FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — FOXBOROUGH, Mass.-- --Coach Dave Pietramala's voice cracked, and he fought hard to hold back his emotions.
After Johns Hopkins' hard-fought 13-10 loss to rival Syracuse yesterday in the NCAA Division I men's lacrosse title game at Gillette Stadium, Pietramala had to say farewell to a senior class that had become special to him and to the university.
Hopkins has one of the game's most storied histories, and the Blue Jays will always draw a lot of the nation's top recruits, but it could take them a year or two to replace the Class of 2008.
This group played in three national championship games in four years, winning two. The Blue Jays had a 12-2 overall record in the NCAA tournament, the most wins by any class since the tournament began in 1971.
Pietramala had to say goodbye to midfielders Paul Rabil, Stephen Peyser, Matt Bocklet and George Castle; attackmen Kevin Huntley and Michael Doneger and defenseman Eric Zerrlaut, among others.
That's a ton of talent. Are the Blue Jays rebuilding in 2009?
"We're not into filling voids," Pietramala said. "You don't fill the shoes of a Paul Rabil, just like you didn't fill the shoes of a Kyle Harrison. You graduate players and ... other players step up to assume new roles.
"Our team will be very different next year. Our makeup will be different," he said. "We're going to have to do different things. You don't replace those guys. Our job isn't to say Paul Rabil is gone, you step in and be the guy. Our team will adjust to the personnel, and our staff will adjust to the personnel."
It won't be easy, because this group helped put Hopkins back at the top of college lacrosse. Before its arrival, Hopkins' last championship came in 1987. Even with Pietramala, who came to Hopkins in 2001, the Blue Jays had come close to winning the title, but they couldn't get over the proverbial hump. This group helped him win in 2005 as freshmen.
Everyone associated with Hopkins lacrosse wanted the Blue Jays to go out as winners yesterday because they had struggled so much in 2008, at one point losing five straight games. A lot of teams would have folded, but the Blue Jays grew stronger.
Hopkins, though, looked tired and worn against Syracuse. Maybe the upset of top-ranked Duke on Saturday in the semifinals took a toll even on a strong team like the Blue Jays. Maybe they needed more than a day to regenerate.
