Will Shull Marblehead High School Varsity & Wesleyan University Lacrosse
We’ve been watching Will Shull of Marblehead, MA play a variety of sports throughout his entire life. Every sport he plays he makes it look so easy. His natural abilities have come in handy, but his real gift has always been he seems to be one step ahead of the play. He has this sense of where the play is going and anticipates where he should be before the others.
As a young hockey player, we would witness all the little kids bunching up all rushing to get the puck. Will, on the other hand, would skate to where the puck was going to end up. He was never the fastest skater on the ice, but he had a very quick first step. If you have a quick first step and some dazzling footwork, it generally represents a great combination. This was true for ice hockey and lacrosse.
There were also some skills that he learned that included being able to go to the right or left. Defensive players could not over play one side as he would quickly take full advantage. We also noticed so many players are far too anxious to simply take a shot on goal and rush it. Will would, more than often, have several fakes to make the defense commit. Then he would take his shot. Sometimes he would fire rockets and other times simple flips, whatever got the job done. He left defensive players guessing all the time.
Over the years, in both hockey and lacrosse, he mastered the art of using his body to gain the advantage while still protecting the puck or lacrosse ball. He would lower his shoulder and lean into the defensive player. Then round the edge. Much of his success was his footwork and strength. These skills did not happen by accident, but came after hours and hours of training and practice. This was also quite evident in his shot selection. During his early years, it appeared he was simply shooting at the net. As he matured, it was clear he was aiming at a particular spot.
What a joy it has been to watch him play over the years…a true gift. Below is a video made up of a series of video clips of Will playing lacrosse in 2021 as the Captain of the Marblehead Varsity Lacrosse Team. Encourage you to watch it as it will become obvious of his pure natural talent, but also of his refined skills. Also note, he also defines himself to know where to go and what to do when he does not have the lacrosse ball. This attribute is just another element that separates himself from being oridnary.
Over his years of playing hockey and lacrosse, we took hundreds of hours of video in order for him to see his strengths, weaknesses, and areas where he needed to work on. We would share the video clips in regular speed and slow motion in order for him to have insight into how best to develop his game. He was like a sponge…always eager to learn and improve.
Will is currently playing lacrosse for the second year as a sophomore at Wesleyan University. We believe it’s been a challenging transition for him because the team and his opponents have exceptional talent. These players are all smart, strong, quick, tough, and extremely well skilled regarding all aspects of the game. In addition, he is now playing against grown men, who physically can provide a world of “hurt”. We have complete faith in his ability to adapt and bring his game to an even higher level.
Below are his stats from 2022 - April 18, 2023.
