The 13th Annual Father Marco Cup
4:00 4/29 De Smet Jesuit
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Part 2 De Smet Jesuit High School Preview
If you're a Spartan fan Saturday's matchup feels like a must win. Since 2014 De Smet is just 1-5 vs The U-High. With their last win coming in the 2014 Fr Marco cup, this group of seniors is ready to get the monkey off their back. Led by senior captain Derek Radke they are looking to right the ship Saturday afternoon. I sat down with The Brothers Radke (Derek&Dylan respectively), and the two headed monster at the face-off dot (Mark D. "Max" Rogers II&Michael McDonough) to get a vibe for how they look to get the job done in 2017.
PS: After a rough go vs Country Day what have you guys done to bounce back?
MM: After watching the Country Day film it comes down to the little things that cost us the game. In the 1st quarter alone we had 3 crease shots that weren't finished. So practice this week has been aimed to fix the little things in our game. At the end of the day tho it comes down to being just lacrosse players and not robots out on the field doing the same thing over and over again.
DeR: Yes, after a tough one against Country Day we have done our best to forget about that and move on. I believe we were able to bounce back with the big win vs CBC which was big for us. After that loss, a few guys lost a lot of confidence but after the big win, they regained all that they lost.
DyR: Everyone on the team was very angry after our loss to MICDS, all everyone wanted to do was come out in our next games and get revenge. So practice last week and this week was a little more fast paced. I think the win over Lafayette, and the big win over CBC has really helped put us back on track.
PS: With coaching staff full of De Smet alumni does this week feel different than others?
MM: Last year's Father Marco game was a lot different than most years. We have always had an abundance of DeSmet alums on our coaching staff, but last year was different since Coach Jarvis and Coach Tom had left SLUH to come coach us. So that alone has made the game so much more competitive for us. This year, however, is even more special to the team since it is the 10 year anniversary of the legendary De Smet Coach Mike Sennet's death. In the last couple weeks, we have had multiple meets before practice talking about how much this team meant to coach Sennett and how much this game means to our current coaches. I think this new aspect to the game Saturday that was brought to our attention has put a lot more energy in our guys to win this game for our coaches.
MR: Well, of course, this is the biggest rivalry in STL so the nerves are there but all around we have to treat this as a normal game and show them who the better team is.
PS: Derek you have had a hell of a Career here. What does it mean to you playing in your final Fr Marco Cup?
DeR: I wouldn't be as successful as I have been without my teammates, these guys are great, our work ethic as a team in very unique and the locker room environment makes everything so much better. This being my last Father Marco Cup, makes me pretty sad. I haven't won a Father Marco Cup at the varsity level so this game means so much to me. Personally, this senior group has all said that this game is the most important game of the year for us, we have something to prove to these baby bills that knocked us out last year, which they didn't deserve.
PS: Michael and Mr. Rogers The Second, you will be going up against the law&order firm of Trammeli&Perryman how will the two head monster adjust? Or just business as usual?
MM: It will definitely be a battle at the X Saturday neither one of us is going to roll over for the other. This week at practice Mark Jr and I have been working a lot on technique preparing ourselves for the quick and very technically sound Perryman. For Jimmy, it just comes down to outpowering him. He is a big dude and if we stay in the scrum for too long he will over power us. At the end of the day tho there is nothing new that we will be changing to our game we are just going to have to last till the fourth quarter and weather the storm early.
MR: I think it is going to be business, as usual, I personally think that Mike and I are stronger physically and mentally at the X and it will be a battle.
PS: Dylan after being baptized by fire last how's this year going?
DyR: I really think this year is going very well for me, last year I was a timid freshman who was a little scared to speak up, but now, being a sophomore and having a year under my belt I feel confidence in the cage, and confidence to speak up and be one of the captains of the defense.
PS: With so many seniors how is the chemistry in the room?
MM: After playing with 5 of these seniors for three years and playing with the rest of them for two years I can easily say that our chemistry is the same if not better than the seniors my sophomore year had with the team being lead by attackman Noah Iverson. Every one of us knows each other's tendencies and can build around these tendencies to put the ball in the back of the net.
PS: To finish, last year you boys came up just short, what are you seniors doing to ensure this year ends on a different note?
MR: I think that the mindset this year isn't just on winning state. We are focusing on each game one at a time alongside developing as lacrosse players. After the MICDS game, the team came together and decided that game will be our last loss in STL this year and from here on out. We will outwork any team we are on the field with.
MM: Being able to hold that crystal cup is one thing that has been taken away from me for the last two years and I will do everything in my power to ensure that I get this opportunity. We found out in the CBC game earlier this week that we are very successful when we work as a team. So if we want to be able to bring the cup home we are gonna have to have 6 contribute to the goal on the field rather than having one hero like we have done in years past.
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