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Double threat Jake Fiske led Titans to lacrosse glory

Poway High’s Jake Fiske was named the CIF Player of the Year for boys lacrosse.
Poway High’s Jake Fiske was named the CIF Player of the Year for boys lacrosse.
( / Sherri Dunlap)
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A long stick midfielder is arguably the most important player on a lacrosse field. They need to be speedy, ferocious defenders with an uncanny ability to play long stretches of minutes at times.

Coaches are lucky to find someone just able to do that. But the exceptional long stick midfielder can play offense, too. They are a double-threat and that is exactly what Jake Fiske was for Poway High last season.

The junior scored 32 goals and assisted on eight as a long stick. He also scooped up over 100 ground balls, as he helped the Titans capture the CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship. It was the school’s first section title in boys lacrosse since 2002.

“I have been involved with lacrosse for 25 years and I have never heard of a long stick midfielder having 40 points,” Poway coach Zack Burke said. “The best of the best would have 12 goals and 10 assists. I have never heard of a long stick midfielder that scores 32 goals and eight assists in one season. Maybe a career, but certainly not one season.”

Fiske was recently named the CIF Player of the Year for his efforts.

“It is humbling and definitely nice,” said Fiske, who is committed to University of Massachusetts-Lowell. “Everything that I have been working for is paying off, especially with the championship.”

Fiske has been a star lacrosse player for some time now. In the summer of 2012, he helped the 15-and-under San Diego All-Star team capture a U.S. Lacrosse Regional championship.

His stellar defensive play led to several transitional goals in that one. It was clearly a sign of what was to come, because he was doing plenty of that for the Titans this season.

“My position isn’t all about scoring goals, but I take pride on being a specialist and I like to push the transition,” he said. “A couple of years ago, I never thought of trying to score goals. Now I think I need to do whatever I can to help the team.”

Said Burke:” Jake is the heart and soul of our team ... Every time he is on the field he is capable of making a big play. When he goes over the head and takes the ball from the best player on the other team, our guys feed off that.”

Fiske even ran the point in man-up situations. That was just one area the Titans excelled at during their run to the Open Division championship. In fact, a majority of Fiske’s goals came in those situations.

“Having a long stick on man-up goes against the basic teachings of lacrosse,” Burke said. “The long stick is harder to protect and would hamper most players if they had to play offense with a long stick. Fiske uses his long stick as an advantage.”

Fiske is playing club lacrosse over the summer and then will be back at it for high school for his senior season. He achieved all his goals last season and hopes to do even more next year.

“I plan on working even harder,” he said.

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