STEPPING UP: Hun School boys’ lacrosse player Jake Beck, left, heads to goal in a 2024 game. Last Thursday, junior attacker/midfielder Beck tallied three goals with two assists to help sixth-seeded Hun defeat 11th-seeded Oratory Prep 15-1 in the first round of the Prep state tournament. The Raiders, who moved to 4-12 with an 8-6 loss to the Perkiomen School (Pa.) last Saturday, play at third-seeded Pennington in the Prep quarterfinal round on May 8. In addition, Hun will be playing at St. Augustine Prep on May 10 in a regular season contest. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Coming into this spring, Jake Beck realized that he would have to shoulder more responsibility for the Hun School boys’ lacrosse team.

“I haven’t had the same weapons that I have been playing with, with the older guys like [Brendan] Marino and [Danny] Cano,” said junior attacker/midfielder Beck. “I am definitely stepping into some big shoes. We have had some great guys here so it has been tough.”

Beck has stepped up, scoring nine goals with a team-high eight assists through the first 11 games this spring.

“With the help of my teammates, they have made me better,” said Beck. “I think that just working on what I need to work on, I have just gradually improved.”

Displaying that improvement last Thursday, Beck tallied three goals and two assists as sixth-seeded Hun defeated 11th-seeded Oratory Prep 15-1 in the opening round of the Prep state tournament.
The Raiders jumped out to a 6-0 second quarter lead to set the tone of the contest.

“In the past this season we have let the other teams jump on us first(so by jumping on the other team), we have a really good chance in this playoff run,” said Beck. “We have a tough schedule ahead of us but with this teamwork, we played amazing today.”

Beck’s playmaking and finishing has helped the team click. “I love these guys, the more I play with them, the more I love them,” said Beck. “The chemistry is definitely up there. I love feeding. I definitely look up but I have got to get the goals too.”

Juggling two sports, Beck scores goals in the winter for the Hun boys’ hockey team.

“I have always loved hockey, lacrosse is my first sport,” said Beck, who is looking to play college lacrosse for a Division I program. “I made that decision because I realized how hard it truly was to go far in hockey. I have always loved it. I just put everything I have into both of them. Whatever the season is, I just work as hard as I can.”

Hun head coach Joe Donnelly loved the way his squad took care of business against Oratory Prep.

“We are excited, we have been playing some of the top teams in the country and the region,” said Donnelly. “With the competition that we have been playing, one of the biggest things is pressure on defense and moving the ball with some pace. When we really get down to it and play as a unit and we are unselfish and share, we are very successful.”

The play of Beck has helped the Raiders come together as a unit.

“He sees the game very, very well; he is a super IQ player,” said Donnelly. “He is definitely more of a midfielder for us. But with just how well he sees the field, he is very strong. It has been a huge adjustment for us that we made as a coaching staff to put him back there. We have seen a lot more success out of him and a lot more success from our team as well.”

In the win over Oratory Prep, Hun got strong efforts from Alex Famiglietti and Anthony Peterson who each scored four goals.

“It is nice; with a brand new coaching staff, we are getting the buy-in now,” said Donnelly, who is the program’s third head coach in the last three seasons. “We have been through a lot. We have been through our challenges, we have been through our opponents. After them cycling through three coaches, it is hard to get everyone all on the same page for what we are trying to accomplish. I think right now we are primed to finish the season on a really strong note.”

The Raider defense made things hard on Oratory Prep, yielding just a second quarter goal.

“The defense was incredible today, O’Brien has been a huge leader for us on and off the field,” said Donnelly. “He is everywhere and he commands the unit. That whole unit is super impressive with Reece Holt, Owen Tallo, Ryan Wright, and then Will Hayes back behind them in goal. Will is an extremely talented goalie. It is defense, we are bound to make mistakes and it’s nice having Will back there to bail us out.”

With Hun, who moved to 4-12 with an 8-6 loss to the Perkiomen School (Pa.) last Saturday, playing at third-seeded Pennington in the Prep quarterfinal round on May 8, Donnelly believes that his squad is primed for a deep run in the tourney.

“We love our seeding; we would have wished for something a little bit higher,” said Donnelly. “We think we have the skill level for it but I think we are really attaching to that underdog mindset and attacking every day. I feel like we are really connecting and playing as a unit, that is the biggest thing. We have a lot of very good pieces and everyone is really starting to buy in. Whether it is the offensive side, the defensive side or the clearing, we are playing as one team now.”

Beck, for his part, believes that Hun will be a tough out in the tournament.

“If you come out here and watch, we look a lot better than the beginning of the season,” said Beck. “I definitely think you will see us at least in the championship.”