Player of the Week: Cade Newton From South Elgin (Ill.)

Cade Newton, South Elgin (Ill.) 

Newton joined the 300 Club with a four goal, three assist performance against Jacobs (Ill.) on Tuesday. 

“I had zero clue that I was nearing 300 points,” Newton said. “I finished the first two games and my dad came up to me and told me I was four points away from 300. It was insane. I didn’t think I was nearing that.”

Newton burst onto the Illinois lacrosse scene as a freshman, earning a spot on the varsity and scoring 93 points. That season, two freshman earned spots on the varsity, which Newton believes made a huge difference with the program.

“Freshman year I don’t think anyone expected a freshman to make varsity,” Newton said. “It was me and Travis Tranchitalla, our LSM, and we blew up that season.”

The Storm took that momentum from the 2016 season and won the Illinois Division II championship with a 22-1 record in 2017. Newton scored 140 points for the championship squad.

“My sophomore year the team clicked perfectly,” Newton said. “That was an insane year for me. The ball was just flying that year.”

The senior is coming off a 48-point junior season and already has 22 through three games this year with a team that is off to a 3-0 start.

The addition of Jack and Lucas Baer has helped lessen the impact of losing seven starters to graduation. 

“I can get the ball to Lucas and he takes care of the rest. It’s been really nice,” Newton said. 

Jack has 11 goals and 11 assists, while Lucas, who is committed to Utah, has 10 goals and five assists. The trio has helped fuel a high-power offense for South Elgin.

“We are an offensive powerhouse team,” Newton said. “Even from the first play of the season. It was a fast-paced offense.”

Player of the Week Honorable Mentions

Stephen Avery from Montgomery Bell Academy (Tenn.). Photo courtesy Montgomery Bell Academy

Stephen Avery, Montgomery Bell Academy (Tenn.)
Avery scored 11 points in two games for MBA last week. In a win against Charlotte Latin (N.C.), Avery scored seven points on four assists and three goals. Then, against MIAA A power McDonogh the junior scored four goals.

Rocco Barbero, Ward Melville (N.Y.)
Barbero’s goal with five minutes remaining was the clincher for the Patriots in a 6-5 season-opening win against Sachem East (N.Y.). Barbero scored two goals in the victory.

Christian Marcello, Smithtown East (N.Y.)
Marcello scored both the tying goal with 24 seconds left in regulation and the winning goal as time expired in the second overtime to defeat Comsewogue (N.Y.) 7-6 in double overtime. Smithtown East was down 6-3 after the third quarter.

Billy Mahecha, Suffern (N.Y.)
Mahecha scored six points on three goals and three assists in a 16-11 win over Nanuet (N.Y.). Mahecha added four goals and two assists in a 15-13 win over Pearl River (N.Y.).

Eric Mueller, Garden City (N.Y.)
Mueller made 12 saves to help anchor a defense that held Massapequa (N.Y.) to seven goals in an 8-7 win. The senior allowed only one goal in both the first and fourth quarters to help his team to a 2-0 record.

Cullen Robinette, Durango (Colo.)
Robinette totaled 21 points in two games on back-to-back days for the Demons. The senior scored 10 points on seven goals and three assists against Englewood (Colo.) on Friday. He followed that up with 11 points (8g, 3a) in a 19-10 win over Prairie View (Colo.) on Saturday.

Tony Rodriguez, Grayslake North (Ill.)
Rodriguez totaled six points to help his team to a 12-9 win over Glenbard West (Ill.) last week. The senior scored five goals and one assist in the victory the Chicago Herald lists as one of Illinois' Top 5 teams.

Jack Sawyer, Calvert Hall (Md.)
Sawyer scored 12 points in two games for the Cardinals, including a six-point effort against a nationally-ranked opponent. Sawyer scored three goals and three assists against Malvern Prep (Pa.). The senior scored four goals and two assists in the previous win over Dominion (Va.). 

Danny Striano, Cold Spring Harbor (N.Y.)
Striano scored five goals, accounting for half his team’s goals in a 10-9 overtime victory over Syosset (N.Y.). 

Yasir Stroud, Durham Jordan (N.C.)
Stroud joined the 200 Club last week with a six-point game against Cary (N.C.). The senior has 27 points through five games to bring his career total to 204. He is coming off a 72-point season in which he averaged 4 points per game. Through five this season, he is averaging 5.4.