Nuts and Boltus: Why Army Can Win it All
by Brian Delaney | Special to Lacrosse Magazine Online
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The first rule of Project Mayhem: don't ask questions. |
Back in the preseason, Joe Alberici told Jeremy Boltus his
junior season would not be judged by offensive statistics.
“His job was how the attack unit performed,” said
Alberici, now in his fifth season as head coach of the Army
men’s lacrosse program.
That line of thinking stemmed from the graduation of linemates
Jason Peyer and Brooks Korvin, who combined for 58 goals and 21
assists in 2009. Boltus would have two new, inexperienced teammates
to play with in the offensive third, and opposing defenses were
going to focus in on the 6-foot-1, 190-pound playmaker out of
Baldwinsville, near Syracuse.
Boltus had 26 goals and 25 assists as a sophomore, and Alberici
didn’t want the junior thinking less production numerically
would translate into a diminished impact.
Well, the numerical production hasn’t diminished. Neither
has the impact.
“That unit has been tremendously successful this
year,” Alberici said.
It was Boltus, of course, whose athletic ability was on full
display when Army beat Syracuse goalie John Galloway for the ninth
and final time of Sunday night’s stunning 9-8 NCAA tournament
first-round upset of the two-time defending champions at the
Carrier Dome.
Moving swiftly off-ball, Boltus took a little flip pass from Rob
McCallion down the left alley. His speed forced Syracuse to slide,
which left sophomore Devin Lynch wide open — for a split
second — on the crease. Boltus’ pass was pure, as was
Lynch’s finish, as the Black Knights picked up their first
NCAA tournament victory since 1993.
“Coach has a great sense of all the players of our team, and
what our roles are,” Boltus said Wednesday. “I kind of
took it as my role ... to [lead] the whole attack unit.”
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| Jeremy Boltus' athleticism on attack helped Army push the rock against Syracuse and pull off one of the most stunning upsets in NCAA tournament history. |
That attack unit includes 6-foot-4 freshman Garret Thul, a
40-goal scorer, and senior first-year starter Tyler Seymour (22g,
8a). In a 12-11 overtime loss to Cornell on March 6, the trio
combined for seven goals and five assists.
If they can match that type of offensive production in
Sunday’s noon quarterfinal against the Big Red at Stony
Brook, the Black Knights may be headed to their first final four
since 1984’s team did so under Hall of Fame coach Jack
Emmer.
Until Sunday, the players will just enjoy the few small perks
allowed them with classes finished.
“I actually got to sleep in until 8:30 this morning,”
goalie Tom Palesky said Wednesday. “That’s sleeping in
for us.
“After Sunday night, I think my phone was going to
explode,” he added.
Upstate New York sports fans know the Boltus name well, but moreso
for Jason Boltus’ terrific career as quarterback of the
football team at Division III Hartwick College in Oneonta. A 2008
graduate, Boltus was named the 2007 Melberger Award winner as
Division III’s top football player. The 6-foot-5 strong-armed
righty now plays for Hamilton of the Canadian Football League.
Jeremy Boltus, a three-sport athlete in high school, said he
initially hoped to play basketball in college. But his quarterback
and point guard background have helped him develop into a terrific
feeder and one of Division I’s most overlooked attackmen.
“I started lacrosse at a younger age and really liked that
better,” he said. “I was improving year by year,
playing with older guys and I just pursued it.”
Heading into the Cornell game, he’s totaled 66 points on 28
goals and 38 assists.
“From the beginning, he’s produced,” Alberici
said. “He had a great freshman year, did it again as a
sophomore and has continued to improve as a junior.”
Army’s roster is littered with players from hometowns near
Syracuse. Lynch’s mom works at the university and the
defensive brother tandem of Bill and Tim Henderson hail from nearby
Tully.
Now, with Boltus at the offense’s head, they’re hoping
to make a Syracuse-like run to the final four.
One Upstate New York team down; one to go. Both Syracuse and
Cornell are, and have been, the highlights of the Black Knights'
regular season nonconference schedule in recent years. Cornell will
have its hands full dealing with the proverbial program that has
gotten hot at the right time.
Army has won eight straight games since a 17-2 loss to Hofstra on
March 30.
