Navy men’s lacrosse senior class persevered through coaching change, coronavirus
By BILL WAGNER, CAPITAL GAZETTE, APR 23, 2021 AT 4:58 PM
What a long, strange trip it’s been.
That famous line from the Grateful Dead song Truckin’ applies to the Navy men’s lacrosse senior class, which has persevered through a coaching change and the coronavirus to cross the finish line.
These Class of 2021 Navy men’s lacrosse players were recruited by the previous staff led by former head coach Rick Sowell. Ten of the 15 attended the Naval Academy Prep School for an academic year before arriving in Annapolis.
Defenseman Nick Franchuk remembers getting on the prep school campus in Newport, Rhode Island and having an immediate support system.
“You show up to NAPS and those are instantly your first friends. I remember right after indoctrination we already had a group text going and were down on the lacrosse field throwing the ball around,” said Franchuk, who hails from Southport, Connecticut.
Franchuk and fellow co-captain Christian Daniel were part of a talented recruiting class that was sent to the prep school. They were joined at the Naval Academy by Jacksonville transfer Michael Foster and direct-entry recruits Joe dyLyra, John Salcedo, Andrew McKenna and Joe Byrne. During plebe summer, they talked about taking Navy lacrosse to the next level.
“We kind of knew early on at NAPS that we had a special class — just a lot of skill and also the tight bond that is so important,” Franchuk said. “That bond just got stronger and stronger to the point we all have a really, really close connection. We’ve celebrated the good times together and picked each other up whenever we’ve been down.”
As freshmen, the Class of 2021 members were part of a Navy team that finished as Patriot League regular season co-champions with a 7-1 record. As sophomores, they watched the Midshipmen backslide a bit by finishing 6-7 and missing the Patriot League Tournament.
That 2019 season was low-lighted by a 9-8 overtime loss to Army in the 100th game of the storied series. Less than one week after the season finale, Sowell was fired after compiling a 54-56 record in eight seasons.
On June 5, 2019, Gladchuk hired Amplo as the eighth head coach in the 114-year history of Navy men’s lacrosse. Amplo, who previously spent eight years as head coach at Marquette, credits the current seniors with making the transition easy for the new staff.
“When we came aboard, those juniors rolled up their sleeves along with the coaches, determined to make a difference. They dove into helping us understand what this institution is all about,” Amplo said.
“I feel like this class in particular really embraced the coaching staff from day one and listened to how we wanted this program to be run. They understood the standards we were trying to put in place, but also gave really strong, deliberate suggestions that were impactful.”
Daniel said it was easy to buy into what the new coaching staff was preaching because it was obvious from the outset that Amplo along with assistants John Orsen and Brad Ross had the players’ interests at heart.
“They didn’t recruit any of us, but they really cared about us from the get-go,” Daniel said. “When our class realized how much they cared about and loved us, it was super-easy to do whatever needed to help get this program going in the right direction.”
Amplo’s first season would be cut short by the emerging coronavirus pandemic. Navy played just five games before the Patriot League announced it was canceling spring sports for the remainder of the semester.
However, both Amplo and the players thought significant progress was made toward establishing a foundation for the future of Navy men’s lacrosse. They appreciated that he asked the players to take an active role in making that happen.
“Coach Amplo always talks about the culture being player driven. The coaches can help create it, but the players need to own it,” Franchuk said. “Coming into this season, we had the culture built. Everything was set and it was just a matter of inaugurating the plebes at that point.
There was hope this lacrosse season would mark a return to normalcy, but COVID had other ideas. Navy paused all athletic activities for a month after a surge in positive cases among the Brigade of Midshipmen.
Navy lacrosse had one game canceled and a couple others postponed with the toughest aspect of the shutdown being an inability to practice for three weeks.
“We’ve just kept moving forward with everything and kept our eyes on what we wanted to accomplish,” Franchuk said. “Everyone stayed the course through all the COVID stuff. It really didn’t set us back.”
Amplo can cite myriad examples of how the senior class has led by example, especially as the season winds down.
Reserve defenseman Jacob Mandish, whose playing time is limited to man-down defense, put maximum effort into mimicking Loyola Maryland defenseman Cam Myers to prepare fellow Severn School graduate Jon Jarosz for that game.
While leaving his office on the third deck of Ricketts Hall late Tuesday evening prior to the rematch with Loyola, Amplo had a revelation.
