Morris Steps Up For John Jay Lax

With senior All-American Mike Daniello out due to a hamstring injury, the John Jay boys lacrosse squad needed someone to help fill the scoring void created by his absence.

“Mike Daniello possibly will return for the playoffs,” John Jay coach Tim Schurr said. “He’s going to be out four-to-six weeks depending on his recovery, how he’s doing. Four weeks brings him into the playoffs, six weeks has him as a spectator.”

John Jay (5-3) is obviously hoping for the former, but in the meantime senior attackman Brendan Morris—who leads the Indians at 19 goals scored—has stepped up big-time, registering four goals and three assists in a huge 13-8 triumph on April 26 against defending Section 1 Class A champion and state-semifinalist, host Lakeland/Panas.

“The matchups worked out really well,” Morris said. “Their defense is good and with Mike out, I felt more pressure to step up on attack. I just took advantage of the opportunities that I had.”

It was especially important to take advantage of those opportunities against such a talented squad like the Rebels.

“They are the defending Class A champions so it was a big game for us,” Morris said. “We lost to another top Section 1 team, Yorktown, earlier—so this really helped us out. We wanted to prove that we can beat the best in Section 1 and it was an important win for us.”

One reason why Morris is able to take advantage of his opportunities is because of his grit on the field.

“The first thing that comes to mind is Brendan’s toughness,” Schurr said. “He plays with a certain recklessness and disregard for his own body that as a coach you admire—but as a parent you’re probably anxious in the stands. He just knows what’s going on because he’s a smart player.”

While Morris may be in the limelight now because of Daniello’s absence, Schurr stresses that he has always been one of John Jay’s prominent players.

“Quite honestly, Brendan has been a big player. This is my second year coaching here and Brendan has been a big part of both teams,” Schurr said. He’s so tenacious on the ride that he gives us opportunities to make plays where he probably doesn’t even have the right to make it,” Schurr said. “He oftentimes turns it into a good setup situation and good scoring opportunity. He’s been a big player even though everybody on the team has probably played in Mike's shadow."

Senior midfielder Forrest Walter, who will play at Colgate University next year, can attest to Morris’ ability to come through when he is needed the most.

“He’s really helpful,” Walter said. “He has great vision and he moves the ball well. He gets it done when it counts. You really need a player like that on your team. He stepped up when Mikey got hurt and he's a pleasure to play with.”

Like Walter, Morris will also play at the college level—he and his twin brother, Jimmy Morris, will join Alex Lanza at Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania next year.

“It’s really exciting,” Brendan Morris said. “My brother and I never planned on going together but playing four years of lacrosse together was hard to pass up. It will help each of us being able to play with two other people that we already played with in high school.”

Of course, before playing in college, there is the matter of defending John Jay’s Section 1 Class B championship.

“We’re looking to compete for a sectional championship, especially after losing to Yorktown in the beginning of the year— that is what we are trying to get back to,” Morris said.