Midfielder Helps Scouts Extend State Playoff Run

It was halftime of Lake Forest’s second round playoff game against Libertyville Friday night. Trailing 4-1 to the Wildcats, the starters gathered in the north end zone at Varsity Field.

With his fists clenched, his stare determined, Scouts coach Dan Maigler had a message for his team. Evoking a story from ancient Greek mythology, he called on his team to “burn the boats”.

“There is no turning back. There is no tomorrow. There is no surrender. There are no moral victories,” said Maigler.

While his speech caught the attention of all his players, one in particular needed to process and respond with his actions on the field.

Sean Kelleher, the gangly 6-2, 170-pound senior midfielder, played the second half as if he could have been a soldier in Julius Caesar’s army.

Kelleher's two goals sparked the Scouts to a 8-5 come-from-behind victory. They were also the latest reminders as to why Kelleher is a U.S. Lacrosse All-American player.

“(He) was unstoppable. Some of the times their guys were in the right position. But it’s frustrating playing against a guy that talented. He just puts it away,” said Maigler.

Such as the goal he scored that put Lake Forest ahead for good in the fourth quarter. With the game tied at 5-5, he ran around the right side of the net, launching a shot to the high side of the Wildcat goal, easily beating the shorter goaltender.

It’s a familiar conclusion for Kelleher, who has the size to bounce off defenders and the instincts to put the ball where it needs to go to score. When asked after the game how to describe his style of play, Kelleher answered with a descriptive, combat-style adjective.

“Kamikaze dodging,” said Kelleher, who will be taking his talents to Whittenberg University in Ohio next season. “It’s not too often I’ll dodge and pass it. I like to put it on myself when we are losing and team is down. I figure I have to score to get the team back up.”

His willingness to take on that responsibility hasn't gone unnoticed.

“He improved a ton this season. Last year he would go in and out of playing attack,” said teammate Sean Laughlin, who has played with Kelleher since sixth grade.

If you watch the Scouts bench, you see they have the luxury of five coaches, including offensive coordinator Nick Marks. Early this season, Marks moved Kelleher to midfielder full-time to take advantage of his speed and stamina. A wrestler in the winter, Kelleher might be the best conditioned athlete on the team.

“You have to have good vision and knowledge of where to be at the right time,” said Laughlin of making the transition. “He has that from seeing it from the attack end.”

As the Scouts roll on in the postseason with one of their best seasons in school history, crossing the rubicon will not be possible without defeating a long-time rival.

Lacrosse giant New Trier awaits, and with it, a Tuesday Elite Eight match at 5 p.m. in Winnetka. The outcome will crystallize how far the Scouts, and their leader, have come.

“I think we’re getting under appreciated. If we took them down, it would be enormous,” said Kelleher.

Let the boats burn.