By Rick Woelfel
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 11/8/11
Showcase events were created for players like Paul Major.
A junior at Spring-Ford, Major scored 73 goals last spring and added 20 assists as his team won 20 games and went unbeaten in winning the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship.
But the PAC-10 isn’t as strong as some other leagues in the area and playing summer lacrosse for the Dukes has helped Major step his game up a notch while also providing him with the opportunity to face quality competition on a consistent basis.
Major and his clubmates took part in the Quaker Fall LaxFest at Radnor High on Sunday and finished 2-1, losing only to a strong Baltimore Crabs team. The day-long showcase featured 16 teams from the eastern United States and Canada. More than 100 college coaches were on hand.
During a break in the action Major spoke with Phillylacrosse.com.
Question: How important is a showcase event like this?
Major: “It’s good to go out and play against people from all over and playing against better competition. It gives you a chance to see where you stand with everybody out of all the kids across the whole country.”
Question: What impresses you about the caliber of play at this level?
Major: “Really, how many teams there are and how many teams have really good kids. And how they all play together so well. They probably don’t even really practice too much and they all play together so well.”
Question: What are the chief differences between a high-school game and a club game?
Major: “[A club game] is probably a little bit faster because you’re playing with the best kids from all the schools. High school is definitely still fast, but you’re playing with all the top kids out of each school in club.”
Question: How did you get started playing lacrosse?
Major: “I started when I was seven. I played baseball and then my mom asked me if I wanted to try lacrosse. Nobody in my family had ever played lacrosse except for my aunt. I tried it and I loved it.”
Question: Is the game growing in your area?
Major: “There are a lot more teams developing. It wasn’t that way when I was young. My high school actually has a team now, Spring-Ford Youth, and they didn’t have a team when I was that young. We just had the Collegeville Cougars. Now, there are a lot more teams developing and a lot more kids are signing up.”
Duke’s L.C. Notes: The team’s overall MVPs as named by the coaches was defenseman Austin Pifani (Abington) and goalie Brian Zappala (Episcopal Academy). Offensive MVP was attackman Ray Vandegrift (Penn Charter).
