Wisler's play has Jaguars heading in right direction
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

JACKSON - A year ago, Ben Wisler just began toying around with a lacrosse stick.

A hockey player in the winter season, Wisler had a general knowledge of the spring sport, but the Jackson High School student had never played an organized game before. During his sophomore season, he went out for the team and earned a spot as a backup goalie on the lacrosse team.

Hard work during the offseason, combined with an opportunity to step into the starting position this season, has left both Wisler and the Jackson boys lacrosse program for the better.

Jackson captured its third win of the season last week with a 4-2 win over Brick Township. Wisler was brilliant, making 15 saves, many coming from point-blank range.

"He has been outstanding all season," Jackson coach Nick Caruso said. "He has really stepped up his game in the last year. He is a hockey player, so his reflexes are outstanding. He has been our best player this year. We're really happy with his progress."

In fact, it was the defense of Wisler that allowed Jackson to maintain the lead against Brick. The Jaguars forged ahead 3-2 by halftime. Jackson, however, struggled to mount any scoring chances in the second half. Wisler, in the meantime, shut down the Brick offense, turning back scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity.

"He was the difference in the game," Caruso said. "He came up with a number of big, big stops. Offensively we had a hard time getting anything going. He did a good job of not allowing the momentum swing too much in their favor."

Jay Petrucci paced the offense with a pair of goals. Chris Farrar and Mike McKiernan each contributed a goal to round out Jackson's scoring. McKiernan scored Jackson's insurance goal with two minutes remaining.

"It was close right to the end of the game," Caruso said. "They were a pretty solid club. It was nice to get out of that game with a victory. We still have a few things we need to work on as a team. Defensively, we need to give Ben a little more help. We can't expect him to put the effort he did today in every game. "

Caruso expected Wisler to challenge for the starting role at the start of the season. He never dreamed, however, that he would get this level of play from him this early in his career.

"Most people don't understand how difficult it is to step up and become a lacrosse goalie," Caruso said. "In addition to putting time in to sharpen their skills, they are expected to be leaders on the field. Ben has really filled this description. All season long he has been an example of how we should work."

Caruso praised the work ethic of both McKiernan and Farrar, who leads the team in scoring with six goals and six assists.

"We're getting some solid efforts out there," Caruso said. "We're where I expected us to be at this point in the season. But I also see a lot of room for improvement. That is our goal right now. We need to get better in certain areas if we expect to be playing in the postseason."