“I said to myself: ‘If there is one guy on the practice field working, we’re going to win on Saturday.’ Sure enough, I drive past Rip Miller Field and Michael Foster was out there shooting,” he said.
Foster helped make that prediction come true, finishing a hard overhand shot to give Navy a commanding six-goal lead early in the third period.
“After Michael scored that goal, I got chills. When he came off the field, I gave him the biggest embrace because I was so genuinely happy for him,” Amplo said.
Attackman Tyler Perreten, a Severn School product, went from being a starter as a junior to primarily playing extra man offense as a senior without complaint.
Navy held on to beat Loyola, 14-12, for only the second time in the last 11 meetings between the schools. Later that night, senior attackman Tyler Perreten texted Amplo with a request. “Coach, I want to wear No. 20 for the scout team this week.”
The Severn School graduate was asking to help prepare the Navy defense for Army by mimicking standout attackman Brendan Nichtern, the archrival’s leading scoring with 43 points.
“Tyler Perreten cares about this program so much he will do whatever is necessary,” said Amplo, who declined the request since Perreten plays a prominent role on extra man offense.
That description could apply to all 15 members of the senior class. Midfielder Logan Spilker (Severna Park High), attackman Joe Byrne (son of former Navy football quarterback now Rear Admiral Bill Byrne), defensive midfielder John Salcedo and defenseman Donovan Murphy all serve on the scout team.
Senior Joe deLyra accepted a reduced role after seeing significant action as a sophomore and junior. The Chaminade High product forced his way into the offensive midfield rotation by simply outworking the competition.
“Joe D was our best practice player for about a month and is now getting into the rotation,” said Amplo, noting the Long Island native usually gets only four or five shifts per game.
“Joe’s going to score a big goal in these next few games, and when he does the bench is going to go crazy. He’s just a winner and a grinder.”
Last week, Amplo told the seniors they were only guaranteed 12 more practices during their careers.
“You want your seniors to play like seniors and I think we’re seeing that. They have that sense of urgency, that extra drive, that willingness to empty the tank,” Amplo said.
It’s been a productive class, especially on the defensive end where almost every starter is a senior. Franchuk and Andrew McKenna form two-thirds of the close defense, while Jeff Durden is a third-year starter at long stick midfield. Tim Griffin and Colin Meehan are the top short stick defensive midfielders, while Spencer Rees is the goalkeeper.
Daniel has started 36 of the 37 games the Midshipmen have played over the past four years and amassed 109 career points (70 goals, 39 assists). He is one of 36 players in Navy lacrosse history to surpass the century mark.
Amplo called Daniel a “warrior” and expressed sincere admiration for the way he laid it all on the line during the last 10 minutes of a 13-7 loss at Lehigh. “Christian played like a man possessed, just so much heart and soul. I haven’t seen a performance that gutsy in my coaching career,” he said.
Foster started 11 games in midfield as a sophomore then did not play last season due to an injury. The northern Virginia native has scored three goals in six games this season.
However, Daniel has complete appreciation for those seniors that do not see significant action on game day but work just as hard as the starters. “Just the mindset all those guys bring to practice every day to lead the younger guys and continue to foster that culture is incredible,” he said.
Franchuk, who has played in 31 games with 19 starts, was a unanimous selection by a vote of teammates to wear No. 40 in honor of former Navy lacrosse player Brendan Looney, who died in combat.
“Nick Franchuk is one of the hardest working, toughest, most humble human beings I’ve ever been around. He was an ideal person to bestow that honor on,” Amplo said. “From what I’ve learned about Brendan and his legacy and impact, Nick is everything that Brendan stood for, without question.”
Franchuk was honored to be chosen team captain and to continue the legacy of Brendan Looney.
“It’s definitely a privilege and an opportunity I’m super grateful for, but it comes with the responsibility of earning that title every day,” he said. “My goal is to do my best to honor Brendan and live up to the values he thought were important.”
Daniel, an Owings resident who played at Northern-Calvert, cannot believe Senior Day is here already. It seems like just yesterday he was watching Jack Ray, his attack running mate in 2018, walk onto the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium field flanked by his parents.
“It’s crazy. I remember Jack Ray telling me it goes by really fast, and now I’m telling freshmen the same thing,” Daniel said. “What I’ll cherish the most are all the relationships and the small little memories. All the shared moments on the field or in the locker room are special.”
But naturally RH.
