Will Angrick was ready for a big junior year after playing defensive middie for Georgetown Prep (Md.) as a sophomore in 2019.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it ended that chance to shine after just three games of the 2020 season. Angrick did not let that disappointment deter his development. After virtual school during the pandemic, he would lift weights in his garage, shoot at George Washington University and play wall ball at the school next door.

“Doing that extra work outside the house with yourself and with your friends was very important to develop the extra step we would have gotten if we played a full junior season,” Angrick said.

When his senior year began, Angrick didn’t look like he had missed out on anything. He was bigger, faster and stronger, and he embraced a bigger role for the Hoyas.

Angrick anchored an outstanding Georgetown Prep team, scoring 41 goals and delivering 18 assists out of the midfield. His consistent efforts earned him the Nike/USA Lacrosse Mid-Atlantic Boys’ Player of the Year after leading the Hoyas to the No. 4 national ranking with a 13-3 season that included their first Interstate Athletic Conference championship since 2014.

“I thought it was a great season,” Angrick said. “I had a lot of fun. I felt like it was a breakthrough season for not only myself but my team as a whole. I think that our team played well together this year, and we found a lot of success. I was really satisfied, and I think my teammates were.”

His growth since sophomore year was most evident in the critical moments of games.

“Will, in many games, had a feel for when momentum was potentially shifting to an opponent and just made a big play at a big time,” Georgetown Prep coach Scott Urick said. “He’s a very unselfish player and makes the right lacrosse plays, but every once in a while, your best player just has to get ball and run by somebody and score. He did that in numerous games and just made a big-time play when it was needed most.”

The highlight of the year was a 6-2 win over Bullis (Md.) for the IAC title on May 25, and Angrick accounted for a third of his team’s goals in the defensive battle.

The Hoyas beat Bullis twice during the season to avenge their overtime loss the first game of the IAC season. Prep hadn’t been able to get that championship win in 2019 after taking the regular season crown.

“It was very special,” Angrick said. “We haven’t won it since 2014, so it’s been a long time coming. We felt like, ‘Why not? Why couldn’t it be us as the senior class to win it?’ I think we were very motivated to do it for our school and our coach. We really pushed each other in practice, off the field and on the field. We had a lot of fun doing it, too. It was a very special championship to have.”

The IAC championship was not the first for Angrick, who quarterbacked the Georgetown Prep football team to a 22-16 win over Bullis for the 2019 IAC title. It was the last football game for Angrick when the pandemic canceled this year’s fall season.

“Football definitely made me a lot tougher,” Angrick said. “I had to work on my strength for playing quarterback to absorb those big hits, and you have to get faster so you can run away from a lot of fast guys in football. I think just getting bigger and faster for football season helped me transition for later in the spring. It also just made me tougher as a person.”

Angrick, who was named a captain for the football and lacrosse teams, went on to a have a big spring for the Hoyas lacrosse squad.

He was recognized as the Most Valuable Player, the IAC Player of the Year, a USA Lacrosse All-American and the winner of the South Region Private School C. Markland Kelly Award. He will compete this summer in the Under Armour All-American Lacrosse Game on July 31.

“By the time he got to the senior spring, there were very few weaknesses in Will’s game,” Urick said. “He’s great at getting the ball up off the ground. He’s got good straightaway speed. He’s shifty enough in changing direction to get separation. He’s can absolutely hammer the ball with both hands. He’s a threat to score from 15 out lefty or righty. He certainly has soft enough hands to finish in tight off a feed. He’s unselfish and moves the ball when appropriate. He obviously was drawing a lot of attention by the midpoint of the season, and he got other guys involved. He’s a dual-threat middie. He can play defense really well. He’s one of the best defensive middies we have.

“He’s the complete midfielder. By most coaches’ metrics, he could do it all. On top of it all, he’s a great student and great leader. He’s the total package. You couldn’t ask for more out of this young man. He was a great teammate, and he had a fantastic season and helped propel us to the IAC title.”

Angrick’s offseason work and dedication helped him emerge a more confident player when he returned to the field this spring. He felt better equipped to take on a leadership role and be able to perform well in big spots.

“Sophomore year, I was a little shier and a little more hesitant,” Angrick said. “The aspect that I’ve grown the most in is my confidence level. This year, I felt like I always had a green light, and I wasn’t afraid to go to the goal and dodge. I was just always in attack mode. Before, I didn’t have that full attack mentality.”

Angrick is preparing to make the jump to play at Notre Dame. He has been following the Fighting Irish lifting and running plan and doing much of the same work with friends that helped put him in position to succeed in his final year at Georgetown Prep.

Urick believes there is plenty more to come from Angrick.

“As athletic as he is, I think he’s still on the upswing there, meaning he’s going to get even more athletic in college,” Urick said. “He has a tremendous work ethic. If there’s one trait you absolutely need going from high school to college, it is that sense of purpose and understanding as good as you might be as a senior in high school, you’re about to embark on a team that has 30-40 guys just like you. So how are you going to continue to be at the top of that heap? It takes a little bit of effort and energy, and I don’t think Will is in any shape or form going to back down from that.”

