Payoff from growth season is hope for Jags boys lacrosse

Coach Cater was part of the inaugural lacrosse coaches hall of fame

If the 2023 season was one of growth (6-8, outscoring the opposition by 16 goals) for the Jefferson boys lacrosse program, watch out for what the Jaguars have in store for 2024 behind hall-of-fame coach Scott Cater.

Entering his 27th season coaching at Jefferson (28th overall), Cater was part of the inaugural Hall of Fame class for the boys’ lacrosse coaches association last spring.

Cater owns the longest tenure and is the winningest coach in Minnesota with a 241-133 overall record (237-130 at Jefferson) as the superlatives go on with a winning record 19 times with 10-plus wins 13 times during a 13-game regular season.

The 2000 and 2003 state championships were runner-up in 2015.

Coaching alongside Cater this year is Riley Boehm for his seventh season while Ryan Gillard begins his first season with the varsity program. Junior Varsity coaches Tyler Lundberg (third season) and Brandon Sjostrand (second season).

The Jaguars return 17 players with varsity experience including junior attack Kevin Graff who led the scoring with 40 points on 28 goals. Cater said of the Dartmouth commit and captain, “Kevin sets a tone for our offense and has a knack for scoring when we need it most.”

Captains include a pair of second-team all-state seniors Owen Baker and Bennett Lindman. Baker leads by example as one of the state’s top six defenders. “He had no off switch, he battles all game long for his team. Opposing attackmen don’t like playing against Owen, and that’s how we like it.”

As for Lindman’s importance between the posts as the goaltender for the Jaguars, Cater simply said, “Bennett is a game changer,” adding his all-state honoree makes him one of the top goalies in the state. Cater believes he is best after making 149 saves and expects that number of saves to increase.

Junior defenseman Eric Johns is the defender in the back that the Jaguars need. “Eric has outstanding lacrosse IQ and plays such a fundamentally strong defense that opponents are disrupted by his skill and execution,” Cater said.

Back in the attack is senior Carson Weiler who is a strong finisher with 31 points on 22 goals last season. Cater noted his shot placement is elite and his off-ball movement helps create instant offense.

Junior middie Jay Howat returns as an All-Metro West Conference selection and All-Section honorable mention player. “Jay’s deceptive moves and rocket shot are going to cause other teams some major problems,” Cater said as Howat had 25 points on 18 goals as the third-best scorer last spring.

Sophomore Mason Van Brunt is going to focus on face-offs as a major contributor in the middle. As an eighth grader, he won 47 draws and last year won 95 draws. “If he keeps doubling that, we will benefit from that greatly,” Cater said. “As winning faceoffs in lacrosse gets you the possession and in tight games, you have to win faceoffs. Mason is becoming a threat on offense, we are excited to see what he brings this year.”

Tough schedule continues

Cater doesn’t shy away from a challenge when forming the non-conference opponents for the Jaguars.

Last year they lost multiple games to ranked teams by one goal. “It really speaks to the strength within our roster,” he said. “We are a good team and played like one all season long. We had numerous guys step up and get more and more varsity minutes which will help us as we move into 2024.”

He pointed out the increase in assists as the season moved along as a sign of the progress made by the offense instead of relying on individuals to generate quality scoring chances.

The strength of the Jaguars remains with the defense.

“Holding Shakopee, Eastview, Prior Lake, and Edina to some of the lowest goal totals of their seasons is something to be proud of and we did that throughout the season to them and numerous other teams.”

Adding to the Section 6 lineup is Shakopee and Eden Prairie which only fortifies the deepest sections in the state with Prior Lake, Edina, Rosemount and Eastview/Apple Valley. Cater noted a Section 6 team has made it to the state championship game each year from 2012-2023 except for 2017.

East View in 2012-13, Rosemount in 2014, Jefferson in 2015 and Prior Lake a mind-boggling six times in eight years (2016-2023). There wasn’t a state tournament in 2020 and the Lakers fell short in 2017.

Jefferson has a tough test right out of the gate as they visit a Shakopee squad coming off a 14-5 performance last season.

The Jaguars will host Kennedy/Burnsville for the annual B-town Battle on the Jaguars turf Wednesday, April 17, and host Senior Night Thursday, May 16, against Blake.