Ryan Wodazak was more than ready. As usual.
The St. Augustine junior was named a Hermits' boys lacrosse captain in the days leading up to the current season. He might have been one of the last people to consider the possibility.
"I mean, I don't think we've ever had a junior captain in our history," Wodazak said. "Coach (JC) Valore really has a lot of faith in me. He believes in me. I have a lot of respect for that decision."
Wodazak scored 30 goals last season, with 10 assists. Being named captain was a product of more than just a single effective season.
"Ryan's a guy that I've known for probably since summer camp, back to fifth or sixth grade," Valore said. "He's always had that high level of character that you're looking for. Now, that doesn't guarantee leadership. I think the team, the staff, have kind of really seen the evolution of where he's going. We felt pretty comfortable elevating him to a leadership position as a captain."
Wodazak hasn't always thought of himself in quite the same way. Early on, just seeing the field was as ambitious a goal as he was comfortable with aiming for.
"It's crazy," Wodazak said. "My freshman year I came in, I was thinking that I don't know if I'm going to play varsity. Then I played varsity my freshman year. As I've grown, I never thought am I going to be a captain? I never expected it, especially not this year. I didn't expect it. It kind of blind-sided me. When he asked me, I knew it was my time to be a leader for this team."
Wodazak's internal monologue is a window into why he was a perfect candidate for leadership. It is a quality that comes unconsciously, naturally.
"Ryan keeps himself in check," Valore said. "It's hard to play in this program as a freshman and get minutes. He found himself in a good position where we had an opportunity. But also, he earned it. After that, there's kind of been no turning back."
Wodazak will play collegiately at Penn State University. With a full season, plus his entire senior year ahead of him, the Hermits leader has plenty of time to fine-tune his leadership skills.
"Ryan is a set-the-example guy," Valore said. "That's something that you know you inherently have in you a little bit, but it's also something that develop as you go through a season. As a junior, it's almost like players grow by leaps and bounds every two to three days. He was announced as a captain right before our first game We are starting to see that leadership in him. With that, pressure comes. We always say pressure is a privilege."
To no one's surprise, Wodazak is thriving under that pressure. The weight of expectation has come from the outside. His internal standards are more than up to the challenge.
"I just want to be the most like the best I can be," Wodazak said. "I also want my teammates to succeed around me. It's just me, scoring a bunch of goals. I want my teammates to do just as well around me. I want to lift them up."
Tom Rimback grew up reading the Burlington County Times and Courier Post sports sections and began writing for the BCT in 1996. He has covered everything from Super Bowls and Final Fours to Tri-County Swimming but he’s happiest on a sideline interviewing South Jersey scholastic athletes. Follow him on twitter ...
