There’s some added buzz surrounding the Sun Prairie United boys lacrosse program heading into the 2024 season. This spring marks the first year both boys and girls lacrosse will be recognized a sanctioned sport by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA). Boys lacrosse was offered as a club sport prior and participated in the Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation (WLF).
“It’s so nice,” Sun Prairie head coach Andy Schantz said. “We were definitely lucky that we had the backing of this community before the WIAA got involved, though. We were getting treated like a WIAA sport before that. We had funding and respect. For the sport as a whole though, it feels like a dream come true.”
With this new WIAA affiliation came an accelerated start to this new season. United had its first day of practice on Monday, March 11. Its season started just over a week later, a home matchup with Badger Conference rival Watertown on Thursday, March 21.
While this would be a tough transition for most programs, Sun Prairie had the benefit of a wealth of returning talent from the 2023 season. Headlining this group was a pair of second team all-conference selections, senior attacker Austin Weber and junior defenseman Talon Luttrell.
Weber was a go-to scoring threat for the 2023 offense. He tied for the team lead in points scored with 53 thanks to his team-high in goals with 42. He also added 11 assists. Luttrell led the team in both groundballs and forced turnovers with 115 and 52, respectively. He even managed to get involved on the offensive side of things. He tallied 13 points this season, seventh-most on the team, thanks to five goals and eight assists.
That is far from the extent of the returning talent. Joining Weber on the attack will be fellow senior Jaxon Hanson and junior Jackson Jerzak. Jerzak scored 26 total points last season, 13 assists and 13 goals. Hanson wasn’t far behind with 23 points. He finished third on the team in assists with 14 and also added nine goals.
There will also be familiar names surrounding Luttrell on the defensive side of things. Seniors Mikey Mezei and Rylee Blair played in every game last season and bring an added level of experience.
In the midfield, FOGO Braeden Gunderson returns for his senior season. He took a team-high 347 faceoffs last spring, of which he won 113. He also added a pair of assists. Senior Chris Anderson, a one-time FOGO himself prior in his career, now adds more to the attack. He scored 26 points last season thanks to 14 goals and 12 assists.
“We knew we had quite a junior and sophomore class from last season,” coach Schantz said. “They’ve really stepped in for those graduating seniors. That definitely makes things easier on us, especially when the season starts so quickly.”
The visiting Goslings of Watertown saw the extent of this team chemistry and experience in Thursday’s season opener at Bank of Sun Prairie Stadium. United overcame a bit of a slow start to romp to a 16-5 victory.
Thursday marked the first high school start for junior goaltender Jackson Plummer. He made five saves on 10 shots. He only allowed one goal in the first, second, and fourth quarters.
“His quickness is a huge benefit for him,” Schantz said of Plummer. “He’s tall and lanky and gets to where he wants to in a hurry.”
Plummer didn’t have to worry too much about losing the game, because Sun Prairie was scoring in droves. Jerzak and Weber dominated the Watertown defense. The senior duo combined for 11 goals, six from Jerzak and five from Weber. Jerzak also added a pair of assists to finish with a team-high eight points. Anderson scored once and added four assists for five points, Hanson had two assists, and Luttrell scored once.
A newcomer that figures to be an important piece of the attack also emerged. Junior Porter Linnan stepped up and scored a hat trick, including the team’s first goal of this new season.
Things will get tougher for Sun Prairie going forward. United returns to action on Monday, March 25 to face off with another Badger Conference opponent, Edgewood. The Crusaders knocked Sun Prairie out of the WLF state tournament last year, 16-4. Edgewood will host United at Madison La Follette High School at 7 PM. Sun Prairie won’t play at home again until Thursday, April 4 against Verona.
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