When Conner Braddock made the Steinert lacrosse team as a freshman in 2014, the program had only been around for three years and the bar was not set too high when it came to breaking records.
As he leaves the program, that same bar is way up there, thanks to Braddock himself.
With Steinert having completed a record-setting season for victories at 10-6, Braddock’s name sits atop the record book in virtually every scoring category. He leaves as the all-time leader in goals (165), assists (102) and points (267) and set the single-season standard this year in the same three categories (57/31/89). For good measure, he scored a school record nine goals in a game against Hamilton West.
Beyond the individual glory, however, Braddock takes pride in the fact that he helped make the sport relevant at his school and beyond.
“I think I’m most proud of being able to help the program grow and be a successful lacrosse program,” he said. “Because I had played since I was young I was able to use my experience to help others learn the game. Steinert won two division titles and really improved our level of play. I’m happy I could help make lacrosse a more serious program and gain some respect for the sport in Hamilton.”
It’s no coincidence that in Braddock’s four years, Steinert went 36-27 with three winning seasons after going 17-25 with no winning records its first three campaigns. He had help, of course, as more talent began coming in. But Braddock certainly was a major factor in turning things around.
“It was pretty clear from Conner’s first day as a Spartan that he would be a special player,” said Bob Ziegler, who completed his first year as head coach after serving as Steinert’s assistant. “He has started every game since he’s been here and has developed as a leader both on a off the field. Because of dedication in the weight room he has developed physically over the past four years into a very strong player.”
Ziegler also feels that because Braddock played football, “it helped him immensely. I believe multi-sport athletes have a clear advantage over kids who just play one sport year-round.”
Far be it from Braddock to disagree with his coach; even though he can’t threaten to bench him anymore.
“Football helps very much,” he said. “Football helped me become stronger, tougher, faster and taught me how to be a good leader. It taught me to be a disciplined athlete and not do anything that would get me in trouble. In addition, it kept me being a competitive athlete all year long and helped me have better agility and speed. A lot of the moves I would make in lacrosse would be the same moves I would make in football.”
And those moves were impressive to watch. Ziegler praises Braddock’s lacrosse IQ, which he feels makes him a coach on the field. With that knowledge, he knows when to go to goal and when to pass of. He can dodge from the top and the X and possesses a dangerous shot.
“He doesn’t have the hardest shot in the league,” Ziegler said, “but he is very accurate.”
It comes from years of honing his craft. Braddock was first introduced to lacrosse by watching older brother Garrett play in the Robbinsville Lacrosse Association.
“The first time I watched my brother play in a game, I immediately fell in love with it and wanted to follow in his footsteps,” Braddock said. “I couldn’t wait until I was old enough to play in the league. My brother is the reason I started playing lacrosse and I always wanted to live up to him and make him proud.”
He got started on that quest in third grade when he joined the RLA, a league he gives ample credit to for “teaching me almost everything I know about lacrosse and making me the player I am today.”
When he reached Steinert, Braddock made varsity and scored what would be, for him, a modest 13 goals and 17 assists. He exploded after that, collecting 40/20 as a sophomore, 53/25 as a junior and 58/31 this year. He became the first Spartan boy to score 100 goals and amass 200 points.
Braddock feels the secret to scoring is “having a plan on your first move, but being able to think on your toes for your next move. You have to adapt and see the whole field to see where you’re going to attack next.”
‘I always believed that I could make a huge impact on the Steinert lacrosse program.’
Seeing the entire field also comes into play when he’s setting up teammates.
“You need to understand the game,” he said. “And of course, being able to get the ball there on a good quick pass. It also helps I had some good finishers, especially Anthony Cacace, on my team over the years. They could put the ball in the net after I gave them the pass.”
A shift from one side of the field to the other led to Braddock’s scoring increase after his freshman year. Playing the right side of the attack in ninth grade worked against his natural talents, as lefties have more of an advantage on that side and he is a dominant right-hander.
“I could not make the moves I wanted to make or take the shots I wanted to take,” he said. “I think the biggest change from my freshman to sophomore year was being able to step into a more dominating role that I was meant for. When I got moved to the left side my sophomore year, I immediately felt more comfortable and was able to make a bigger impact on the offense.”
He made such an impact that he became a marked man and constantly drew double teams. But he used that to his advantage, finding the open man on countless occasions en route to his assist record.
“He very rarely gets frustrated,” Ziegler said. “He usually maintains his focus and looks to correct other players constructively when they make errors. He never blames others, either. He’s a great leader.”
Braddock said when extra attention comes, “I wait patiently to make my move and then use my skills to be able to beat my defender and the double team. Also, my coaches and players like Ant (Cacace) help make plays or strategies to beat the defense and get a goal. In addition, it helps to have good trust in my teammates to finish on the play.”
Conner will learn to trust a whole new group of teammates next year, as he will be playing at DeSales University in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. In order to gain recruiting attention, Braddock played for the New Jersey Lacrosse Club in the summer. The NJLC was formed in 2011 and quickly gained a reputation for high-level lacrosse.
Braddock received attention from coaches he would never have gotten at Steinert. He caught the eye of DeSales head coach Matthew Brancaccio at a tournament last summer, took a visit shortly thereafter and was offered a spot on the team. Braddock made it official in March.
“I could not have played college lacrosse without the whole NJLC organization,” Braddock said. “I am very thankful for everything they have done for me.”
He is also thankful for the career he had at Steinert, and is hoping to give back to the program later in life “because they have done so many great things for me.”
Just as he has done for them.
“I always believed that I could make a huge impact on the Steinert lacrosse program,” Braddock said. “From watching my brother Garrett play lacrosse at Steinert, I set a goal for myself to strive to be one of the best players the program has ever seen.”
It’s pretty safe to say that goal has been reached in definitive fashion.
Steinert High’s Conner Braddock takes a shot against Hamilton West April 3, 2017. (Photo by Amanda Ruch.),
