Chris Young knew he couldn’t miss again. On Feb. 6, then-unranked High Point traveled to Durham, North Carolina, to face then-No.2 Duke. Young had already scored three times, but an earlier doorstep-shot got stuffed and the miss stayed with Young. So in the fourth quarter, Young noticed empty twine up three, ripped and scored.

Just three years earlier, Young was at Penn State, struggling for playing time as a faceoff specialist — the position he’d been recruited for at two different schools. But with a background in box lacrosse, Young grew up playing every position. After the seventh game of the 2017 season, Young stopped taking tries at the faceoff-X. Now a permanent attack, he scored 16 goals in 14 games his redshirt-sophomore year.

This season for No. 13 High Point (9-2, 3-1 Southern), he’s already scored 36 in 11, a per-game scoring-average high enough for ninth in the nation (3.27). Once under-recruited as a faceoff specialist, Young went off the board at 28th overall in this year’s Major League Lacrosse Draft, taken by the Ohio Machine.

“The way that he plays attack you would think he’s been playing it his whole life,” teammate Asher Nolting said.

While playing box lacrosse in Canada, Young idolized Shawn Evans who proved to Young, now at 5-foot-8, that he could be dominant in the sport despite a lack of size. Young grew up training with his older brother, Sean, who played as a defenseman for Syracuse and was drafted 37th overall in the 2015 MLL Draft.

Young attended The Hill Academy, a sports-focused center in Ontario. There, he “basically learned everything” about lacrosse. Young worked on stick skills, off-ball movement and, most importantly, how to win a faceoff. His talent at the faceoff-X earned him interest from Robert Morris, where he committed in 2015.

But then Young spoke with Penn State head coach Jeff Tambroni who said there was a spot for him at the faceoff-X. Young connected with PSU in a way he hadn’t with RMU. On the field, though, Young struggled to get playing time and felt “lost in the shuffle” at such a big school. After deciding to transfer, he said he fell in love with High Point despite not knowing if his role would be any different. Alex Woodall, the Panthers’ former faceoff option, transferred and opened up a spot in the starting lineup.

Courtesy of High Point Athletics

In his first season at High Point, he remained at the X, winning 33-0f-94 in 2017.  But coaches believed that Young’s versatility could transfer to attack. After splitting time in the beginning of the season, Young took his last draw against Providence on March 11, 2017. In 2018, Young’s attacking prowess had developed.

Young is a true crease attackman, High Point offensive coordinator Ken Broschart said. Young rarely leaves a 10-yard radius around the net and pairs with it his rides that make him one of the best in the country, Broschart said. Young kept adapting to the position at a collegiate level. Broschart noticed Young’s developed lacrosse IQ have made him an even more well-rounded player, especially in terms of his hands and finishing.

With High Point down 3-0 early to then-No. 9 Virginia on Feb. 18, Nolting fired a pass inside to Young. Young shot but hit the shaft of the goalie’s stick and the ball bounced away.

“I don’t think I could’ve missed that if I had a baseball bat in my hand,” Young joked to Nolting shortly after. For the rest of the contest, Nolting said the rest of the attack “loosened up.”

Despite a slow start, it was a turning point for the group. The Panthers scored the next five goals and went on to win 14-13.

Nolting said he and his teammates often jokingly give Young a hard time that he has the easiest job on the team since all he has to do is catch and shoot. In the two years since switching to attack — from being a specialist to a top-option — Young has embraced it.

“I think a lot of players are the same even at the highest levels,” Broschart said. “A lot of players do a certain thing and (Young) does something that’s really unique in terms of how he finishes where you really have to change your whole slide package around him, you know you can’t leave him on the crease.”

Published on April 11, 2019 at 11:30 am

Contact Eric: estorms@syr.edu