LYNN — For any high school athlete to move on to play in college they have to be willing to put in the extra work. That was especially true this past year for spring-season athletes who missed their seasons looking for a place to play.
Thankfully for Lynn’s Liam Donovan putting in more time on the lacrosse field comes almost second nature.
“Liam is a great kid,” said Lynn Jets lacrosse coach Peter Pappagianopoulos. “He’s dedicated and such a hard worker. He’s one of those players that’s the first one on the field and the last one off it. He puts in those extra shots and is always asking for help.”
“He wants to be coached,” Pappagianopoulos said. “He always wants to be there at practice and get better. And outside of our team I know he enters every camp he can get to.”
That work ethic has paid off for Donovan Friday afternoon with the Lynn Tech senior signing his National Letter of Intent to join Regis College men’s lacrosse next year. At Regis, Donovan sees a great campus located in Weston to continue his education along with a Lions team on the rise.
“I just like how the campus felt,” Donovan said. “It was so community based, everything is close together and I like that. It’s not too far from home either.
“I liked what I saw with the lacrosse program and I really see them as being on the rise,” Donovan said. “It seems like it’s up and coming and the school has really invested in all their programs and their athletics.”
Donovan will look to contribute to that rise on the offensive end after proving to be an offensive leader for the Jets despite the lack of a junior season. But it’s also his work outside the team with his club team Home Grown Lacrosse out of North Andover that also helped turn him into the player he is now.
“With all the time off I tried to stay active as much as I could,” Donovan said. “I would watch videos and look up stuff to do just to keep working. Then I finally got back on the field with my club team in the fall.
“Club basically gives you a better opportunity to reach out and be seen by colleges,” Donovan said. “We play and there’s always all kinds of scouts watching.”
“Liam is not just a high school player and that helped him this summer,” Pappagianopoulos said. “He’s an all-star in every club season he plays in. He loves the game, lives and breathes it. Nobody had that spring season so you had to go above to play at the next level and he does that anyway.”
Pappagianopoulos also sees Donovan’s talents transferring well to the college game.
“I think Liam will be even better at the next level, he’ll translate well. His skill set is more made for a game where you can’t double team someone. He’s an unselfish type of player so for him to play around skill players will be good for him.”
Donovan is still hoping for another chance to play for Lynn this upcoming spring and dawn the Jets’ uniform one last time.
“My time (with the Jets) definitely helped me grow,” Donovan said. “There’s really nothing like playing for your home city. You get to meet a ton of new people and that’s what I wanted.”
As for any goals from now until college, unsurprisingly, Donovan just wants to keep working.
“I’m trying to get better every day until then,” Donovan said.
