The dirty work is where Paul Thur de Koos likes to reside.
“That’s just who I am as a person,” the Oak Hall boys lacrosse senior said. “It’s been instilled in me since I started playing in fourth grade.”
Thur de Koos continued by noting that to have success in a scrappy sport like lacrosse, you need to be scrappy.
“You want to get that ground ball, or you want to cause that turnover and get that ball back to your offense,” Thur de Koos said.
That mentality has led to wins (lots of them) and few losses. In the last four years, the Eagles – standard bearers of success in the Gainesville area – have lost 12 games.
“It’s the standard here. We put in the time in the offseason through club,” Thur de Koos said. “Everyone plays around Florida and up and down the east coast.”
Thur de Koos waited all those years for his chance to lead the Eagles. Coach Jonathan Montes needed him to do so with two captains graduating from last season’s district championship team.
“I’ve always known my role as someone who is going to eventually have to be a leader,” Thur de Koos said. “He really trusted me in helping our program for the future.”
Montes’ bet worked as Thur de Koos helmed the Eagles to another district title and continued the area dominance. Now, Thur de Koos has received his flowers as he is the Gainesville Sun’s Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year.
Thur de Koos tops a team of 20 players (10 first and 10 second) from four schools across the Gainesville area – Oak Hall, Buchholz, Eastside and Santa Fe. 18 of the 20 come from Buchholz and Oak Hall – by far the two best squads locally.
Congratulations to all those players selected!
Gainesville Sun All-Area Boys Lacrosse First Team
Defender: Gabe Traveis, Oak Hall
Defender: Harrison King, Buchholz
Defender: Paul Thur De Koos, Oak Hall
Midfielder: Aidan St. Clair, Buchholz
Midfielder: Bryce Williams, Oak Hall
Midfielder: Elijah Dressel, Eastside
Attacker: Drew King, Buchholz
Attacker: Kevin Bendekovic, Oak Hall
Attacker: Richie Bendekovic, Buchholz
Goalie: Jackson Collins, Buchholz
Gainesville Sun All-Area Boys Lacrosse Second Team
Defender: Aidan McKilliop, Santa Fe
Defender: Carter Castle, Buchholz
Defender: Jax Worthman, Oak Hall
Midfielder: Brendan Eichel, Oak Hall
Midfielder: Daniel Swift, Buchholz
Midfielder: Parker Kolhaas, Oak Hall
Attacker: Kade Griggs, Buchholz
Attacker: Ryan Pomeranz, Buchholz
Attacker: Warren Meisenbach, Oak Hall
Goalie: Sam Cohen, Oak Hall
Coach of the Year: Casey Adams, Buchholz
Oak Hall might have been the best team in the area again this season – proved by an 11-7 win over the Bobcats – but Bobcats coach Casey Adams brought the ‘Cats closer than they’ve ever been.
And just as far as the Eagles.
Buchholz won districts in dominant fashion with a 19-2 win over Forest, and then the definition of a gritty victory – 6-5 over Bartram Trail in the region quarterfinal.
BHS saw nine players selected to the All-Area team – five first team and four second team.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1, Instagram @Ramreporter and Facebook Noah Ram – Reporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Oak Hall’s Paul Thur de Koos leads the Sun’s All-Area Boys Lacrosse team
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
