Meet our Player of the Year, Victor's TD Ierlan, and the rest of our All-Star team

So you watched a lacrosse game and thought it was cool. Saw the faceoff and thought it was neat how opponents faced each other low to the ground, waited for a whistle and off they went.

Pretty simple, right? Well, no.

“I make sure I’m in a comfortable position, so I can get a good clamp and be able to move left and right and not be out of position,” says Victor’s TD Ierlan. “Then I get heavy on the right side to clamp down on the ball and also move to my left and my eyes are looking back to see the wings. One is coming from behind me and the other is usually above my head. I look to win to myself but if that’s not happening, I look to see which of the wingmen are open.”

That, in a nutshell, is how Ierlan went about winning 84% of his faceoffs for the Victor Blue Devils this season. And it’s the reason he is the Daily Messenger’s boys lacrosse Player of the Year for a second straight season. His coach, Jim Andre, is our Coach of the Year.

Ierlan’s work at the faceoff X is perhaps the biggest reason the Blue Devils pulled off a second straight 22-0 season that was capped with a Class A state title. And it most certainly is a big reason the Blue Devils will take a 44-game win streak into next season.

You can’t score if you don’t have the ball and if your faceoff man is winning 8.5 of every 10 draws, then it’s very, very difficult to have possession much less score goals. Andre has said over and over again that Ierlan is a game-changer and with stats like this, it’s easy to see why.

Ierlan’s mastery of the lacrosse faceoff is no secret and that’s why he was asked about the specific mechanics of his approach. And his explanation of the process goes a long way in explaining how there is so much more than meets the observer’s eye once the official sounds his whistle.

Balance, strength and smarts are all wrapped into one skill set for the faceoff, and Ierlan is constantly working to improve. His career as a wrestler at Victor certainly has helped him with work close the ground, but there also is “thousands of hours” with Drew Simoneau, who played at Nazareth College and today is with the Rochester Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse.

“I’m always watching the pros, too,” says Ierlan. “And YouTube, of course. You’re always trying to keep up. Even if I don’t change my style, I just like to be aware of what others are doing.”

As it is, Ierlan’s work at Victor is done. The recent graduate is now preparing for an NCAA career with the University at Albany, but he won’t leave Victor without some fond memories.

“The Class B title was remarkable itself,” he says. “But over that summer, it felt like it wasn’t really respected. So winning Class A solidified that Victor is a legit team.”

And what about this 44-game win streak? In a lot of ways, Ierlan and his fellow seniors ended their high school careers in strange fashion since the vast majority of athletes end their high school careers with a loss.

“It’s the weirdest feeling,” says Ierlan. “It’s over, but we haven’t lost. We kept waiting for a loss, but it never came. And you can get complacent when that happens but our coaches did a great job of keeping us moving forward.”

Making 2016 even better for Ierlan was having his best offensive season, scoring a career-high 18 goals and finishing with 21 points. Would he have liked to score more? Of course, but his role not only was defined, it was accepted and embraced.

“I’m not a goal-scorer,” he says. “We have six of those guys on the team. I’m a faceoff guy and if that’s what I have to do, I do it.”

Coach of the Year

Jim Andre

Victor

Led Blue Devils to a 22-0 record and the Class A state championship ... Has Victor on a 44-game win streak after consecutive undefeated seasons.

Ryan Maloney

Victor

Senior attackman and team captain led Victor to 22-0 season and Class A state championship … Will play at Cornell University next year … Led Victor with 60 goals, 48 assists and 106 points … Graduated as Victor’s career leader in points and assists … Named a US Lacrosse All-American … Named Offensive MVP for Victor … Under Armour Senior All-American … Must see TV: Criminal Minds … Dream car: One with air conditioning … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going: On a cruise.

Devin Andrews

Canandaigua

Junior attackman led CA with 69 goals and had 16 assists for a team-high 85 points … Helped Braves to a 10-9 record and a berth in the Section V Class B championship game … Named to the Class B all-tournament team … Named Monroe County first team All-Star … Named New York Scholar Athlete … Received Randy Groot Award … Must-see TV: Party Down South … Dream car: BMW i8 … Twitter handle: @Devin__Andrews5 … Instagram: @devin__andrews … Snapchat: devinandrews … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: Argentina … Summer vacation plans: Hang with the boys … People would be surprised to know that I … “have a pet goldfish named Billy.”

Brian Burger

Palmyra-Macedon

Junior attackman scored 59 goals and had 47 assists for Red Raiders … Named Finger Lakes League first team All-Star … Must see TV: Anything on ESPN … Dream car: Chevy Diesel Truck … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: Montana … Summer vacation plans: Working, camping, lacrosse.

