Boys’ lacrosse: Bullis is confident this will be its year; goalie Mason Pollack is making history at Yorktown
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Version 0 of 1. Bullis faceoff specialist Joseph Stein hasn’t spent the days since playing a major role in a result few expected crowing about the achievement. In fact, he started a recent conversation about the Bulldogs’ 8-7 upset of McDonogh, ranked No. 1 in the Baltimore Sun’s preseason poll, by mentioning just how “fortunate” they were to win. This humility, he explained after a performance in which he won 14 of the game’s 18 draws, has a direct correlation to the years of disappoint that followed previous breakthrough moments. “We don’t want to be like the teams in the past who’ve only won like the one big game, like last year,” Stein said. “This year, we want to be able to win consistently against all the big teams and everyone has the same common goal.” Under Coach Jeff Bellistri, No. 3 Bullis has re-emerged as a nationally ranked boys’ lacrosse entity in recent seasons, with plenty of Division I caliber talent and a desire to crack the upper echelon of the IAC. But dethroning perennial powers Landon and Georgetown Prep remains a challenge in spite of the Bulldogs’ improvements. They’ve been knocked out of the IAC playoffs by Landon the past three seasons, and erasing any lingering doubts that accompanied those setbacks is a central theme this spring. Which is why this latest result against McDonogh, in which Bullis jumped out to a 6-2 halftime lead and had six different goal scorers, could prove to be so important during the coming months. Already this season, the Bulldogs competed with No. 2 Gonzaga and national powerhouse Hill Academy only to come away with losses, and it left Bellistri wondering when his team would “learn to win those games.” “That meant everything to us because in past years we always struggled with the best teams in the country,” said senior Steven Shollenberger, who had a hat trick against McDonogh. “My past three years, we could never beat Landon, Prep, MIAA teams. This win is a huge confidence booster for us, so looking forward. . . we have a ton more confidence and we’re looking to go undefeated for the rest of the season now.” Bullis had a dynamic offense a year ago, but it features a more balanced lineup this season. While Shollenberger, senior Nicky Petkevich and junior Alex Trippi are back to lead an attack still chock full of Division I talent, goalie Jake Simon, midfielder Jack Forrest and defenseman Paul Steel can hold down the fort on the back end. The chemistry, Shollenberger added, is better than ever considering much of this group’s nucleus has been playing together for years now. Bellistri noticed this offseason as players met more often for impromptu pick-up lacrosse games and “they’re really into it,” he said. Their goal is straightforward after losing 10 straight games to Landon and Georgetown Prep since 2013, and they already understand it will take more than one win to accomplish. “In my mind, we won’t lose to them. I won’t let it happen, and I know the other guys won’t let it happen either,” Shollenberger said. “We have a lot of confidence in the team and we’re definitely looking for our first IAC championship this year. No doubt in my mind.” Yorktown goalie Mason Pollack has accomplished plenty in 58 games and 2,500-plus minutes between the pipes. But the senior was nowhere near his own net in what might’ve been his most memorable Patriots moment. The play happened in the fourth quarter of the March 15 season-opener against Chantilly, with Yorktown trailing 9-6. Pollack scooped up the ball, sprinted to the outside and then kept on running until nine seconds and 70 yards later, when he bounced a shot into the net for his first varsity goal. Pollack, a Tufts commit, has been making plays for the Patriots since eighth grade when he played for the junior varsity team. Most of the time he’s done so by stopping shots, not taking them. The 6-foot goalie has registered 40 wins and 535 saves, approaching Yorktown’s all-time record of 568 set by Andrew Jaffke in 2004. He also has a perfect shooting percentage. Rarely does Pollack cross midfield, let alone fire a shot, but when he saw the opportunity against Chantilly, he couldn’t resist. His goal triggered a fourth-quarter comeback that resulted in a 10-9 Yorktown victory. “I felt a little urgency to run out of the goal and get the ground ball because we were down, but I didn’t necessarily feel the urgency to score,” Pollack said. “None of the defenders picked me up, I had nothing to do but shoot.” Pollack and fourth-year starter Conor Shears (Bucknell commit) anchor a defense that’s turned Yorktown into a perennial contender in the Virginia Conference 6. The Patriots (2-1) kicked off this season with one-goal wins against Chantilly and Langley — a 9-8 game decided on a double-overtime goal from Paul VI transfer C.J. Stowell (St. Joseph’s) — before losing to defending state champion Robinson, 7-3, on March 19. “We’re focused on winning championships,” Shears said. “We haven’t won a championship the whole time I’ve been there, so that’s what we’re focused on.” Landon rebounded from its first loss of the year by beating both McCallie School (Tenn.) and Coronado (Ca.) by 11 goals apiece last week. . . . After reeling off five wins in a row, including one over nationally ranked Culver Academy, Gonzaga fell to Baltimore area powerhouse Boys’ Latin, 10-8, on Tuesday. . . . Georgetown Prep also dropped a game against MIAA A competition when it lost to St. Paul’s, 10-8, ahead of Friday’s game at Gonzaga. . . . Sophomore Connor Frederick got Broadneck’s season off to a dramatic start by scoring in triple overtime to beat defending Maryland 3A/2A state champion Kent Island in the Gerry Case Memorial tournament last week. . . . Stone Bridge has scored 31 goals in its first two wins this season. 1. Landon (7-1) Last ranked: 1 2. Gonzaga (6-2) LR: 2 3. Bullis (7-2) LR: 4 4. Georgetown Prep (5-2) LR: 3 5. St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes (6-1) LR: 5 6. Glenelg (1-0) LR: 6 7. Severn (8-1) LR: 7 8. Broadneck (2-0) LR: 10 9. Stone Bridge (2-0) LR: 9 10. Northern (2-0) LR: NR Dropped out: No. 8 Howard (2-2) On the bubble: Churchill (1-0), Robinson (4-1), Mount Hebron (3-0) Records through Tuesday. |