When Travis Reed transferred from McDonogh High School to the Boys’ Latin School of Maryland for his junior year, he knew the adjustment to a new lacrosse team might not be easy.
But then it turned out that it was, and Reed, who won a state title at McDonogh in 2005, helped Boys’ Latin go undefeated to win a state title and earn a tie for the top spot in Inside Lacrosse’s high school rankings.
“It was a good experience to get with a new team and have them accept me like I’d been there for years,” Reed said. “And to go through an undefeated season was great because it’s not very often that happens in that league”
So it’s no surprise when it came time for the nation’s No.-2 rated attackman, according to Inside Lacrosse, to select a college, he turned to a senior captain from his 2006 team, Brian Farrell, who was starting his freshman year at this university, for advice.
And when Brett Weiss, who teamed with Reed on the Laker offense for two seasons, was making his decision, it didn’t hurt that Reed had already committed to becoming a Terp.
Now the trio is reunited in coach Dave Cottle’s 2008 squad.
“It’s nice to be able to look up and see people you know and know they’re going to be able to get you the ball because they know how you play,” said Reed, who said Farrell was a big reason he chose the Terps.
Cottle said his friend, Boys’ Latin coach Bob Shriver, called to say he thought his 2006 team had some pretty good young players. By that time, Cottle already had a commitment from Farrell, a defender who would go on to be named The (Baltimore) Sun’s All-Metro player of the year.
Cottle saw the team during their undefeated run and was impressed. He got an early commitment from Reed, whose father, Jake, played for the Terps in the 1970s. He had to wait until this summer to get Weiss, who red shirted as a kicker for the football team in the fall.
“The funny thing is, when two guys play the same position, you’re never sure if getting one helps you get the other,” Cottle said. “It’s always very treacherous when you recruit more than one kid from a high school team.”
Last season, the pair combined for 97 goals and 72 assists. And after playing three seasons together (the other was on a recreational league team in 8th grade), Reed said he’s very comfortable playing with Weiss.
Cottle said that’s important, especially for a young player at this level, even if he’s not gotten much chance to see it yet.
“I think it does help,” Cottle said. “I don’t think we’ve seen that yet because we’re not putting them together all the time. When we put them together, I think we will see that chemistry.”
While adding three highly-regarded players from the same talent-rich high school team helps the players’ adjustment to the college game, it also speaks to a bigger issue for Cottle.
“One of the things we wanted to try to do was get the best kids in the state,” Cottle said. “We think Maryland should be great recruiting both in and out of state, but we’ve got to make a fight for the local kids. We’ve done a pretty good job the last couple of years.”
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