Sullivan Rock was always drawn to contact sports in his younger years. Yet it was one with the most swiftness in lacrosse that drew him deeper into the game–leading to him becoming one of the more well-rounded players and captains in recent memory for Valley Regional.

The Warriors’ senior attacker played football and basketball growing up and tacked on lax when he was in fourth grade after being introduced to the sport through a friend and Sullivan’s dad. He later dropped hoops in grade school, and then he had the pigskin go by the way side to focus more on his pure passion in lacrosse.

This year as a senior captain for the Valley boys’ lacrosse team, Sullivan had 32 goals, 18 assists, 33 ground balls, and seven caused turnovers while being awarded with the club’s Don Huggins Scholarship.

“I have always had fun playing contact sports, and with lacrosse, I liked how there was more running involved, and I could prove myself out there,” says Sullivan. “Practicing a lot outside of the team practices and games has helped me a lot. I am always shooting around, like playing wall ball or just finding an open net to shoot at. I will shoot around for about an hour to help improve accuracy. Taking my reps and practices seriously has helped me, too.”

Sullivan took the initiative as a senior and leader to pilot the offense this spring, but it came in large part to his faith in his colleagues. The camaraderie amongst them all helped heal some of the bigger physical scars he took on a daily basis.

“With my teammates’ abilities, I took charge of the offense, and I trusted my teammates to make plays. It was all about relying on them and each of us pushing each other,” Sullivan says. “The physical aspect of an attacker can be tough; I would come home from practices and games with all sorts of bumps and bruises. The dodging aspect of the game can be hard, too, and still needing to make plays while getting hit out there.”

While improving his ball handling skills and passing game, Sullivan knows there is always work to be done. He just keeps firing away when he can to be a sure shot switch shooter.

“I feel I have gotten really good with my weak hand abilities to pass and catch, which has helped me a lot,” says Sullivan. “As far as weaknesses, my off-hand shooting is not as accurate with my left hand. It is not terrible, but I could use some work on it.”

Errors will inevitably come along the way when it comes to playing such a fast-paced contest. Sullivan remarks that all it takes is an even quicker memory and sudden shift to the next shift and possession at hand.

“I just focus on the next play always,” Sullivan says. “I brush off any mistakes and concern myself with making it all up on the next play. I also stopped letting defenders get in my head because it helps to limit my mistakes.”

The boys and Sullivan took in plenty of triumphs away from the turf this year. They always made time for each other away from the sidelines to foster greater bonds while prepping for game day by studying tape.

“This year, we did a lot of team activities together away from the field and had film sessions before practices. We all really put in the work through practices and helping the younger players, and those younger kids really stepped up too this year.”

Valley boys’ lacrosse Head Coach Colby Hawkins says Sullivan was a terrific template for the younger guys on the roster by setting the pace in terms of hustle and conduct in all phases of being an athlete. He additionally helped with whatever it took to grow both the program and the youth interest in lax.

“Sully has been a team leader in many forms from setting an example for his work ethic, holding players accountable for being at practice, and helping with team support responsibilities,” says Hawkins. “Sully has rallied the team for fundraising events, gotten them hyped on the sidelines for games, and been a positive role model to middle and elementary school players who came out to watch our high school games”

Throughout his dual life as both a student and competitor, Sullivan made sure he knew where his priorities lied when it came to hitting the books. He also grasped the totality of leadership through his captain appointment.

“I have always tried to put schoolwork first; I always make sure to get my homework in before practices and games,” says Sullivan. “Being an athlete has really helped me grow through the connections I made while being on this team. I also think that being a captain for this team at Valley made me a much more responsible person.”