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06/01/2017 12:00 AMHunter LaPlace constantly stifles the opposition’s offense in his role as a defensive stalwart for the Valley Regional boys’ lacrosse squad. In fact, Hunter recently earned All-Shoreline Conference First Team honors for his strong defensive play with the Warriors this season. As a senior captain in the backfield, Hunter leads Valley’s defense as it tries to keep the ball on the ground and prevent shots on goal. Hunter has played a critical role in the Warriors’ recent success as they made it to the Shoreline Conference Tournament final and are also competing in the Class S State Tournament.
Hunter, a Chester resident, started playing lacrosse at age 8 and hasn’t stopped since. In addition to competing for Valley, he also plays on a travel team that takes him to New York, Pennsylvania, and other places in the region. To say Hunter is fond of lacrosse is an understatement, and he knew the sport was for him from the very first time he saw it played.
“I’ve been playing it as long as I can remember,” says Hunter. “A couple of friends who were older than me used to play. I went to a game of theirs and, when I saw it, I knew that I would like it.”
Hunter’s love for lacrosse translates to some great performances on the field. Throughout his career with Valley, Hunter has steadily seen his ground ball total climb from 17 in his freshman year to 52 as a sophomore, then 63 as a junior, and now 78 thus far in his senior season. As a result of his rugged play, Hunter has won the Warriors’ Defensive Player of the Year Award in each of the last two seasons. While the accolades are nice, Hunter considers earning his leadership role with Valley Regional as his proudest accomplishment.
“I’d say that becoming a captain is my biggest achievement,” Hunter says. “I like having a chance to lead the team and give my influence to all the players and help everybody out.”
When it comes to leading, Hunter seems to have a knack for bringing people together. He always relishes that responsibility, whether it be by land or by sea.
“During the summer, I work on a boat as a captain, and that kind of helps me lead,” he says. “Also, my friends have always looked at me for making decisions and stuff like that. So I’ve always kind of been a leader.”
Valley Head Coach George Hudson appreciates how Hunter always stays engaged with his teammates. Hudson says that Hunter is an exceptional motivator at both practices and games, even when the odds aren’t in his squad’s favor.
“He can really motivate the team if we’re down in a game, no matter who it’s against,” says Hudson. “Like earlier this year at Old Lyme. We were down by one, and he stepped up and played great defense to keep it close. During a timeout, he was talking and really motivated the team to get us going, and we won by one.”
Valley defeated Old Lyme all three times the teams played this spring on its way to a regular season record of 12-4. The Warriors are having their best campaign in Hunter’s time with the team, and he feels great that he gets to enjoy this success alongside a bunch of teammates he’s grown close with.
“This is our best season for a lot of us. The whole varsity team, we all hang out a lot. We just have this special bond that really shows out on the field, too,” says Hunter. “Our goal is to be the first Valley lacrosse team to put up a Shoreline banner. We thought it would be cool our senior year to put the first lacrosse banner up in the gym, then to make it to states, and see where we go from there.”
As for why his team has been so successful, Hunter believes that it stems from all the hard work at practice. Hunter knows that good things happen when Valley’s athletes work together as a cohesive unit.
“Communication is the biggest thing,” says Hunter. “Also getting the ball on the ground and then clearing the ball and getting it back up the field so they can score.”
Even with all the hard work his team puts in on a daily basis, Hunter believes that the Warriors are at their best when they play loose in their contests.
“When we’re playing the game and having a good time, we do better,” Hunter says. “When we’re at practice, we push ourselves hard to get better. But when the game comes, we just try to have a good time out there and, usually, everything falls into place.”
Sometimes players can be a bit too loose out the field, but Coach Hudson knows that Hunter will never let that lead to a lack of focus.
“He always plays great defense. He leads the defense back there,” says Hudson. “He always brings his A game. I never have to worry about him at all. He’s one of my hardest workers.”
As for the future, Hunter has committed to play lacrosse at Utica College in upstate New York next year. Hunter says that he owes a lot of his success to the support of his family, and he will always be grateful to them for that.
“I’d like to thank my [parents, Heather and Dan] for helping me through everything and driving me around to all these crazy places,” says Hunter. “They’ve made a lot of sacrifices, so that I can be who I am today.”