By Kyle LoJacono
Wiregrass Ranch junior-to-be lacrosse player Leo Thomas Casey Jr. stood at centerfield with the Bulls tied with cross-town rival Wesley Chapel 6-6 at the Summer Shooters game on June 18.
Casey was picked to take the braveheart, where each team has one player and a goalie, to try and break the tie. All he had to do was get past the one defender and score on the Wildcats goalie and the Bulls would leave victorious. However, Casey is a defenseman who hadn’t ever even attempted a braveheart before.
“My teammates chose me to go in for the braveheart tiebreaker,” Casey said. “As I took the field I thought this should be interesting because I had never even taken a face-off before. The whistle blew, and I knew I only had one shot at the goal. I was too tired from playing the full game to run back down the field to defend the other player’s shot.”
Casey got the ground ball and took off toward the net.
“This would be my only chance to score,” Casey said. “I dodged right, took the shot and hoped for the best.”
Casey started his approach to the net and got past Wesley Chapel defender Gordon Rouche and found an opening in the lower left corner of the net and put a shot past goalie Marc Ward.
“I heard screaming and yelling, so I turned around and my entire team was running at me and tackled me into a dog pile and were going crazy because I made the shot,” Casey said.
Casey also plays for an elite travel team called the Tampa Tribe, which plays at Wesley Chapel District Park. He plans on playing long pole defense for the Bulls lacrosse club next season.
