Men’s Lacrosse Announces Recruiting Class for 2008-09 – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
COLUMBUS, Ohio Eight outstanding student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to enroll at Ohio State and play lacrosse for the Buckeyes, Joe Breschi, Ohio State head coach, announced Wednesday. The group, comprised of three attackmen, two midfielders and three defensemen, includes two players who were invited to the U.S. Lacrosse tryouts for the Under-19 World Championship Team, along with a player who will represent Canada in the tournament next summer.
“We are really excited about these eight terrific young men who have committed to our program and will join us in the fall of 2008,” Breschi said. “These student-athletes come from some of the most successful high school lacrosse programs around. We are proud of their accomplishments to date and look forward to many great years in the Scarlet and Gray.”
Ohio State Men’s Lacrosse 2008-09 Signees
Name P Hometown High School
Eddie Bambino M Yardley, Pa. Penn Charter
Joe Bonanni D Hardwood, Md. St. Mary’s
Scott Morell A Rye, N.Y. Westminster (Conn.)
Keenan Ochwat D Farmingdale, N.Y. Farmingdale
Mike Smail A Crofton, Md. DeMatha
Eric Smith A Lutherville, Md. Boys’ Latin
Brock Sorensen D Peterborough, Ontario Salisbury School/(Kenner Collegiate)
Stephen Tepsick M Huntington, Md. DeMatha
Eddie Bambino, from Yardley, Pa., is a midfielder for William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia and served as captain for both the football and lacrosse teams as a senior. A four-year starter for the lacrosse team, he earned All-Inter AC honors in both 2006 and ’07 and led the squad in assists and groundballs each of the last two years. A four-year starter for the football team, he won the Mini Max award, given to the top football players in the region, this fall. He was a two-time first-team all-conference selection in football as a wide receiver and was the team’s MVP in 2007. In addition, he was an all-city wide receiver in 2006. Bambino is an honor student at Penn Charter.
Joe Bonanni is a defenseman from Hardwood, Md., and St. Mary’s High School in Annapolis. As a junior in 2007, he earned first team All-MIAA honors, along with all-county honors from the Capital Gazette and Baltimore Sun. He was a first team All-Met selection in Baltimore and second team All-Met for the District of Columbia. Bonanni, who will serve as team captain as a senior, was invited to try out for the U.S. Lacrosse World Championship Under-19 Team. He is an honor roll student at St. Mary’s.
Scott Morell, from Rye, N.Y., attends Westminster (Conn.) School, where he is an attackman for the lacrosse team. A three-year starter, he earned first team All-New England honors as a junior, posting 35 goals and 40 assists in 24 games. He also played varsity football, where he was a three-year starter, and basketball and served as team captain of both the football and lacrosse squads. Morell was a three-year member of the Hudson Valley Empire State team for lacrosse and scored the game-winning goal against Long Island in 2007.
Defenseman Keenan Ochwat, from Farmingdale, N.Y., attends Farmingdale High School. In 2007, he was an honorable mention high school All-American and received all-county honors. He competed for the New York State Empire Team and was invited to try out for the U.S. Lacrosse Under-19 Team that will compete in the ILF world championship. Ochwat was ranked by Inside Lacrosse in their annual ratings of Top Rising Juniors and held down the 11th spot in the list of the Top 50 seniors in the nation by the publication. A team captain for both lacrosse and basketball, he was an all-conference selection as a junior and an all-county honoree in 2006.
Attackman Mike Smail, a native of Crofton, Md., plays for DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md. A four-year letterman and two-time captain, he was a first team All-Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) selection as a sophomore and junior. He earned first team Washington Post All-Metropolitan honors as a senior after he was an honorable mention choice as a junior. A two-time team Offensive MVP for the Stags, he scored 77 points, including 49 goals and 28 assists, a year ago. He was named to the Under Armour Washington, D.C., Underclassman All-Star Team in 2007 and was a Maryland Top 44 Freestate Team selection. He also was DeMatha’s rookie of the year and underclassman offensive player of the year as a freshman in 2005. Smail is a four-year honor roll student.
Eric Smith, an attackman from Lutherville, Md., attends Boys’ Latin School of Maryland, where the Lakers are consistently ranked among the top teams in the nation. The squad reached the lacrosse championship the last two years and won 30-consecutive games. Last year, the team posted an 18-2 record, losing in the title game to Loyola, and Smith recorded 15 goals and eight assists for 23 points. Smith also was a starter on the soccer and basketball teams. The soccer squad reached the championship game each of the past three seasons, winning the 2007 title with Smith in goal. He has earned dean’s list honors.
Peterborough, Ontario, native Brock Sorensen is a defenseman at Salisbury School this season as a postgraduate after attending Kenner Collegiate. He won the Canadian Junior A Box Lacrosse National Minto Cup Championship in 2006 with the Lakers and served as team captain in 2007. He played for the Under-19 Ontario champions from 2004-06 and was team captain in his final year with the squad. Sorensen will represent Team Canada in the ILF Under-19 World Championship this summer, where he will face future Buckeye teammate James Green of Team USA. He also won the Brogden Cup title in 2006 and was a member of the squad that won the Canadian Under-19 field championship. Sorensen was a three-time athlete of the year at Kenner Collegiate.
Midfielder Stephen Tepsick, a native of Huntington, Md., attends DeMatha Catholic High School with Smail. A four-year member of the varsity team, he is a two-time second-team All-WCAC choice and two-time Maryland Top 44 Freestate Team selection. Tepsick has been an honor roll student at DeMatha and is involved in community service projects as both a big brother and as a member of First Lutheran Senior Youth group.
