By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
When you play lacrosse at a school like St. Augustine Prep in Atlantic County, it’s really hard to see the field as a freshman, or even as a sophomore. It’s even harder to be named a team captain as an underclassman.
In fact, it’s so difficult it’s never happened — before this year.
Ryan Wodazak, a junior midfielder from Egg Harbor Township, has been named one of the Hermits’ captains, the first time a non-senior has been bestowed that honor, he said after leading his squad to a convincing 11-4 win over Ocean City — the standard bearers in the Cape-Atlantic League — on Friday afternoon.
Hermits coach J.C. Valore, who has been at the helm for two decades, said he knew years ago that Wodazak was the kind of kid who would one day lead the program.
“Ryan is a guy I’ve known since summer camp back when he was in fifth or sixth grade. He’s always had that level of character that you’re looking for. That doesn’t guarantee leadership, so I’ve kind of seen the evolution of where he’s growing and we felt confident in elevating him to a leadership position as a captain,” Valore said. “He keeps himself in check a lot. If you were to go back and talk to him as he walked out of our locker room, he wouldn’t be thrilled with himself (after Friday’s game). And that’s not a knock on his effort, that’s kind of a promotion of what he thinks he needs to be doing out there. He came in (as a freshman) with that same kind of mentality. It’s hard to play in this program as a freshman and get minutes. He found himself in a good position, we had a couple of injuries, but also, he earned it.”
“I just want to be the best I can be, but I want my teammates, also, to succeed around me, and not just me scoring a bunch of goals. I want my teammates to do just as well around me and I want to lift them up,” Wodazak said. “We’ve never had a junior captain in our history, so coach Valore really has a lot of faith in me and believes in me, and I have a lot of respect for him. My freshman year I came in and I was like, ‘I don’t know if I’m going to play varsity.’ And I played varsity my freshman year, and as I’ve grown I was like, ‘am I going to be a captain?’ I didn’t expect it to be this year, but when he asked me, I knew it was my time to be a leader for this team. I take a lot of pride in that. I want to lift these guys up, I want to have a great season with these guys. We have a great group of guys. Everyone is hard working and willing to do whatever it takes to win.”
So far, it looks as though Valore has made the right decision. The Hermits have gotten off to a 4-0 start, including wins over perennially strong programs such as Christian Brothers Academy, Notre Dame and Ocean City. Wodazak is second on the team with eight goals, and with him leading the way the rest of the team has flourished. St. Augustine Prep has had a dozen different goal scorers so far in the first four games, and five of those players are sophomores.
Valore said it’s impressive what Wodazak has been able to accomplish so far given that other teams have him marked as a player who needs to be stopped. He said Wodazak is enjoying the pressure that comes with being known as one of the best players on one of the best teams in the state.
“Once you become a junior, and a marked man, you know you’re getting the best cover (from opposing defenses), you’re getting a ton of slides, so it’s learning how to play with all the new variables that are in place as a leader,” Valore said. “I don’t think he’s a ‘leads by example’ guy, he’s more of a ‘sets the example’ guy. And that’s something that inherently have in you a little bit, but it’s also something that, as you go through a season as a junior, it’s almost like they grow leaps and bounds every two-to-three days.
“He was just announced (as a captain) before our first game, so we’re starting to see that in him,” the coach continued. “We always say, ‘pressure is a privilege.’ He’s going to have some ups and downs, there’s a lot of pressure on these guys. But we’re just looking to find out who we are. We’re winning games, but not winning games the way we want to. But that’s to come, hopefully.”
Wodazak has already made his college commitment, to Penn State University, the current No. 10 team in the country, mostly because Nittany Lions coach Jeff Tambroni shares the same kinds of values, Wodazak said.
“Coach Tamperoni has a lot of the same values as me and my family and he puts a lot of faith in me,” Wodazak said. “He let me know how much he likes my family, and me as a player, and that’s ultimately what made my decision.”
WHAT’S NEXT: St. Augustine Prep hosts Mainland Regional on Thursday at 4 p.m.
