Princeton-bound senior defenseman and New Canaan resident Derick Raabe of the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, Conn., is looking forward to one more season of preparing to take his game to the next level.
* Player’s perspective archive
What have you been doing to get ready for the season?
During the winter I have been in the weight room trying to stay in shape and get a little bigger. I’ve been playing a lot of pickup basketball to work on footwork and agility, as well as trying to play lacrosse when the weather’s nice out.
Can you talk about some of the key players you lost from last year and how you think you will be able to replace them?
Last year, we lost a lot of great players; attackmen George Sherman (Brown) and Kyle O’Keefe (Bucknell) were huge parts of our offense and produced a lot for us. PG defensemen Baxter Lanius (Lehigh) and Chris Nourse (Georgetown) were also great defensive players who were really helped us out. Goalie Dan Marcus (Denver) also graduated, so we have plenty of space to fill on defense and offense.
How does your scrimmage schedule look and which ones are you looking forward to most?
Our spring trip is going to be at Hotchkiss this year on our new turf field, so hopefully the weather will permit. I know we have a scrimmage lined up with a high school from Maine, and hopefully another against Greenwich High School or possibly Ridgefield.
What players on your team do you think will surprise some people this season?
Starting defensively, I think junior goalie Sam Grinberg will surprise a lot of people, he has great potential. New junior d-pole Brandon Doodian, along with seniors Tripper Gandy and Patrick Korn will also help us out a lot on defense. PG Justin McGinnis (Ohio State) is also a great player who can play midfield and attack, and so is four year player Teddy Mackenzie.
What do you think the strength of your team will be this year?
We lost a lot of people last year, but hopefully we will still have a strong team. I think our midfield will be very strong, and ideally we can have three lines running throughout the game so everyone is rested and going 100 percent every shift. Jack Ottman (W&L) and possibly Teddy Mackenzie and Justin McGinnis should lead us between the lines.
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