Published: May 09, 2008 10:37 pm            

HS LACROSSE: Rossi is a triple threat for St. Joe's

It’s an old coaching cliché, but one that Peter Hudecki couldn’t resist using when describing Jon Rossi.

“If I had a team full of Jon Rossis, we’d go all the way,” said Hudecki, the St. Joe’s lacrosse head coach.

Rossi, a senior, leads the team in scoring from his midfield position. The North Tonawanda resident has 19 goals and nine assists for 28 points.

“There aren’t a lot of players around who are in Jon’s caliber,” Hudecki said. “He can dominate at times.”

Growing up, there wasn’t a sport Rossi didn’t play. His experience with soccer, hockey, baseball, basketball and football transitioned well to the lacrosse field, which seems to incorporate at least one aspect of each sport.

“I never played an organized game (of lacrosse) before my freshman year at St. Joe’s,” Rossi said. “I didn’t even really know the rules, but I picked it up and learned to love it.”

Rossi’s best attribute, according to Hudecki, is his ability to take the ball to the net, drawing scoring chances for both himself and his teammates. Rossi also uses his strength — which served him well as a linebacker on the football team and defender for the Federation hockey squad — to dominate on faceoffs.

“He’s at like 86 percent on faceoffs, which is outstanding,” Hudecki said.

Rossi’s athletic career at St. Joe’s has been filled with a number of highs. As a junior, the football team won the Monsignor Martin Class AA title. That team featured stars like Domonic Cook, Terrance Schmand and John Greer, to name just a few.

“That was an amazing team,” Rossi said. “Winning the title was something I’ll never forget.”

This year, after football season ended, Rossi planned to take the winter off and prepare for lacrosse. But when hockey coach Pete Schneider said his team had a need for a physical presence along the blueline, Rossi once again laced up the skates.

“It ended up being a great decision,” Rossi said.

The Marauders won every possible title, including the Federation large schools regular season and playoff crowns, as well as a Catholic state title.

The young lacrosse team hasn’t achieved that type of success this season, but Rossi, who joined the varsity as a sophomore, hopes the lessons learned in the regular season will translate to playoff success.

“The league is really wide open this year,” he said. “We’ve been in a lot of close games, we’ve just got to find a way to put some of them away.”

After considering some offers to play football in college, Rossi decided to pursue his lacrosse dream. He’ll attempt to make the Loyola (Md.) College team as a walk-on.

“They’ve got one of the best programs in the country, and I really like the school,” he said.

Rossi plans to play at the Buffalo Lacrosse Academy in Williamsville over the summer in an effort to prepare himself for the challenge Loyola poses.

Contact editor Jay Skurski at 693-1000, ext. 117.

        

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