Ridgefield’s run to the 2011 Connecticut Class L state championship won’t soon be forgotten.
Neither will the role Sean Wilkinson played in it.
The lefty attackman scored in the top shelf off a sidearm shot that began with a nice move from behind the cage in the closing seconds.
It gave the Tigers an 11-10 win over Fairfield Prep.
“If you would of told me that I would have the ball in my stick with 30 seconds left in the state championship, I would of said you’re nuts,” said Wilkinson, who first made a name for himself in hockey.
The confidence from that title winner has carried over and helped secure Wilkinson a spot at the Division I level in lacrosse.
As we told you yesterday on Twitter, the speedy, 5-foot-7, 150-pound senior will play for the College of Holy in Worcester, Mass.
Now, here’s a Q&A with Sean on his commitment.
What were the main factors in your decision?
One of the biggest factors and a factor that I think every recruit should take into strong consideration was the coach at Holy Cross. Jim Morrissey is a great guy and I got that feeling from the first day I met him. Aside from being a great coach and a really nice guy, Coach Morrissey was a lefty attackman who also played hockey growing up. So in that respect we had a lot of common ground and he knew where I was coming from.
Also, Holy Cross itself obviously had a large impact on my decision. It is an outstanding school and I feel like sometimes in the recruiting process kids forget that the “school” is the most important thing. (Ridgefield) Coach (Roy) Colsey reminds us that after four years, it’s the academics that are going to take you places.
What other schools were you considering and what schools did you visit?
At first I was mainly focusing on top D-III NESCAC schools like Middlebury and Amherst. I visited Middlebury several times for hockey and lacrosse. However, as the recruiting process went on, I got more and more interest from D-I coaches. I visited Holy Cross, Dartmouth, RPI and Middlebury, but once I stepped on to the campus at Holy Cross and met with the team, I knew it was the place for me.
What are your strengths as a player and how would you describe your style of play?
My greatest attributes are probably my quickness, speed and vision. I can beat a defender on the first step or two and from there I am able to use my vision to find the open man. I also like to play the wing on faceoffs because I pride myself on ground balls and am strong in transition. I score when I can but most of the time I am trying to set up other guys.
What were some of the biggest recruiting showcase events you competed in over the summer?
I played with Roy Colsey’s Team Superstar’s Blue team and we participated in all of the major tournaments and showcases. The UMass Mid-Summer Classic and The Battle of the Hotbeds were the two that I remember most. I also attended the Dartmouth and Middlebury showcases.
All of these tournaments and showcases were very well represented by college coaches.
Our Team Superstar team was stacked with talent and was one of the strongest teams that I have ever played on. We won multiple tourney’s throughout the summer and the coaches: Colsey, (Tim) Schurr, (Mike) Solazzo and (Al) Meola did an incredible job. I can’t thank them enough for how much they taught me and how much fun it was to play for such a great team with so many great players. It seemed as if every player on the team was going to play college lacrosse.
How did last year’s state-title run help your confidence grow and what are your many thoughts now on the team’s accomplishment?
Throughout the season my confidence grew exponentially. If you would of told me that I would have the ball in my stick with 30 seconds left in the state championship, I would of said you’re nuts. My coach, Roy Colsey, definitely had a lot to do with building my confidence as the season went on. He moved me to offensive middie and that provided me with a lot more touches and allowed me to get much more comfortable with taking the ball to the net.
It was an incredible feeling to win our first ever Class L State Championship but you know what they say about being a great team. You have to keep on being a great team.
Our goals for this year are no different.Win another state and FCIAC championship.
How do you think Ridgefield will do this coming season and what players will have big impact and who might be some surprises?
I think we have a very strong team for this upcoming spring. We have to pick up defensively due to the loss of our three starting long poles from last year, but we have some guys who are definitely up to the challenge.
Offensively, we have a lot of our veteran attack and middies coming back which will help us for sure. As for surprises, I would say keep an eye out for our team defense with our longstick middies and goalies leading the way.
* For more info on Sean, check out his player profile by clicking here.
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Posted In: fciac, Recruiting Rundown
Congrats Seany. All the best!
Nice “get” for the new Holy Cross coach.