North Stars: Duluth Grads Ruling Minnesota Preps
by Jac Coyne | Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff | Coyne Archive
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| Minnesota has sanctioned varsity high school lacrosse
for three years and so far it has been a Duluth graduate lifting
the state championship trophy each spring. This past season, it was
Aaron Olivier (above) at Minnetonka. He followed in the footsteps
of Rob Horn (Blake) and Colin Mulcahy (Benhilde-St.
Margaret's). © Sandy Ryan |
When time expired on the Minnesota high school state
championship game, Colin Mulcahy had a smile on his face.
Even though his team, Benhilde-St. Margaret's, had been eliminated
earlier in the tournament, forcing him to watch the contest among
the fans, Mulcahy felt Minnetonka High School's victory was as
close as he could get to a personal triumph without actually
participating in the title tilt.
If Mulcahy, who captured the first state championship when
lacrosse became a sanctioned sport in 2007, couldn't win, the
second-best outcome was seeing a member of the University of
Minnesota-Duluth coaching fraternity hoist the hardware at season's
end.
"It was one of the first things I said when the championship game
was over," said Mulcahy. "That's three in a row for UMD grads."
High school lacrosse in Minnesota is quickly becoming a successful
extension of the dominant Duluth program, which is a fixture at the
MCLA national championships.
Coaching Minnetonka to the crown was Aaron Olivier, an '01
graduate of UMD, and his victory came on the heels of The Blake
School's '08 title, which was orchestrated by Rob Horn - an '03
Bulldogs grad and one of Mulcahy's classmates.
"I do take a good deal of pride in the fact that there are a good
many of us out there coaching these teams," said Mulcahy. "All of
them have seen success, too. We've had a few guys help with the
formation of club teams and after a few years they are pretty
competitive. UMD guys are getting their hands into the community a
lot and I absolutely take a great deal of pride in that."
While these three have gained the notoriety among alums of the
school via their championships, they are just a sampling of UMD
grads giving back at the high school level. Duluth, which is
located at westernmost tip of Lake Superior and less than 150 miles
from the Canadian border, boasts eight of the 48 varsity prep
coaches in the state, including Scott Cater, who won a pair of
state titles when the sport was still at the club level. He is
the only prep coach in Minnesota to have 100 wins.
In addition, one of the most well-known players to come out of the
North Star State, Ryan Hurley, the leading goal-scorer for Cornell
this spring, was also coached by a former Bulldog - Academy of Holy
Angels' Eric Overman.
Along with the head coaches, there is also a healthy group
teaching at the non-varsity level.
"I couldn't imagine better guys to get my younger kids going than
Duluth graduates," said Olivier, who has UMD alums Chris Fleck and
Scott Offerman guiding his J.V. program. "They are so fundamentally
sound and they are going to run a system very similar to what I do,
so I had no doubts that they would do a quality job. From top to
bottom, I have Duluth guys in my program."
"I think one of the major misperceptions about high school
coaching is you have to play NCAA ball, you have to be from out
East, or play for a big name program to have success," added Horn.
"That's not always the case, especially in states where you can
have a great impact early on just by having knowledge about the
game and how to play it the right way."
Duluth grads aren't bashful about admitting they help each other
in scouting opponents, but they'll never roll over for each other.
While they have the same name on their degrees, they do everything
they can to beat each other when they find themselves on the
opposite sidelines.
"Both times I played those guys, we didn't say a word to each
other," said Olivier about his match-ups with Mulcahy and Horn. "We
just had the traditional handshake because those two have
incredible teams. There isn't a whole lot of fraternization going.
But afterwards, it's back to old times."
Sometimes, however, even during games there is sometimes a bit of
nostalgia, if only in the resurrection of familiar plays from the
good old days at Duluth.
"I laughed because Benhilde [Mulcahy's team] was running an old
man-up play we used to run in college, but the funny thing was we
were running the exact same play, so when the formation came out, I
just yelled to my team and they knew exactly what they were doing,"
said Olivier.
Using formations from their days at UMD is a tribute by the former
players to the Duluth coach, Rob Graff.
A product of Ward Melville High School out of Long Island before
playing collegiately at Harvard, Graff is credited for instilling
the coaching passion among his former players. Many of them
witnessed the dedication Graff showed to the program - driving two
and half hours from Minneapolis to Duluth to lead the team while
not receiving a nickel in return.
"A lot of us see the time and effort that he has put into the
program and want to give a little piece of that, too; to give back
what he's done," said Olivier.
For Horn, who transferred to Duluth after starting his career at
NCAA D-II Wheeling Jesuit, Graff's willingness to be a stern mentor
who emphasized accountability was what promoted Horn's desire to
pay it forward.
"Before I arrived at UMD, I had attitude issues," said Horn. "My
first year at UMD was a nightmare on and off the field. Even though
we had success, I wasn't as levelheaded as I came to be my second
year there. That's really a testament to Rob. He basically gave me
the ability to change my life.
"Some of it was tough love, but he always instills in you the
knowledge that this is yours. You have direct control of this team.
He really puts the ownership back on the players. Any time a
player has direct control over something that he
puts his blood into, I think he strives for a little bit more.
You push yourself harder because there is no one to point the
finger at but yourself when it gets down to it."
Horn's revelation has motivated him to stay involved with the UMD
program. During those times when his position at Blake allows him,
Horn also acts as an assistant coach for the Bulldogs, making the
same long trip from the Twin Cities that his mentor does.
The direction that Graff and his staff provide for his players is
not a byproduct of a successful program. Influencing the lives of
his charges is a goal.
"We don't think there are a lot of real good role models out there
for young adults and we want to provide that," said Graff. "And
lacrosse is a great way to provide life skills: being a teammate,
being an adult, and representing something in a positive way.
"People know that we give of ourselves and the coach's family
sacrifices, so we ask them to pay it back by being successful and
helping someone else out."
With the UMD program chugging along - they advanced to the MCLA
quarterfinals again this season - and Graff at the helm, there
shouldn't be any letdown in the amount of Bulldog coaches leading
Minnesota's high school teams in the future. Graff said Casey
Mithun, who finished eighth in MCLA D-I in scoring this past
spring, will be receiving his teaching license soon along with
fellow former UMD All-American Peter Nelson, and both want to coach
lacrosse.
Until they find their way, it will be the likes of Horn, Mulcahy
and Olivier who are not only passing on their experiences to the
high school players in Minnesota, but also fulfilling a Duluth
tradition - whether directly or through the accomplishments of
their Bulldog brethren.
"We are part of that UMD brotherhood," said Horn. "When we're
head-to-head on the sidelines, we want our own teams to win, but
when you lose to another UMD grad, it's bittersweet. You're still
happy. If I can't win, at least I lost to a former teammate and
friend."