Dan Barrow

Victor

Senior midfielder helped Blue Devils to a 22-0 record and the Class A state championship … Scored 53 goals and had 58 points … Must-see TV: That 70s Show … Dream car: Lamborghini … Twitter handle: @danbarrow32 … Instagram and Snapchat: danbarrow1 … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: Bahamas … Summer vacation plans: Working … People would be surprised to know that I … “live on a horse farm.”

Dalton Phillips

Bloomfield/Honeoye

Senior played midfield and attack … Led Pride to a 7-10 record as leading scorer with 24 goals, 12 assists and 36 points … Named Finger Lakes League second team All-Star … Most memorable moment of the season: Finishing the regular season with a 7-9 record, a big improvement from the past few years … Must-see TV: Sons of Anarchy … Dream car: Lexus LFA … Twitter handle: @_DaltonPhillips … Instagram: @dalton_Phillips71 … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: Cancun … Summer vacation plans: Surfing on Canandaigua Lake, fishing, working, hanging out with friends and letting the good times roll … People would be surprised to know that I … “used to be an avid motocross racer and competed nationally.”

Robert Middlebrook

Midlakes

Junior midfielder led the Screaming Eagles with 34 goals and won 65% of his faceoffs … Also had 144 ground balls and helped Midlakes to a 6-11 record … Named team MVP … Named Finger Lakes League second team All-Star … Must-see TV: Anything with sports … Dream car: Tuscany black ops F150 … Twitter and Instagram handles” @Rob_Middlebrook … Snapchat: rob_middlebrook … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: Hawaii … Summer vacation plans: Work and hang with friends … People would be surprised to know that I … “am Tyler Brooks-Lambert’s cousin, not brother.”

Jack Callahan

Victor

Senior long-stick midfielder had a team-high 60 ground balls outside of faceoff man TD Ierlan and led the team with 25 takeaways …. Helped the Blue Devils to a 22-0 record and the Class A state championship … Named an academic All-American … Named to the Class A all-tournament team … Named Monroe County first team All-Star … Most memorable moment of the season: Beating Ward Melville to win a second straight state championship … Must-see TV: The Office … Dream car: Mercedes Benz G Class … Twitter and Instagram handles: @JackCallahan_ … Snapchat: JackCallahan7 … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: 2017 Super Bowl … Summer vacation plans: Hanging with friends and family, working and playing lacrosse … People would be surprised to know that I … “dropped 81 points in a rec basketball championship.”

Jon Chapman

Canandaigua

Senior defenseman helped lead Braves to 10-9 record and appearance in the Section V Class B championship game … Named Monroe County Division 2 first team All-Star … Must see TV: Buffalo Bills … Dream car: Ferrari … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: California … Summer vacation plans: Work and hangout with friends and family … People would be surprised to know that I … “My family nickname for me is Happy-man.”

David York

Canandaigua

Senior close defenseman helped lead the Braves to a 10-9 record and an appearance in the Section V Class B championship game … Named Monroe County second team All-Star … Recipient of Dan Knapton Award … Recipient of Bill Boyle Award from the Daily Messenger … Dream car: 2003 Subaru Forester … Twitter handle: @yorkylax28 … Instagram: @dyork28 … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: Australia … Summer vacation plans: Hanging with the boys … People would be surprised to know that I … “play the ukulele.”

Patrick Barrow

Victor

Senior defenseman helped Blue Devils to a 22-0 record and the Class A state championship … Scored two goals on two shots and had 34 ground balls … Must-see TV: Big Bang Theory … Dream car: Corvette … Twitter handle: @pat_barrow20 … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: Australia … Summer vacation plans: Thousand Islands with my family … People would be surprised to know that I … “live on a horse farm.”

Chayse Ierlan

Victor

Sophomore goalie helped Blue Devils to a 22-0 record and the Class A state championship … Saved 61.3% of shots he faced … Scored a goal in a May 7 game against Cazenovia … Had 25 ground balls … Named to Section V all-tournament team … Named Monroe County first team All-Star … Named New York Scholar Athlete … Most memorable moment of the season: Winning back to back state titles … Must-see TV: Jack Hannah’s Animal Adventures … Dream car: Prius … Twitter and Instagram handles: @ChayseIerlan … If I get to choose my family’s next vacation, we’re going to: Hawaii … Summer vacation plans: Lacrosse, Lake, Maryland … People would be surprised to know that I … “am an avid quidditch player.”

Jamie Trimboli

Victor

Senior midfielder helped lead Blue Devils to 22-0 record and a Class A state championship … Scored 43 goals and had 23 assists for 66 points … Also had 28 ground balls … Scored at least one goal in 18 of Victor’s 22 games this season … Score three or more goals in nine games … Named US Lacrosse All-American … Named Monroe County Division 2 first team All-Star … Will play at Syracuse University next season.