Monomoy Boys Lacrosse Remains Unbeaten With Lopsided Win Over Sturgis

HARWICH – The Monomoy boys lacrosse team couldn’t have asked for a better start to its season.

The Sharks showcased their offensive firepower and depth in a 16-4 victory over Sturgis East on Thursday, improving to 5-0 before April Vacation.

“It took us a while to get going, but we started moving the ball really well,” Monomoy coach John Kent said. “You could see it on the fast breaks — bing, bing, bing, goal. Then we caught fire. The guys were competing hard.”

Junior Tamer Khalil led the scoring with five goals and two assists, senior Joey McKeen recorded three goals and an assist, and senior Christian Whittle (2 goals, 1 assist) and junior Jed Zimmerman (2 goals, 2 assists) also tallied multiple points.

Seniors Max Barrett and Noah Metters and juniors Owen Ramler and Nico Vujosevic also each added a goal in the win.

“It’s awesome when you have other teammates who can score and make the right pass,” McKeen said about the team’s scoring depth. “It feels amazing. I think that definitely helps us. It motivates us a lot — the feeling of when you score.”

Scoring hasn’t been an issue for the Sharks thus far. The team has averaged 13.8 goals per game, with its lowest total coming in a 9-6 victory at St. John Paul II on April 9.

Although Khalil often leads the way — he notched his 100th career goal earlier this season — the junior playmaker is quick to shift the praise to his teammates while attributing the team’s fast start to the athleticism that permeates throughout the lineup.

“Our defense has definitely been one of the key aspects,” said Khalil, a Chatham resident. “Our offense also holds it together really well. All around, we have a lot of great athletes on our team who play other sports, so in the off-season everyone is constantly training and that really brings it together when it comes to lacrosse season.”

It has helped that Monomoy has plenty of experience along its back line, with seniors Braeden Darling and Max Barrett, Ramler and junior Cole Strzepek anchoring the defense in front of junior goalie Jake Giorgio.

“Jake has really been working hard to get as good as he is,” Kent said. “He’s a great backstop and was really good for us.”

With Zimmerman, Vujosevic and junior Jackson Rocco manning the midfield, the Sharks believe they have a well-rounded group that’s capable of improving on last year’s 12-5 record.

“Last year, we had a 12-5 record and we’re working really hard to have a better record this year,” said McKeen, a Harwich resident. “We’ve started off pretty well, so I think we’re on track.”

Although the team went into the break with a perfect record, it knows its hardest challenges are still to come.

“We still have the toughest part of our schedule coming up,” Kent said. “When we come back from vacation, we have Bourne, Martha’s Vineyard and Plymouth North. That’s going to be a really tough stretch. We’ll see how good we are.”