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07/16/2024 11:24 AMJack Orlando has stayed poised and composed under pressure, regardless of the circumstances. And so it comes as little shock that his teammates followed his flow and fought their way to the top in one of the more astounding in-season turnarounds.
The Tigers boys’ lacrosse netminder started playing lacrosse all the way back in first grade and never stopped with the sport. While he grew up playing both attacker and goalkeeper on opposite sides of the ball, he settled in between the pipes for Hand.
This season as a senior, Jack helped swat aside shots in net for the Tigers, as they went on an historic run to capture the program’s first-ever state championship following a 1-6 start to the spring. Personally, Jack also surpassed the 600-career saves milestone in the process during this campaign–finishing fifth in all-time saves with 628–and nabbed himself an All-State Team selection.
“I always like the camaraderie between teammates with the sport, and I just love the game itself,” says Jack. “One thing that has helped me a lot has been my training; I have gone to a lot of camps and learned so many things about being a goalie. My dad [Hand Head Coach John Orlando] also taught me a lot, and he would shoot on me both before and after practices.”
Jack’s background as an attacker shines through while in net–looking to venture out and try his aim at a goal himself. He explains that when it comes to pressure-packed moments late in tight games, he tries his best to stand tall no matter the magnitude of the moment.
“For playing goalkeeper, I love just clearing the ball, running down the field, and maybe getting a shot on the opposite net if I am lucky,” Jack says. “What can be tough is during close games in those moments when it may come down to one single save. It can be hard to dial in sometimes during those moments.”
Jack has a one-track mind when it comes to following up on mistakes and allowed tallies. The one focus is leaving the past behind and working swiftly to atone for any critical errors made in a given contest.
“When I am down, I just focus on making the next stop,” says Jack. “I realize that you cannot change what has happened in the past. I motivate myself to move onto the next play and try to make that next save to make up for what I did not do on the prior play.”
While Jack would like to become a more dynamic facilitator of the ball, he certainly is quite talented when feeding the rock to others. He can create some head-turning passes to the delight of his teammates without even batting an eye on them in some cases.
“I feel like I have mastered my behind-the-back passes,” Jack says. “Sometimes during practices, I would throw for 40 yards behind my back, and the guys would be amazed at it. One thing I could improve is my shots on the run, along with coming across to shoot.”
In the win-or-go-home format of the state tournament, Jack elected to not become a casualty of the pressure that the postseason typically evokes. He took things with a piecemeal approach and never looked too far ahead down the road.
“During states, I just locked in and did not think about the game too much,” Jack says. “I told myself to take things shot by shot and game by game. I just stayed focused on the present and that current moment and that play while staying ready for anything.”
John Orlando explains that Jack never leaves any stone unturned when it comes to putting in the work on a daily basis for his team. Another asset of Jack’s game has been his cerebral sharpness–allowing him to be a dynamic threat with a diverse skill set.
“Jack has been a three-year varsity goalie, leading the defense and has been a large part of our success the past three years,” says Orlando. “He always shows up to practice and games focused and ready to compete and get better every day. His approach has been noticed by teammates and coaches and has also helped for all the players to work everyday. He is competitive and challenges shooters in practice and games. Jack has spent time in the offseason playing on club teams and also attending national showcases and prospect days always looking to improve. In addition to making saves, he has a high lax IQ, which allows him to help in the clearing game, coming out of the net, getting ground balls, and making accurate passes up the field, sometimes 40-plus yards.”
Jack and the Tigers even surprised themselves with how they went from rags to riches in about two month’s time. Still, when he now reflects on the remarkable ride to the top prize, he knows it came from a steadfast dedication to the team daily, no matter what the odds dictated.
“Winning the state title after how we started was really shocking,” says Jack. “I do not think anyone thought we could have won states or even made states when we were 1-6. We were all so shocked and happy with the win. It was amazing to see us battle back and stay motivated and focused through it all.”
Personally, Jack’s tenure as a Tiger taught him a great deal about the benefits of perseverance–namely in the face of adversity. He also walked away from the turf with a terrific understanding of teamwork and the ultimate template of what can be accomplished in such a short span of time with it.
“Playing for Hand has made me stronger as a person, face challenges, and get through them,” says Jack. “My time with Hand as an athlete made me more resilient as a person and gave me the ability to stand up to anything. It also showed me how to be a good teammate and support others.”