Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/16/09
Five Philly boys have been cited among the nation’s top 50 rising seniors in the ‘Young Guns’ feature of the September issue of Inside Lacrosse magazine.
Lower Merion attackman Jordan Wolf (committed to Duke) heads the group as the No. 19 choice. Others from Philly cited were Conestoga defenseman Casey Ikeda (No. 21, Maryland), Haverford School midfielder/face-off specialist Liam O’Connor (No. 27, Notre Dame), Malvern Prep goalie Andrew O’Connell (No. 40, North Carolina) and Haverford School attackman Stephen Aitken (No. 41, Penn State).
Wolf had 39 goals and 28 assists in 2009 despite several nagging injuries. Ikeda was a key member of the defense that helped Conestoga go 24-2 and then starred in the Under Armour Underclassmen Games. O’Connor was recognized as one of the top threats at the face-off X in his class.
Philly had seven players mentioned in the Top 50 rising juniors; three of them coming from Haverford School.
At No. 7 was La Salle attackman Kevin Forster, the youngest of four brothers that have starred at La Salle. Penn Charter attackman Joey Sankey is No. 13. Sankey, who has committed to North Carolina, has overcome several injuries.
Also, Haverford School midfielder Carl Walrath is at No. 20. Walrath had 16 goals last year for the Inter-Ac league co-champions and made the Under Armour Underclassmen team for the second time.
Behind Walrath at No. 21 is Salesianum (DE) defender Ryan Kilpatrick, a West Chester native who led the Sals to an undefeated season and the Delaware state championship.
At No. 25 is Haverford School long stick midfielder Goran Murray, another member of the Philly team at the Under Armour Underclassmen Games. Others in the Top 40 include Haverford School midfielder Brendan McGrath (No. 30) and Conestoga defenseman Brian Dailey (No. 42).
Inside Lacrosse Young Guns Recap
Top Rising Seniors:
Lower Merion’s Jordan Wolf – No. 19
Conestoga’s Casey Ikeda – No. 21
Haverford School’s Liam O’Connor – No. 27
Malvern Prep’s Andrew O’Connell – No. 40
Haverford School’s Stephen Aitken – No. 41
Top Rising Juniors:
La Salle’s Kevin Forster – No. 7
Penn Charter’s Joey Sankey – No. 13
Haverford School’s Carl Walrath – No. 20
Salesianum School’s Ryan Kilpatrick – No. 21
Haverford School’s Goran Murray – No. 25
Haverford School’s Brendan McGrath – No. 30
Conestoga’s Brian Dailey – No. 42