Nike/USA Lacrosse High School Rankings

National Boys' Top 25 | National Girls' Top 25
Northeast Boys' Top 10 | Northeast Girls' Top 10
Mid-Atlantic Boys' Top 10 | Mid-Atlantic Girls' Top 10
South Boys' Top 10 | South Girls' Top 10
Midwest Boys' Top 10 | Midwest Girls' Top 10
West Boys' Top 10 | West Girls' Top 10

presented by

FINAL NIKE / USA LACROSSE
MID-ATLANTIC BOYS’ TOP 10

1. St. John’s College High (D.C.), 11-1

St. John’s is here to stay. Despite having just four seniors, the Cadets emerged as an impressive force this season. They twice beat Georgetown Prep (Md.), handled DeMatha (Md.) twice and stopped Gonzaga (D.C.) in their only meeting. Taft (Conn.) was the only team to beat them. Mac Haley, Gavin Kelly, Ryan Duenkel, Luke Rhoa and Michael Thal-Larsen highlighted a balanced offense that will be even more dangerous next year, while Richard Checo headlined a stingy defense in front of goalie Caleb Fyock.

2. Georgetown Prep (Md.), 13-3

The Hoyas fell to St. John’s College High (D.C.) twice but otherwise were stellar all season. After an early overtime loss to Bullis, Prep rattled off 10 straight wins, including two over Bullis. In the teams’ third meeting, the Hoyas beat Bullis for their first IAC Championship in seven years. A balanced offense and steady defense propelled Prep all season. Will Angrick posted 41 goals and 18 assists on the year, Zach Whittier had 24 goals with a team-high 29 assists, Colin Burns scored 31 goals to go with 21 assists and Hugh Mullane delivered 33 goals and 12 assists.

3. Boys’ Latin (Md.), 10-4

The Lakers peaked at the perfect time to capture the MIAA A championship. Seeded fifth, Boys’ Latin went through fourth-seeded Loyola-Blakefield (Md.), top-seeded and unbeaten McDonogh (Md.) and second-seeded Archbishop Spalding (Md.) for a memorable run that avenged three of the team’s four losses. Dominic Pietramala, Ben Smith and Eddie Loyd were named to the All-MIAA A Conference team. Boys’ Latin also started the season well with a non-league win over perennially strong Haverford (Pa.).

4. McDonogh (Md.), 11-1         

The Eagles’ season concluded after going unbeaten through the MIAA regular season and reaching the playoff semifinals. They were dominant through the regular season with only two wins coming by fewer than three goals. McDonogh had more players named All-MIAA A Conference than any other team with Jack Horrigan, McCabe Millon, Dante Trader and Malachi Jones all recognized.

5. Malvern Prep (Pa.), 19-2

Malvern capped its season by winning the Inter-Ac championship. The Friars lost to Archbishop Spalding to open the year but then went on a 12-game winning streak. They avenged their only other loss of the year in the Inter-Ac final with a convincing 14-5 win over Haverford. Eric Spanos was named Most Valuable Player in the Inter-Ac. Joining Spanos on the All-League team were defenseman Jake Brownley, LSM Mike Buono, midfielder Cooper Frankenheimer, attack Colin McGill, attack Will Peden and midfielder Nick Potemski.

6. Archbishop Spalding (Md.), 12-3

The Cavaliers knocked off Malvern (Pa.) in the second game of the season, a precursor to the best season in school history. They placed second in the MIAA regular season and reached their first MIAA A championship game. Their impressive season included a first-ever win over Calvert Hall since joining the A Conference in 2005, and they scored a league-high 182 goals. Michael Weisshaar was named the C. Markland Kelly Award winner in the ‘A’ division after scoring 48 goals, contributing 23 assists and winning 53 ground balls. Alex Ross and Josh Tang joined him on the All-MIAA A Conference team.

7. Don Bosco (N.J.), 18-0

Don Bosco took its first New Jersey Tournament of Champions title with an 11-7 win over previously unbeaten Summit (N.J.). The Ironmen were impressive start to finish this spring. The offense hummed while led by the trio of Koleton Marquis (42 goals, 55 assists), Connor Gorman (57 goals, 30 assists) and Mason Carfello (38 goals, 25 assists), and all three are just juniors. Robert Simone won 80 percent of all faceoffs, Liam Sayre led the team with 49 ground balls, and Damien Blando had key defensive stops. Don Bosco edged Mountain Lakes (N.J.) in an early showdown 8-7 and the only other team to come within four goals of the Ironmen was Delbarton (N.J.), which Bosco beat 11-8 in its state title run.

8. DeMatha (Md.), 7-2

The Stags reached the semifinals of the Washington D.C. Championship before falling to St. John’s College High (D.C.). DeMatha picked up big wins over Gonzaga (D.C.) and Bullis (Md.) to reach the semifinals in the final season for coach Scott Morrison. Attackman Jordan Galloway led the offense this season with 30 goals and 14 assists, midfielder Dakota Eierman added 15 goals and eight assists and defenseman Ryan Morrison posted a team-high 62 ground balls and 28 caused turnovers.

9. Summit (N.J.), 18-1

The Hilltoppers fell to Don Bosco in the New Jersey Tournament of Champions final 11-7 after winning their first 18 games of the season. Summit knocked off Mountain Lakes in the semifinals. Luke DiNola finished with a team-high 50 goals and added 23 assists. Michael Bonomo was just behind with 45 goals to go with 11 assists. Dylan Sebastian had 37 goals and a team-high 27 assists. Will O’Connell allowed only 4.7 goals per game.

10. Bullis (Md.), 8-5      

Bullis was one of only two teams to knock off Georgetown Prep this season, and the Bulldogs won two out of three games with St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes. They rallied around a strong defense led by All-American goalie Jack Fracyon, who had a 61 percent save rate. Tyler Kuehl also garnered All-American honors as a long-stick midfielder after causing 30 turnovers and winning 70 ground balls. Ethan Till was named the best defender in the area and All-IAC after causing 21 turnovers and scooping up 32 ground balls. Junior Tucker Wade paced the offense with 28 goals and 10 assists.