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WSL Arizona Boys Player of the Year
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By James Joseph
WSL Senior Features Writer
Chaparral senior attackman Andre Haglund led Arizona Youth Lacrosse League Division I players in scoring with 55 points on 34 goals and 21 assists in 2009.
But it was Haglund’s emphasis on team play – not personal statistical accomplishment – that keyed the Firebirds’ run to their first state title since 2006.
“He really matured a lot this year as a player and really became what I would call the stabilizing force for our offense, which was something we desperately needed,” Chaparral Coach John Silkey said.
“We were an offense with a lot of individual talent, and sometimes it’s difficult to get a group like that to realize things really are easier to play as one unit of six instead of six individuals. He really worked on stabilizing the offense, getting it to work together and distributing the ball effectively.”
Silkey said Haglund “really exercised his patience on the offense, would get the ball worked around and everyone where they were supposed to be.”
“I’ve had a lot of coaches tell me I’m smart,” said the 5-foot-11, 160-pound Haglund, WSL’s Arizona Boys Player of the Year. “I’m not the most agile or athletic or physical player, but I make the right decisions at the right times. I know when to shoot, I know when to pass and I try not to force things.”
Haglund’s high lacrosse IQ comes in part from his genes. His father, Alvin, was a member of Cornell’s 1976 national championship team.
“He’s been such a big inspiration for why I play lacrosse,” Haglund said. “He owns three lacrosse stores in Arizona, and my whole family’s involved in it. I’ve always been around lacrosse coaches, and it’s helped my playing.”
And while Haglund was among the most potent pure goal scorers in Arizona, the 5-foot-11, 160-pound Haglund also excelled on rides.
“The number one attribute and sign of a great attackman is riding ability,” Silkey said. “He truly never gave up on rides, and that’s where a lot of his ground balls [Haglund had 40] and goals came from.”
