Photo by Randy Wilcox Harrison Township senior Sean Callewaert leaps to corral a ball May 6 at Grosse Pointe North. The Lancers fell to North 13-7.

By Brad D. Bates
C & G Sports Writer

Everyone in the Macomb Area Conference saw the Harrison Township L’Anse Creuse lacrosse team coming in 2008.

But with a veteran roster led by three-year varsity seniors Anthony Frontiera, Chris D’Agostino, Sean Callewaert, Scott Anderson and Eric Vrabel, those outside expectations didn’t faze the Lancers a whole lot.

“They’re playing the way they ought to be as seniors,” coach Don Roda said. “They really didn’t care too much what other people were saying. They were in tune with what they wanted to do, and they worked hard for those goals.”

At press time, the Lancers had worked their way to an 11-4 record, 8-2 in the MAC Red, and with wins against Warren/Sterling United (May 13) and Romeo High (May 15), they would clinch a share of the league title.

“The MAC is a very tough league,” Roda said. “It should help us get ready for our regional, too. … Our regional is one of the toughest in Division 2.”

The Lancers drew a bye in the pre-regional round and face Saline High (10-4) in the first round at L’Anse Creuse. First-round games will take place May 21-23. Exact times and dates were not available at press time.

Other teams competing in the Notre Dame Prep regional are the host and top-seed Irish (15-1), 2007 Division 2 state runner-up Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook-Kingswood (12-5) and MAC rival Grosse Pointe North (8-5), among others.

“We already played Prep once,” Roda said of his team’s 10-6 May 1 home loss. “We feel like we can beat them if we play a perfect game.

“Our kids know what to expect in the playoffs. They’ve been to a lot of camps and have seen a lot of high-level lacrosse, so they know what it’s all about.”

Along with having veteran leaders on the field, the Lancers boast a pair of coaching vets helping on the sidelines in former L’Anse Creuse mentor Don Lutz and former Macomb L’Anse Creuse North coach Roger Bunton.

“They’re two of the best,” Roda said of Lutz and Bunton. “The kids really respect them and are really receptive to what’s being taught.”

Aside from leadership on and off the field, another driving factor in the Lancers’ favor has been the competitive nature of the MAC.

L’Anse Creuse has been tested by teams like 2007 MAC champion Grosse Pointe South, and it’s the way his players passed that test, and others, that has really impressed Roda.

“The last game against South was a turning point,” Roda said of his team’s 11-9 win May 9 at South. “We were down 7-2 after the first quarter, and we came back.

“There’s not many teams that can overcome a deficit like that. Going into the playoffs, knowing that you can do something like that is a huge boost for our confidence.”

You can reach Sports Writer Brad D. Bates at bbates@candgnews.com or at (586) 498-1029.