Alex Knab’s first exposure to lacrosse was not voluntary. “We would go to my brother’s tournaments,” Knab said. “It was kind of boring at first. I didn’t really have much of a say, I was just dragged to wherever my brothers went.”
But Knab found playing baseball more boring than watching lacrosse and his mom signed him up for the Lawrence rec lax program.
“I got tired of sitting in the dugout during baseball games,” he said. “At first I didn’t like lacrosse, but I honestly don’t remember why.”
That dislike lasted for just one year. By second grade, Knabb embraced the sport and a career was underway.
With the graduation of Reilly Cahill, the senior attackman was Lawrence High’s leading returning scorer this season. Through the Cardinals’ 4-2 start this year, Knab led the team in points with 22 goals and 10 assists and was second in goals to Gabe McNamara’s 25.
It has been quite a transformation for a guy who played midfield and goalie in Lawrence rec, and was a midfielder for Team Turnpike’s club lacrosse team. When he came to the Cardinals his skills were needed elsewhere.
“I think he can play any position on the field, and he’s really like a true midfielder,” coach Dan Brennan said. “His dodging ability and getting downhill is like a prototypical midfielder. Out of necessity we moved him to attack last year, now he kind of loves being there and we kept him there and he’s finding some success early on in the season.”
Knab had modest stats as a freshman with just four goals and two assists.
“When he first came in we had him do some faceoffs and stuff,” Brennan recalled. “I knew him from club ball, his older brother (Justin) played for me and was also a captain. He needed some time to mature as a young man. Freshmen are small guys. We really knew he was gonna be good. The past two years he’s really taken off.”
And how.
As a sophomore Knab collected 29 goals and eight assists, and last year he showed scoring and playmaking skills with 42 goals and 22 assists, marks that were both second on the team to Cahill. Knab said he expected to score goals and was more surprised at his assist total, but it was a sign of maturity that he knew when to dish off rather than force a shot.
It has been a complete evolution, since his midfield responsibilities for Team Turnpike were mostly defensive.
“I honestly didn’t know what to do scoring-wise before high school,” Knab said. “I was more just a ground ball and a defense guy.”
As a sophomore, Knab became an offensive guy by way of injury.
“Reilly Cahill was gonna be really good that year and he got hurt,” he said. “I think I had the best stick skills besides him on the team so coach put me on attack and that’s how I got most of those goals that year.”
Asked if it was a difficult adjustment Knab said “Not really I just kind of played how I would usually play, I didn’t shoot much, I just ran through the defense and chucked it in. I didn’t really have much shooting experience.”
With Cahill playing a full year last season, Knab had someone to learn from when it came to scoring nuances.
“Usually I’d just try to barge my way into the cage,” he said. “But I noticed with Reilly how he would take his time setting up the dodges.”
Brennan shakes his head in admiration at how quickly Knab can explode.
“At any given moment he can just turn it on and finds ways to get to the cage and score,” the coach said. “It’s really remarkable the way he does that. With his power he can just lower his shoulder and get into guys. He has a knack for finding the back of the cage. One of his patented moves is his face dodge, getting a step around the defender and then boom, just flinging the ball in the back of the net.”
Knab has made himself a more versatile scorer after working on perfecting his outside shot in the backyard during the off-season.
“He’s typically been a getting-close guy and a finisher,” Brennan said. “This year in the Hightstown game he’s scoring bombs from outside the box, just ripping shots. He now has the complete package.”
With Cahill graduated, McNamara has stepped up as a scorer to take some pressure off Knab, and allow him to create more.
“I feel like I kind of run the offense,” he said. “I don’t always have to be the one to score. I usually get the offense running and call out the plays we want.”
Knab is part of a veteran team that has Brennan feeling optimistic. The coach feels this year’s squad is as good as his 2020 crew, which never got to play due to Covid 19 shutdowns.
“I love this team,” Brennan said. “I’ve got 12 seniors, a bunch of guys that have played extensive minutes for me from an early age. Some of them are three-year varsity starters, others have a lot of varsity minutes. They’re a tight group, they really want to succeed and push the program. My 2020 team – the team that never was – would have done that too.”
In noting some of his leaders, Brennan said midfielder “Jack Caruso is just a terror, he’s all over the place. One of our strengths is our defense, we have all seniors back there with Isaiah McFarland, JP Claffey and Aidan McGann. We have seniors up front with Knab and McNamara, we’ve got a senior (Kyle Pechalski) in the cage. We’ve got a solid group.”
It’s a group that has steadily improved, going from four wins in 2022 to seven last year to what could be an impressive number this season.
“I think we can be really good,” Knab said. “We’ve got a lot of leadership. All the starters have a lot of experience, they know what to do, they know the plays. I think we can win a lot of games.”
Knab is a big reason for that positive outlook. Aside from scoring, he is always among Lawrence’s leaders in ground balls with 56 as a sophomore, 71 last year and 34 this season. Seniors J.P. Claffey and Jackson Caruso lead in that category with 40 and 39, respectively.
“When it’s crunch time or when we need a possession badly, I’ll move him up to the faceoff wing,” Brennan said. “He does have a knack for picking up tough balls. Another thing is he’s one of the best riding attackmen out there. He’s got a ton of caused turnovers on the ride, getting the ball on the carpet and getting some easy goals that way.”
When he’s not playing lacrosse, Knab is busy helping his school and community. He has made the complete journey from Cub Scout to Eagle Scout; he is one of Lawrence’s PEER leaders helping incoming freshman acclimate to high school, and he’s with the Green Action Club that cleans up around the school.
“He’s just an awesome kid,” Brennan said. “He’s an easy going kid. Win, lose or whatever, his mood doesn’t change. He’s such a competitor, but he’s still just a nice, happy kid.
“Sometimes if things aren’t going their way kids get nasty or mean. Alex doesn’t have that in him, you never see him yelling at a teammate or being mean to a teammate. He’s just a really positive kid. That’s why he’s a captain for us.”
Knab is unsure what his future in lacrosse holds. If he attends Scranton, where Justin goes but is not playing, he will attempt to walk on to the team. He has also been looking at Rutgers, Delaware and Buffalo and is considering majoring in business.
“I definitely feel he could play at the next level in some capacity,” Brennan said.
Whether he does or not, Knab will always appreciate what the sport has given him in high school.
“I enjoy just being out there with my friends,” he said. “I’ve known all of them for a while, we correspond with each other. It’s always fun being out there and working hard with them.”
It’s safe to say he does not find lacrosse boring anymore.
Alex Knab,
