Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala said lost in the roller coaster of his team?s season has been the steady play of senior attacker Kevin Huntley.
The former Calvert Hall standout leads the fifth-ranked Blue Jays with 34 points and 26 goals, including one he scored in a 12-1 victory over Mount St. Mary?s on Monday.
“No one on this team worked harder in the offseason than Kevin Huntley,” Pietramala said. “If you look at his body now compared to last year, it?s like night and day.”
Johns Hopkins (7-5) takes its four-game winning streak into its regular season finale at No. 16 Loyola (7-5) on Saturday.
Huntley became just the 15th player in school history to post at least 100 career goals when he scored twice in a 16-7 victory over Towson last week. He also is just the 10th player in school history to score at least 20 goals in four straight seasons. Finally, with 131 career points he has moved into sole possession of 21st place on the Blue Jays all-time points list, passing Kevin Boland (2001-04) and Dave Huntley (1976-79), Kevin?s father.
The younger Huntley said it was great to have his father in attendance when he tied him on the all-time points list on Senior Night against Towson. But more importantly, he is excited the Blue Jays are back in contention to earn their 37th straight berth in the NCAA Tournament.
“I?ll have something to brag about at the dinner table,” Huntley said. “But we still have a lot more lacrosse to play and I want to have a chance at winning another national title.”
Winning a third national title in four years would give Huntley another accomplishment to hold over his father. Dave Huntley helped lead Johns Hopkins to consecutive titles in 1978 and 1979. It is believed the Huntleys are the only father-son duo in Division I lacrosse history to each win multiple national titles. Kevin Huntley won his with the Blue Jays in 2005 and 2007.
Dave Huntley is still very active in the lacrosse world, as he?s the head coach of the Philadelphia Wings, an indoor team in the National Lacrosse League.
“Watching Kevin play in the national championship game last year was about as stressed as I?ve ever been in a lacrosse game,” Dave Huntley said. “When you?re a player, you have ultimate control. When you?re a coach, you have some control. When you?re a fan, you have no control. I would like nothing more than to watch Kevin and Hopkins win one more title. Kevin is all about winning championships on the field. That?s why he went to Hopkins.”
