(Photo Courtesy of Will Stewart)
Welcome to the 2024 KY High School Recap series. Throughout the summer Lacrosse Bucket will be recapping some of the top teams from the 2024 high school lacrosse season in Kentucky.
Keeping things rolling in our 2024 KY High School Recap series, we move to another one of the state’s keystone programs in the St. Xavier Tigers.
Head Coach: Kevin Doherty
Record: 12-9 (KSLL Semifinalist)
League: KSLL
Key Players
Kaiden Sullivan (A, So.), Davis Mayer (A, Jr.), David Powers (A, Jr.), Bryce Heitmann (M, Sr.), Thomas Andriole (M, Jr.), Connor Marks (M, Jr.), Ryder John (D, Sr.), Carter Townsend (D, Sr.), James Fortwengler (G, Jr.)
Key Graduations
Bryce Heitmann (M, Sr.), Ryder John (D, Sr.), Carter Townsend (D, Sr.), Patrick Masterson (SSDM, Sr.)
2024 Season Summary
2024 marked the beginning of the Kevin Doherty era on Poplar Level Road. The Tigers, facing an extremely tough schedule that featured teams from five different states, churned out a solid season as they went 12-9.
St. Xavier only fell to one team from Kentucky as the Tigers lost to arch rival Trinity twice. The Tigers came back in the second half to force double overtime in the regular season meeting. They lost by seven goals in the KSLL semifinals meeting between the two Bluegrass State powerhouses. Some of the Tigers’ biggest wins of the year included a 15-4 defeat of Wheaton Academy (Ill.), a 9-5 win over Montgomery Bell (Tenn.), and a 14-11 comeback win over South Oldham on senior night.
The Tigers came into the year featuring the best senior in Kentucky in defenseman and Towson signee Ryder John. However, it ended up being the effort of the underclassmen that really seemed to headlined this squad in 2024. The attack line of Kaiden Sullivan, Davis Mayer, and David Powers combined for 169 points. Junior midfielders Connor Marks and Thomas Andriole combined for 69 points. Bryce Heitmann helped to lead that midfield group and was the only senior offensive starter. That Tigers’ offense averaged 12 goals per game on the season.
Additionally, James Fortwengler earned the starting goalie job as a junior and progressed well throughout the season. The same is true for sophomore defenseman Ben Pinkston who at times looked like the most impressive pole on the field for the Tigers. He especially stepped up later in the year when the Tigers lost their alpha pole in Ryder John.
The Tigers’ rope unit also shined quite a bit and were one of the best in the Bluegrass.. LSMs Lincoln Bayer and Miles Dobson were super productive as a sophomore and junior. Senior Patrick Masterson was perhaps the best SSDM in the Commonwealth.
Early Future Outlook
The 2025 season will be the first of KHSAA lacrosse and the Tigers are expected to be at the top as one of the very best teams in Kentucky. St. Xavier does have some holes to fill and especially so on the back end with the graduation of their top two poles in John and Townsend. The Tigers also lose their most productive midfielder and arguably their best shooter in Heitmann.
In some respects, St. Xavier had a younger squad than some this past spring. Looking ahead, that bodes very well for Doherty and his program. The Tigers get back their entire starting attack of Sullivan, Powers, and Mayer while also returning Andriole and Marks at the midfield. Further growth can be expected from Pinkston, the pair of LSMs in Bayer and Dobson, as well as James Fortwengler in cage.
After what many called a “down year” for the Tigers, the expectations should be as high as ever on Poplar Level Road in 2025. The Tigers will return some of the most experienced talent of any team in Kentucky.
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