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07/12/2019 12:00 AMJack Dacey loves the fast and frenetic pace of lacrosse. After sharpening his skills on a year-round basis, Jack scored goals at a rapid rate for the Guilford boys’ lacrosse team this spring.
Jack recently completed his junior season as a captain and an attacker for the Indians. Jack has also played ice hockey since he could walk, earning All-SCC/SWC Second Team and All-State Second Team honors following a 39-goal campaign last winter.
Jack was introduced to lacrosse as he grew older and loved the sport. This year, Jack scored 75 goals and dished out 30 assists to make the All-SCC First Team and the All-State Team, in addition to being named Guilford’s Most Valuable Offensive Player. Jack and his teammates helped the Indians reach the SCC Tournament final and the Class M State Tournament semifinals.
“I like how lacrosse is fast-paced with a lot of scoring. I like how you can go from being down to in the lead so quickly,” says Jack. “My success comes first from my teammates. Without them, we don’t have the success we did this year. For me, I just kept working hard during the offseason, because I knew I would have a bigger role on the team. Having a quick release in my shot and being one step ahead also helped.”
As a top scorer, Jack needs to think fast on his feet in order to find the ideal spot to strike. Jack also moves on quickly by shaking off any mistakes if something goes wrong on the field.
“You have to have good lacrosse IQ and be in the right spot at the right time and find seams. You also have to have quick feet and speed to get open looks. I used to be a one-dimensional player, and I improved on my speed,” Jack says. “Mentally, I learned that mistakes aren’t the end of the world, and you have to have that next-play mentality. You can’t be afraid to take risks, as well.”
Jack carved his place in history when he was named only the second junior captain for the Guilford boys’ lacrosse squad. Jack took that honor to heart by showing a lot of love for his teammates, who respected him immensely.
“It was a great opportunity to be the second junior captain in Guilford history. We have a great group of guys here, and everyone gave me a great deal of respect, even the seniors who were older than me,” says Jack. “It was a great experience to work through and figure out how to quarterback the team.”
Head Coach Brian White appreciates Jack’s ability to create offense for the Indians. White feels eager to see Jack reach even greater plateaus during his senior season.
“Jack is a great kid. He’s very mature, and he’s great with helping the younger guys. Of course, it also helps when you have a kid like that who can flat-out score like crazy,” White says. “For Jack, the sky’s the limit. He will shoulder a lot of the responsibility offensively and with the team moving forward, which says a lot about the type of guy he is, because he doesn’t shy away from it.”
Looking ahead to his final foray, Jack says that Guilford has its sights set on grabbing some championship gold following the club’s 16-victory run this year. Jack says the Indians just need to keep doing what they’re doing in order to continue their climb.
“It was our first year making it past the state quarterfinals under Coach White, so we broke that curse,” says Jack. “We have the talent to make a run at the SCC and state titles. We’ve been improving each year, so we just have to keep that up.”