Von Mabbs, a sophomore from Concord, MA, was instrumental in the men’s lacrosse’s recent 14-10 win over No.11 Gettysburg, the highest ranked opponent the team has beaten in program history. Mabbs netted five goals to help his team secure the win, taking his current season tally to 30 goals and ten assists overall. The Garnet will next face McDaniel away on Saturday, April 16.
Jacinta Fernandes-Brough: What are some of the team’s hopes and goals for the season?
Von Mabbs: The most obvious goal for any team is to win a national championship, but we have fundamental principles that have been emphasized by captains, leaders, and coaches that serve as goals like being good teammates, being the hardest working team, winning every play, and holding each other to high standards. At the end of the day, the most significant goal I think we have is to better our communities. We have done so through many different aspects, the most noticeable being us shaving our heads to raise $46,000 for cancer research and cancer awareness.
JF: What has been one of the highlights for the team so far this season?
VM: While the win over Gettysburg was a big highlight for the team, I think that the biggest success we have had is our ability to overcome some of the hardships we have had throughout the season like our coach getting COVID-19 and spending some time in the hospital, and coming into the season with only one class ever having conference experience.
JF: Does the team have any pre- or post-match rituals?
VM: A ritual we have is the consumption of Blue Powerade.
JF: How has the team felt returning to the field after a year off due to COVID-19?
VM: With our strong leadership from not only our captains but our senior players, the transition to playing after two years off has been smoother than I would have expected. There are a lot of players who have worked very hard to develop their skills, which [has] translated well to games despite lacking any experience.
JF: You’ve stressed the importance of the team over any one player. Who are some other individuals you feel contribute to the team in a variety of ways?
VM: Liam Maniscalco is a senior captain. He doesn’t start, but he brings unbelievable leadership and passion to the team which is extremely infectious to everyone else. He is a fearless captain and doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves.
Alex Strauch is a sophomore who will never talk about how good he is despite locking up All-Americans on a consistent basis. He hurt his foot, yet has not once complained about the pain or used it as an excuse. He stays after every practice to work on his game and is a role model for all players on the team.
Carter Strauch is my roommate, and he is an amazing player. He hasn’t gotten player of the week once, but he leads the team and league in points, is extremely unselfish, and plays harder than anyone else. As dominant as he is, he is a super respectful teammate who is always open to others’ suggestions and helps guide the offense.
Will Drake, while not being a team captain, has shown fantastic leadership. He is a man who has suffered several serious injuries and has battled through all of them and is now a significant asset to the team and is a menace to opposing teams.
I could speak to every single player on the team and talk about the significant growth and contributions they have made in the past seven months but those are just a few that have stood out and I believe deserve some recognition.
