By James Joseph
WSL Senior Features Writer

Just a few games into the 2006 lacrosse season, Bonanza head coach Gary Campo had a pretty good idea that he had something special in then-freshman goalie Matt Sathrum.

“You would have expected a timid kid in the cage,” Campo said. “And he got in the huddle screaming his head off like a four-year seasoned senior – ‘Let’s do this, let’s do that.’ And at that point, we knew we had something.”

Indeed, Bonanza did. Sathrum started every game during his four years at Bonanza and, according to Campo, rarely, if ever, missed a practice. For four seasons, Sathrum was the backbone of the Bengals’ defense and the team’s emotional leader.

With him in the cage, Bonanza went 65-13 and won league titles in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

“Just a great, intense competitor,” Campo said. “The best goalie this state’s ever seen, for sure.”

Sathrum, who will play for Chapman next season, has quick hands – a necessity for all elite goalies. But what set him apart, Campo said, was his innate ability to anticipate shots and plays.

“He played the position different than most goalies play,” Campo said. “He saw the whole field. He’s a football player by nature, so he played the position almost like a strong safety.

“He read everything, and his best ability was seeing what would happen before it actually happened. The anticipation he had for a goalie was amazing.”

Sathrum always ratcheted up the level of his game when it mattered most. In the 2009 Southern Nevada Lacrosse Association Division I title game, he made 15 stops, including six in the fourth quarter.

“Every game, every save, every shot meant something to him,” Campo said. “As a coach, you dream to have an athlete like that.”