough to rank 92nd out of 221 Division III programs. Barber credited the maturation of the players for the improvement in man-up offense.
"I think it's just the experience of our players now," he said. "Last year, we were young. We're still young, but a lot of those kids that were playing had a good year under their belt. So I think it's just the increase in experience for the players across the board. We really continued to harp on the small things because little things add into big things, and the guys did a fantastic job. … As far as what we did different, we added a new play here and there on the man-up, but I really think it's the experience that has really gotten the guys more comfortable in the system."
The bad: For all of the offense's positives, the unit regressed in terms of average scoring, averaging just 6 goals per game this past spring. That was a decline from 6.9 goals per game Hood scored the previous season, but Barber said the offense was not built to race up and down the field and score goals in bunches. The players are encouraged to slow the pace and look for high-percentage chances rather than take unnecessary ones. Barber maintained he has a lot of confidence in assistant coaches Mike Russo and Britton Hoover.
"The offense works," Barber said. "Mike Russo, my assistant, I give him full reins of the offense, and Britton Hoover, our other assistant, helped him out this year. I'll chime in from time to time, but they have a great system in place, and it works. When our guys run it to a T, it's beautiful lacrosse. We're young, and we got more experience, and with that experience, we're going to continue to improve and you'll see those goals-per-game go up."
** The team finished the season ranked 133rd in the nation in ground balls per game, averaging 30.8. The Blazers fared decently on faceoffs, winning 50.3 percent (159 of 316) of their draws, but Barber said they could have been better at corralling loose balls in the middle of the field.
"At times in games, we got out-transitioned," he said. "We got beat between the restraining lines. We addressed that later in the season, but that's something that we can continue to improve on. Handling pressure on offense after being young, I think a lot of guys adapted as the season went on, but I'd like to see that improve."
** Turnovers were another issue for Hood, which gave the ball away an average of 23.8 times. That ranked 192nd in the nation, and Barber linked the turnovers to a vulnerability in clearing the ball, where the team ranked 166th after clearing the ball just 277 of 369 times (75.1 percent).. Barber acknowledged that cleaning the clearing troubles will likely reduce the number of turnovers.
"Handling pressure in our clearing game is one of them," he said. "With our youth, we struggled with the speed of the game from time to time and our clearing game hurt us from time to time. Those are two areas we'll continue to work on and continue to improve. But I have full faith in our guys that they're going to continue to take that next step forward."
PREVIEW
Personnel changes: Graduation took a toll on the program's best unit. The Blazers bade farewell to a pair of starting defensemen in James Weger (64 ground balls and 35 caused turnovers) and Miguel Caruso (32 GB, 11 CT). Weger left as the school's all-time leader in caused turnovers with 177 and ranked second in ground balls with 258. Barber, however, said there are a number of defensemen waiting in the wings, including sophomore Jesse Bronson, freshman Kyle Lammey and a group of incoming freshmen that includes Perry Hall graduate Ian Whittler.
"We'll be deeper as far as talent," Barber said. "But you can have as much talent in the world, but they have to be able to catch up to the speed and understand your system. … We've got the guys to replace who we lost. It's just grooming them and developing them and getting them all on the same page."
**After rotating with John Martin in 2014, Joseph McCulloh became the full-time starting goalkeeper and posted a 9.98 goals-against average and a .537 save percentage. The senior's goals-against average ranked second all-time and his 181 saves ranked fourth on the school's single-season list. Freshmen Collin Coshland and Jordan Spicer and a pair of incoming freshmen in Noah Waterlander and Will Lacy will make it a crowded affair, but Barber said sophomore John Hoffman, who backed up McCulloh, might have the inside track.
"John Hoffman has been our guy-in-waiting behind Joey McCulloh," Barber said. "So we're excited to see how he develops and continues to grow as a player, and we hope that he will assert himself as a leader on the defense."
**The defense lost another major contributor in senior short-stick defensive midfielder Brandon McCormick. The senior collected 39 ground balls, caused four turnovers and paired with sophomore Nick Masucci on the starting defense. Barber said there are a few players who are being groomed as two-way midfielders, but freshman Daniel Capps has shown considerable promise.
"We have Daniel Capps, who battled a few injuries last year," Barber said. "And we have several guys whom we're looking to run as two-way middies. But Dan Capps and Nick Masucci, I'd like to see them set up and be those leaders on the D-middie side."
Forecast for 2016: Stormy. As mentioned above, Hood will have to overcome some major departures on defense, which was the team's strongest and most experienced unit. Weger's value as one of the top defensemen in the Commonwealth Conference can't be overstated, and McCulloh is another blow in the net. But the offense does return its top eight scorers, including junior midfielder Tai Foster (18 goals and seven assists) and sophomore attackman Alex Villegas (17 G, 8 A). If Foster, Villegas and O'Brien can continue their development, the Blazers could pull off a surprise or two and perhaps make their way into the conference tournament conversation.