SV Lacrosse Team Sets a High Bar for Success

Every high school team wants to reach the playoffs or advance to the next level, but coming off a semi-final finish in the state championships, the Seneca Valley High School boys lacrosse team faces a high standard.

New coach Peet Poillon intends to raise the bar, despite the fact that Seneca Valley has lost eight of 10 starters, leaving just two attackers to carry on the tradition.

“I’m excited because I think we have a great group of guys who are young but very committed,” Poillon said. “They’re hard workers and a good group of kids. We’re going to be an extremely hard-working lacrosse team that pays attention to details, and everyone seems to have bought into that already.”

If big results start from big goals, Seneca Valley just hoisted the bar to the top, but Poillon admits it might be a long and steady climb.

“My goals are to win a WPIAL Championship for the first time,” Poillon said. “No team from [Western PA] ever has won a state championship in lacrosse, so that will be our next goal. Philadelphia has a lot of powerhouse teams. We’ll definitely have our work cut out for ourselves there. That’s more of a long-term goal, but for right now, we have a great support group and a great group of kids who are working hard.”

Poillon said he saw “a ton of enthusiasm all over the field” during Seneca Valley’s tryouts last week.

“The kids were doing everything the right way, so I can’t wait to get everyone together and start practicing as a varsity team,” he said.

Another reason Poillon is excited about Seneca Valley’s future is his group of assistants, which includes two experienced defensive experts: veteran Raiders coach Pete Juram and Lance Diamond, a former Baltimore Maryland County lacrosse defensive standout. Former Seneca Valley lacrosse offensive leader Chad Melberg will concentrate on the Raiders’ attackers.

Besides his coaching duties, Poillon is playing a second consecutive season as a professional midfielder with the Chesapeake Bayhawks, the current champ in the six-team Major League Lacrosse League. The Bayhawks play out of Annapolis, MD, in the premier lacrosse pro league in the country.

Poillon might not need much help coaching Seneca Valley’s attackers. He earned the nickname “Pistol Peet” around the MLL after taking a league-leading 113 shots and ranking among the leaders with 41 points despite the fact teams began double-teaming him late in the season.

Poillon, a 2005 graduate, was a member of the 2001 and inaugural Raiders Lacrosse team, which his father, Neil, started.

Poillon played lacrosse at Howard Community College in Maryland, in addition to stops at Ohio State and the Universtity of Maryland Baltimore County. Besides being named the Bayhawks’ most improved player, he was recognized as a league All-Pro midfielder.

“It definitely was a very exciting year for a very young team,” he said. “We’re a really young and enthusiastic bunch who enjoys playing together. Professional lacrosse is a growing sport that definitely has had its ups and downs in the current economy.”

Poillon said it’s easier to instruct kids when they can watch their coach compete in the same sport and use the same techniques.

“After they see you play [professionally], they can see why we’re doing the things we’re doing in practice,” Poillon said. “The things I’m telling them to do, they do work. We give them concrete lacrosse techniques and strategies that work. I’m not making anything up.

“They definitely listen, because they’re good kids, and we’re going to try to teach things that will bring them success,” he said. “I’m 23, and I’m not that far removed from being a high school kid, so I think I can relate to those kids easily. I have a very young staff and I think we’ll bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm to the program.”

The league is expanding to Charlotte, NC, and Poillon said Pittsburgh remains under consideration for a future franchise.

“It’s not there yet, but it could be a potential market in the next five or ten years,” he said.

The Bayhawks start training camp in April.

“It’s not the most ideal situation driving down to Maryland and back, but it’s what I need to do,” Poillon said. “It’s not a full-time job playing lacrosse, so I make sure I’m down there for the games and as many training sessions as I can. Fortunately, there are no games that conflict with our [Seneca Valley’s] schedule.

“It’s not the easiest thing in the world, but I still love playing. Because I care so much about Seneca Valley lacrosse and want to take it to the next level, balancing the two isn’t a problem for me. I’m willing to do it and I’m fortunate to have so many guys on my staff who know what it takes to put championships together.”