Hempstead, New York – The NCAA Division I Hofstra Pride Men’s Lacrosse team announced 4 of its players, including 2014 Loveland High School grad Tanner Griffin, were voted to the All-Colonial Athletic Association
Preseason Team.

In the All-CAA Preseason Team voting, Hofstra honorees included defender Tanner Griffin, the 2014 Southern Ohio Region High School Lacrosse Player of the Year. Griffin was elected as a USILA High School All-American his senior season at Loveland High.

A starter since arriving on campus, Griffin stood out in 2016, playing in all 15 games and picking up a career-high 25 ground balls for the Pride. Very adept at forcing turnovers, he recorded six caused turnovers last year to bring his two-year total to 14. Griffin also assisted on the game winning overtime tally against Princeton Feb 26 in Hempstead, NY. 

The Tanner Griffin File

Big things are expected out of 2017 Preseason All-CAA selection Tanner Griffin. After starting all 14 games and earning CAA All-Rookie team honors in 2015, Griffin, a junior, picked up 25 ground balls and forced six turnovers while playing in 15 games with five starts last season.*

Third season on the Hofstra Lacrosse roster…2017 Preseason All-CAA Team…2016: Played in all 15 games and started five as a sophomore…Recorded one assist, against Princeton, from the back line…Picked up 25 ground balls including a season-high five against St. John’s and four at Massachusetts…Third on the team with six caused turnovers including two against NJIT…Took two shots with one on goal.

2015: CAA All-Rookie Team selection…Started all 14 games on defense as a freshman…Picked up 24 ground balls including a season-high five at Ohio State and four at Princeton…Forced eight turnovers including two against Massachusetts and Fairfield.

High School: Played four years of lacrosse and football at Loveland (OH) High School…Named to the USILA All-America team and voted Southern Ohio Player of the Year as a senior…Also an all-region first team pick in 2014…Picked up 93 ground balls and tallied three goals and two assists in 2014…Earned Under Armour Underclassmen All-America honors as a junior after scooping up 108 ground balls and notching three goals and three assists…Two-time All-ECC selection and all-region pick in 2012 and 2013…Was a three-year varsity starter at safety for the Loveland football team and played on the Ohio Division 2 State Championship team in 2013.

Personal: Has three brothers…Spends his free time working out, staying in shape and spending time with family and friends…Volunteered for Shoes for the Homeless and Christmas for the Homeless drives…Criminology major.

* gohofstra.com

As a sophomore, Clark set the Loveland single season scoring record with 104 points

Loveland, Ohio – Loveland High School lacrosse junior Adam Clark recently committed to play NCAA Division I lacrosse at  Cleveland State University. Clark was standout attackman for the 2016 Div I Southern Ohio Region Champion Tigers. 

“Lacrosse is my passion,” said Clark. “Being able to play at the DI level in college has always been a dream for me. I’ve worked hard on and off the field, and I’m excited for the opportunity to play at the next level.”

Clark garnered the attention of a number of colleges, including Brown and University of Hartford, but he noted Cleveland State was a good fit for him on a number of levels. “I chose CSU for many reasons. Coach Sheridan and I got along immediately,” Adam said.  “He’s very honest and open, and he’s dedicated to developing a top level program at CSU.  He and I share similar philosophies on style of play, too.”

Heading into his junior season, Clark reflected on his role as an integral part of the Tigers.

“I’m looking forward to helping build on the success Loveland had this past spring,” Adam said, an obvious nod to the Tiger’s run through the state playoffs, which included a heart-stopping 3 overtime win over then #1 state-ranked St Xavier  to advance to the state Final Four. Clark had 4 goals in that 6-5 win, the biggest win in program history. Loveland fell to eventual state champion Upper Arlington.  

As a sophomore, Clark set the Loveland single season scoring record with 104 points (74g/30A), and scooped up 43 groundballs. Coached last season by Mike Pritz, Clark earned multiple lacrosse honors, including 3^rd team All-State, 1^st team All-Region, 1^st team All-Conference, 1^st team All-City, and was chosen by his teammates as offensive MVP. Off the field he excels in the classroom, carrying a 3.8 GPA and has been recognized for his academics as a member of the National Honor Society.

“Adam’s commitment to improve is truly what sets him apart,” said Pritz. “To see him go from a freshman looking for a spot on varsity, to the offensive MVP sophomore year really is incredible.  It’s been a pleasure to see his progression as a player.” 

Adam will now prepare himself for his junior season with the Tigers and his future with the Cleveland State Vikings.

Loveland, Ohio – Academic team, also known as Quizbowl, is comparable to a more intense and team-based jeopardy for high school students. It involves high-level trivia, close teamwork and fierce competition. This season, Loveland has seen more success than in recent years, holding #1 in the ECC for several weeks before slipping to #3.

The sport is fairly complicated and involved. Two students operate buzzers, and a moderator asks questions and oversees the four players on each team.

“Each game has four sections. The first two are standard question rounds in which teams collaborate, the third is an alphabet round (in which all the answers must start with the same letter), and the last is a “lightning” round — more of a free for all,” explained JV academic team member and junior, Radu Vasilescu.

In round one, students compete to answer questions covering American literature, math, life science, fine arts and world history. Four students are given trivia questions, and are allowed to answer by buzzing in, as soon as they are confident in their answer .

In the first two rounds, there is an overarching topic (think jeopardy categories, but a little more broad). For example, English world literature may be Shakespearean works.

In round two, participants answer trivia involving English/world literature, government, physical science, world geography and US history. In round one and two, there are two team questions and one tossup.

For the alphabet round, players are given twenty questions, each with answers starting with the same letter. Each correct answer is worth two points. Incorrect or blank answers do not result in penalties.

“On a team question, it is designated to a certain team. They have two guesses. If they are wrong both times, the other team can steal, but they only get one guess. The toss up is a free-for-all. Either team can guess at anytime, but they only have one guess,” explained Varsity academic team player and junior, Riley Owens.

 

 

“It’s been great. The most thrilling moment was with Kings. They had a really good guy who was virtually their entire team. We got really intimidated the first game, but we brought it back together the second game,” explained academic team member, Riley Owens.

“The best moment was probably rallying against Kings. We were losing quite a bit in the first match, but then they pulled it together in the second match and did an outstanding job. I was really proud to see them come back from a loss, and not be defeated,” explained coach and chemistry teacher, Jennifer Chast.

“In my opinion, the best part of the season has been the great convivial mood in the room after a smashing victory, when the whole team comes together.  Seeing effort pay off is more important than any reward,” explained Vasilescu.

Varsity academic team will compete in the AQT tournament on Wednesday the 22nd at 4 PM at Turpin.