Competing the Z: “One Game at a Time”
by Jac Coyne | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff | Coyne Archive | Twitter
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'Competing the Z' is a Men's Division III pick 'em
competition between LMO's Jac Coyne and Dave Zazzaro, a D-III coach
for 17 years and a former member of the NCAA regional committee.
They will be picking five games every week during the course of the
season. Scroll to the bottom for past picks.
“It is another big week in Division III lacrosse as
teams start to separate themselves for conference seeding. Being
mentally tough and staying focused in these tilts will be paramount
to success.”
Typical.
Zazzaro kicks off the postseason with a piece of quotable slop from
the Coaching 101 manual.
That’s probably the one drawback to closing in on the second
season: coaches double down on the nausea-inducing clichés
when they get nervous, making for tedious times in the journalism
biz. I’m pretty much writing down every third sentence when
conducting interviews from late April on.
Being on the simpler side of the coaching spectrum,
Zazzaro will also likely revert to the inane in his selections as
we near crunch time, leaning on quaint aphorisms that may not hold
water in the new Division III.
That’s good, because I’m ready to finish this last week
of the regular season strong and enter the postseason on a high
note. (How’s that for a cliché? Can I be a coach
now?)
Actually, only four of the five contests are regular season tilts
as I’ve decided to include the Centennial semifinal clash
between Haverford and No. 5 Dickinson because it could impact so
many different teams on May 8, especially if the Squirrels pull it
out.
We’ll try and whip up some sort of conference tournament
extravaganza for next week, but if you want to follow the
conference tournament action, use the MD3
clearinghouse.
On to the games…
Haverford (9-5) at No. 5
Dickinson (14-1), 4
p.m., Friday
COYNE: Perhaps the biggest headache for the
selection committee would be if Haverford managed to upend
Dickinson. The committee would have to come up with a pretty darn
good reason to keep the Squirrels out with the kind of schedule
they will ultimately have, even if they finish 10-6. And if you
don’t think Haverford has a chance against the Red Devils,
you’re nuts. The Fords lost 9-8 on the road in a game where
Dickinson had to outscore Haverford 6-1 in the fourth quarter to
narrowly win it.
Haverford’s five losses have come by a grand total of seven
goals. I really think the Squirrels are going to pull this off.
Final score: 10-9.
ZAZZARO: It appears as though Dickinson is the new
‘hot’ team in the Centennial Conference and Coach
Webster has his squad performing at a high level. Haverford has
great talent at each position and has played a ridiculously tough
schedule. I like Dickinson at home in a thriller, 11-9.
Bowdoin (8-5) at No. 7 Tufts (12-1), 7
p.m., Friday
COYNE: Regardless of what happens in the NESCAC
tournament, if Tufts can get through the conference slate with one
loss, the Jumbos are in the clear. If they’re going to
accomplish the feat, the Elephants will have to subdue probably the
most grizzled team in the country. The Polar Bears want to grind
you down and make you quit, which is why they will be such tough
out in the conference tournament. Friday night in Medford should
make Tufts the pick, but I love Bowdoin’s grit. P-Bears,
11-10.
ZAZZARO: This is an important game as each team readies
itself for the NESCAC tournament. Tufts' attack is the best is New
England and this team is deadly in transition. Bowdoin has the
athletes to run with anybody, but this is Tufts' game at home.
Jumbos over Polar Bears, 10-8.
No. 14 Denison (10-2) at
No. 1 Stevenson (16-1), 1 p.m.,
Saturday
COYNE: The Big Red have been dealing with
injuries, as most teams are at this point in the season, but all of
the cogs appear to back in place. But even at full strength can
Denison hang with the Mustangs? Stevenson got all its key defensive
players back last week and managed to shut down a strong Salisbury
offense. I’m a Brady Burton fan, but I don’t even think
he’ll be able to find any gaps against the No. 1 team.
Stevenson, 10-3.
ZAZZARO: Stevenson is coming off of a huge win against its
biggest rival, so the Denison game could be a proverbial
‘trap game.’ Denison has great weapons at the midfield
and attack positions, but the Big Reds’ defense will be
tested big time in this game. It will be close for a while, but
Stevenson will pull away at the end 12-9.
Coyne’s Pick
Union (11-2) at
RPI (11-2), 1
p.m., Saturday
COYNE: The Liberty tournament is going to be a
slaughterhouse with four teams able to snag the AQ if the bounces
go the right way. This one will determine where we’ll be
playing those contests. RPI probably gets the least respect of any
ranked team – which has been St. Lawrence’s plight the
last five years or so – and Union has fallen off the map
since the loss to the Saints three weeks ago. The home
team is probably the call in this one, but I’ve got a good
feeling about the Dutchmen. Union by a deuce.
ZAZZARO: This will be a tight game as they all are in the
Liberty League. This is a statement game for both teams trying to
strengthen their postseason position. I like RPI in a close
contest, 11-9
Zazzaro’s Pick
Goucher (11-3) at Drew (8-5), 12
p.m., Saturday
ZAZZARO: This is a big game in the Landmark
Conference with the right to host the conference tournament on the
line. Coach Hannan has Goucher humming right now, but Coach Leanos
will have Drew ready after its setback against Susquehanna. Drew
prevails in a streetfight, 8-7 in overtime.
COYNE: I’m not sure if I can brush off Drew’s
loss to Susquehanna as easily has Dave has done with his alumni
blinders on. The Crusaders aren’t a bad team, they just have
trouble winning the close ones. The fact that Susquehanna was able
to seal the deal against Drew tells me all I need to know about the
Rangers. Plus, Goucher looks like a cinch for the Landmark’s
first, and perhaps last, automatic bid. Give me the Gophers by a
five-spot.
Previous installments of ‘Competing the Z’
Weekend of Feb.
27
Weekend of March
6
Weekend of March
13
Weekend of March
20
Weekend of March
27
Weekend of April
3
Weekend of April
10
Weekend of April
17
Weekend
of April 24
