LAX to the MAX: MIA Routes Lely

Wins have been hard to come by for the Marco Island Academy lacrosse team, but on senior night against rival Lely High, the Rays were showing fast sticks and fierce hearts, defeating Lely 11-4 in front of their proud parents, on March 17 on the Rays’ home field.

“We played a cool, calm, and collected game,” said Rays coach Doug Hill. "We contained our emotions, minimal penalties, and we executed. That's what we need to do as a family unit. Play together.”

Keeping emotions in check against a rival like Lely can be a challenge.

"Anywhere in Southwest Florida things can get out of hand,” Hill said. "Unfortunately, there’s a lot of football with sticks. So we're trying to work to change that.”

Hill said Southwest Florida is playing catch-up with more traditional lacrosse areas like the northeast. The rough play is one example where improvement is needed.

"I say football with sticks because they use techniques that are legal in football, but not legal in lacrosse. Contact is allowed but not contact where you're wearing the gear that you have on in football. Our job as coaches is to keep players safe, number one, and teach them that your job is to play with respect for yourself and your teammates and the opposing team and the officials. It's not to be out here attacking people. You've got to be cool, calm, and collected."

Most of the Lely game was played in front of the Trojans’ goal.

“Fortunately,” Hill said, "we were on offense most of the time, which is always nice for the keeper because Keven Martinez is an incredible keeper. He's out here every day, ready to work. And even over the summer. We're out here with him two hours every Saturday, Sunday. After church, he comes here and we work for two hours, and it shows. He's a junior, and it shows in his performance. He’s a captain and he's an incredible asset to the team."

Veleon Nazarko, a leader on the Rays’ basketball team, is also a standout in lacrosse.

“He's been an outstanding player,” Hill said. "Outstanding asset to the team. Also a captain. He had a number of goals tonight. He's had a number of hat tricks this year. It's his job to control the ball. He does a very good job of distributing the ball. And he has an excellent shot. He's really developed his shot. So he's been working hard this season and doing really well. Nick Fielder also had a hat trick tonight. And one of our younger players, Nathan Lofty, played an exceptional game tonight as well. So all the boys played great."

Hill is proud of his team’s effort this season.

“We're now 2-5,” he said. "We have three games left plus districts. So, not the season record we had hoped for. But we are improving in some areas and I think we can continue to improve. There have been games where the boys just really didn't have confidence in themselves going in. It seems like Aubrey Rogers is a little intimidating when you look down the sideline and there are 45 guys on the sideline and our bench has six. It's kind of tough. There's a lot of psychology in any sport, and lacrosse is no different. So basically being present, understanding that there's ten guys out there playing and we're ten guys. It's easy to say but hard to execute on sometimes."

It doesn’t help that MIA plays in a tough district that features one of the top teams in the state.

“Community School of Naples is consistently ranked in the top 20 in the state,” Hill said. "They have a huge team. They have a JV team, they have seventh and eighth graders they can bring in. They have their own built-in feeder program. And their kids are highly committed year-round. That's why they're putting kids into D1 schools now. Because lacrosse is the kind of sport where you gain and you advance by repetition. It's like hitting that ball thousands and thousands of times, passing with your friends, knowing where they're going to be on the field, knowing where you need to be to help them. And that's why it's really a family-oriented sport."

Hill is at MIA for the long haul.

“I’m planning on sticking around as long as they'll have me,” he said. "I appreciate the opportunity to be here and work with the boys."