Stevenson will open the Division III men’s lacrosse tournament against Lynchburg on May 10 at 3 p.m., having put together a 14-5 overall mark to this point.
The most important part of Stevenson’s season was the newly named Callum Robinson Mustang Classic, an annual two-day event that now carries the name of a former Stevenson men’s lacrosse star who was killed as part of carjacking in Mexico’s Baja California last year.
Stevenson defeated Lynchburg, 14-8, and St. Lawrence, 11-10, in the Classic in mid-March. Mustang players know how special that event is now.
“I think they fully understand, just from the alumni coming back last year talking to them, just what Callum meant to everybody, just his attitude and how he played and how he spread positivity and how he lived larger than life,” Stevenson head coach Paul Cantabene said on Glenn Clark Radio May 8. “I think all those guys have embraced that and kind of understand who he is and what he was all about. We’re really just excited that everybody keeps remembering him and keeps his memory alive, for sure.”
Stevenson will have to beat Lynchburg one more time in order to advance. One player who didn’t play in the first game was senior midfielder Jack Scaliti, who suffered a torn ACL in his right knee at Dickinson on March 8. He missed more than a month but opted against surgery and returned to action at Alvernia on April 12.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound midfielder has played in 70 games for Stevenson since 2022, scoring 75 goals, dishing out 86 assists and picking up 65 ground balls. Scaliti didn’t want to end his lacrosse career watching from the sideline, so he’s gutting through it.
“I think we wanted to do what he wanted to do, so that’s why we left it open to him. ‘Jack, if you want to try this, let’s do it. If you don’t, then we understand,'” Cantabene said. “Because he wasn’t coming back. Jack’s an incredibly bright kid. He’s already got a job, so he wasn’t coming back. … He wanted to stay with the guys, so we just did what he wanted to do. Him and Cody and the trainer did a great job together.”
Former Stevenson defenseman Jack Seals, who played alongside Scaliti from 2022-2024, is not surprised to see Scaliti playing through a torn ACL. Seals told PressBox that Scaliti is “one of the biggest freak athletes that I have ever seen in my life” because of his speed and strength. In fact, Seals thought Scaliti would never get hurt.
Scaliti reached out to Seals after the injury occurred, seeking advice on the path forward.
“Jack actually called me and asked me, ‘What should I do? I feel like I’ve lost my voice on the team. I’m thinking of playing through this. I want to still lead the team,'” Seals said. “That just speaks to himself. I think his teammates can really see how much it means to him, and they just want to play that much harder for him.”
Six Mustangs have posted 30 or more points this season: attackmen Gavin Gossen (49 goals, 39 assists), Max Racich (54, 19) and Darrell Curtis (44, 23) and midfielders Grant Zick (31, 40), Hunter Bryant (33, 11) and Andrew Searing (26, 4). Sophomores Gossen and Curtis are the youngest of that group.
The defense is led by sophomore Camden Miller (41 ground balls, 19 caused turnovers) and freshman Dominic Jennings (34, 12). Sophomore goalie Tyler Merchant (11.03 goals-against average, 0.512 save percentage) has started all 19 games in net.
Cantabene believes his team is ready to roll.
“I don’t think we have to worry about the offensive guys,” the coach said. “I just think the defensive guys are so young, playing all those sophomores and freshmen at that end of the field. I just think at times it’s a lot for them, but they’ve embraced it. They’ve gotten a lot better over the course of the year and I think they’re going to a great job this weekend.”
For more from Cantabene, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Craig Chase Photography