Montgomery County celebrates lacrosse history with 20th anniversary team

Churchill and Bethesda-Chevy Chase match up in the early going of Montgomery County’s 20th season of boys lacrosse. (Courtesy of Jennifer Shure)

When a group of Montgomery County boys lacrosse coaches sat down before the season, heated debate gave way to a room full of nostalgia.

“Remember him?” … “Oh yeah, he was a monster” … “Circle that name, circle that name.”

That was the soundtrack as they selected the Montgomery County Lacrosse Coaches Association’s 20th anniversary team, just before the start of the county’s 20th boys lacrosse season. The coaches settled on 49 players — 27 first-team members and 22 honorable mentions — all of whom had to have graduated between 1997 and 2016 and played one year of varsity in the county.

The MCLCA canvassed retired coaches and former players before making the final selections. The 49 players include six who eventually played professional lacrosse, 29 U.S. Lacrosse high school All-Americans and 14 Montgomery County player of the years.

“We have the circumstance where ever year we are surrounded by four or five national lacrosse powerhouses,” said Michael Schweizer, a Churchill boys lacrosse assistant who organized the 20th anniversary team. “And it’s been believed that if you want to be a lacrosse player, you go to private school. We want to share that we have a lot of lacrosse talent in Montgomery County public schools and a great tradition.”

Below are the 27 first-team members, listed by position with their schools and graduating years.

Attack 

Louis Dubick, Churchill (2015)

Matt Leonard, Churchill (2013)

Joe Brody, Walter Johnson (2006)

Correll Caulfield, Walter Johnson (1998)

Grant Kaleikau, Watkins Mill (2009)

Mike Ricucci, Seneca Valley (2000)

Midfield

Josh Funk, Poolesville (2004)

Michael Begley, Sherwood (2011)

Myles Romm, Wootton (2015)

Ben Simmons, Springbrook (2007)

Paul Rabil, Watkins Mill (2001)

Matt Durkin, Watkins Mill (1999)

Face-off specialists

Andrew Corno, Whitman (2001)

Austin LaBorwit, Churchill (2016)

Tatah Ndeh, Springbrook (2014)

Long-stick midfielders

Damien Hall, Seneca Valley (2000)

Britton Cone, Whitman (2006)

Stuart Nystrom, Quince Orchard (2011)

Defense

Curt Brooks, Wootton (2012)

Calum McClelland, Richard Montgomery (2012)

Tommy Whitlock, Wootton (2008)

Matt Topelius, Bethesda-Chevy Chase (2005)

Bertan Unal, Churchill (2007)

Ben Miltenberg, Whitman (2013)

Goalies

Steven Silverberg, Wootton (2007)

Colin Hains, Whitman (2015)

Dan Goldberg, Bethesda-Chevy Chase (2002)