Kendrick Makes Way for Newcomer, Aids Team

The men's lacrosse team at CCBC-Essex already had two standouts in the fold in  Brandon Kendrick and Neil Willis before this season began. So the arrival of Travis Crane (Eastern Tech), a transfer from Division I UMBC, could have caused waves.

But Knights coach Shawn Burke said Kendrick and Willis have made adjustments to let Crane shine as well for one of the top-ranked junior college programs in the country.

"Brandon has really, I think, taken on more of a dual role with Travis. He has put his ego aside and those two have become great teammates with great leadership," Burke said.

Kendrick (Mount St. Joseph's) was the national offensive player of the year in 2010 while Willis was the top defender.

"I think Neil has done a good job of not resting on his laurels," Burke told Patch on Wednesday about Willis, who is from the Philadelphia area.

Burke said Willis did a solid job on defense in games against Army Prep and Navy Prep earlier this month. "They are both loaded with players who will play Division I next year and he shut down a top player for Army Prep," Burke said. "He shut down the top Navy Prep scorer. He took both kids out of the game. He is athletic and relentless."

CCBC-Essex is ranked No. 2 in the nation this week and will play No. 4 Brookdale of New Jersey at 1 p.m. Sunday in Essex. The Knights began the season with a 14-7 win over Army Prep and a 10-6 win over Navy Prep earlier this month.

"They are a fairly-new program," Burke said of Brookdale. "We scouted them when they played Army Prep and they are a well-coached team.  They are very talented and well-coached. New Jersey has a lot of high school talent and they are staying at home" to play at Brookdale.

The Knights were slated to play Thursday night against the JV team from Stevenson.

CCBC-Essex baseball

The roster of the baseball team at CCBC-Essex this season includes sophomore C David Williams (Eastern Tech), who is batting .222 with 4 RBIs and 12 runs scored while appearing in the Knights first 17 games.

Another local tie is freshman Kodi Beckwith (Perry Hall), who is a pitcher and outfielder that is batting .222 while appearing in nine games.

Third baseman Matthew Edwards leads CCBC Essex with a .352 batting average. Infielder Michael Cleary leads the Knights with a team-high 11 RBIs.

The Knights lost, 6-0, to Cecil on Wednesday and fell to 8-9 overall this season.

CCBC-Essex women's lacrosse

The women's lacrosse team at CCBC-Essex lost each of their first two games by two goals.The Knights opened the season with an 11-9 loss to Neumann College followed by a 15-13 defeat to Brookdale Community College.

One member of the team is freshman attack Alexandria Breslin-Spinnato, a product of Eastern Tech.