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Landen Brunelle met Ty Green, a defenseman who transferred from Christian Brothers Academy, before his sophomore season at Skaneateles High School. Green, a Hamilton College lacrosse commit, knew Brunelle’s older brother, Grayson.

Green later texted Brunelle asking if he wanted to practice together. Brunelle jumped at the chance. Most of the workout entailed the two going one-on-one against each other. Brunelle was an attack and Green was a long pole, making them a perfect match.

When Brunelle and Green first began training together, Green always got the better of his counterpart. Green now admits it’s more of an even matchup and Brunelle has advanced his game up a level since the two started working together.

“(Green) pushed me in practice every day and made me a better player overall from dodging one-on-one to showing me how to beat a defender,” Brunelle said. “I would say he is the sole reason for the way I performed last year.”

Brunelle has used his sessions with Green to refine his attacking prowess. In 2024, Brunelle scored a team-leading 56 goals and dished out 20 assists, earning him All-Central New York Honors. On Oct. 21, Brunelle announced his commitment to Mount St. Mary’s to continue his lacrosse career.

During Brunelle’s freshman season, he had Grayson, a senior at the time, to rely on for advice. The two had refined their lacrosse skills in the backyard throughout their childhood. Grayson, who scored 257 high-school points and eventually committed to Bucknell, took it upon himself to show Brunelle everything he needed to know for the varsity level.

In Brunelle’s first season with Skaneateles, he recorded 25 goals and 14 assists as the Lakers finished atop the National Division of the Onondaga Suburban High School League at 14-3.

Skaneateles head coach Seth Benjamin saw the vision for Brunelle’s potential but understood that his place on the team as a freshman would be limited.

“I could just tell that (Brunelle) knew the game. He (was) in the right spots,” Benjamin said. “He didn’t defer to the upperclassmen, but at the same time … his role was going to be kind of catch the ball and finish for us. And he did it.”

Skaneateles’ Landen Brunelle committed to Mount St. Mary’s on Oct. 21. Courtesy of Landen Brunelle

Prior to high school, Brunelle played on local travel teams Grizzly Lacrosse and Orange Crush to develop his skills. Though he never had the biggest frame, Brunelle made a name for himself as a scrappy attacker.

He currently stands 5-foot-8, 150 pounds. Still, his father, Christian, said he plays bigger than his size and often invites physicality. His sessions with Green helped him learn to take on any defender and manipulate them despite his lesser stature.

Though Brunelle was one of the younger players on Skanealetes the past couple of seasons, he grew into a larger role as they progressed. Last year, Brunelle’s production increased significantly as a sophomore, recording nearly double the points he did as a freshman.

“I was lucky enough that I had a lot of good guys around me,” Brunelle said. “I found space a lot, which obviously led to the goals capitalizing on the space I had.”

Now he’s faced with the challenge of replacing the production from Skaneateles’ senior class that graduated. Skaneateles lost nine players, including Jack Torrey and Sean Kerwick — who combined for 142 points. With defenses set to key on him more this season, Benjamin feels the next step for Brunelle is finding open players when he’s double-teamed.

“He’s set up for the team so that they look to him for leadership,” Christian said. “They know the type of player he is and that he puts a lot of time in off the field.”

Over the last two seasons, Skaneateles has fallen short in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Section III Tournament. In 2023, Skaneateles fell 10-9 to General Brown in the Section III Semifinals. Then in the following year, the Lakers lost 7-6 to Westhill in the same round. Following two straight disappointing finishes, Brunelle is hoping to lead Skaneateles back to glory.

“At the end of the day, we’re still trying to win. This year is our last go (since) we have a big senior class,” Brunelle said. “We’re hoping that we can make a state run. Hopefully we just gotta get through the sectional hump that we have not been able to do in so long.”

Published on October 29, 2024 at 12:16 am

jaglick@syr.edu