When Henry Tolker was a plebe, he scored two goals to help Navy men’s lacrosse upset sixth-ranked Army on the road in overtime.
That is the only positive memory Tolker and his classmates have of the rivalry series with the Black Knights.
Army came to Annapolis and posted a convincing 11-6 victory in the 2023 matchup, then pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Navy, 13-8, last season.
“Starting off on the high of beating Army as freshmen, it really hurts that we’ve lost the last two. We want to experience that winning feeling again,” said Tolker, a Catonsville resident and Loyola Blakefield graduate.
Saturday’s showdown against archrival Army means everything to this 14-man Navy senior class, which coach Joe Amplo says has been instrumental in getting the program headed in the right direction on a lot of levels.
Army, which is 9-1 overall and 5-1 in the Patriot League, is ranked fifth nationally and Amplo has made it clear all week that Navy (7-4, 3-2) is a decided underdog.
“They are as complete a team as exists in college lacrosse right now. It’s hard to find a weakness,” Amplo said of the Black Knights. “We’ve got to be able to execute for 60 minutes to have a chance to win.”
“We hope to cap off our careers and our time playing at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium with a win against Army,” Navy close defenseman Ian McGullum said.
This is the last regular season home game for Navy men’s lacrosse, but the Class of 2025 chose to celebrate senior night last Friday prior to the Lafayette game. They did not want anything to detract from the focus needed to beat Army. Doing so would go a long way to enabling the Midshipmen to play a Patriot League Tournament game in Annapolis.
“This Saturday is an opportunity to fight for more time at home,” standout short-stick defensive midfielder Jack Norton said. “If we win out in the Patriot League, we will get another home game, which would be huge for the seniors.”
This is the first class of seniors that was recruited almost entirely by Amplo, who is in his sixth year at Navy. Midfielder Gavin Gregorek is the only one of the 14 remaining seniors that committed to Navy prior to Amplo’s arrival.
“These are our guys and that means so much to the entire coaching staff,” Amplo said. “The fact they and their families believed in a new coaching staff and believed in the program we were building and made the choice to be here… I’m forever grateful and loyal to them.”
There has been some attrition from the original recruiting class, but the seniors still with the program all play integral roles. What Amplo appreciates most is the way this class has embraced the core values and beliefs he wants to instill.
“Each of these seniors has improved individually and they’ve all made an impact in many different ways. I think the one thing they’ve done the best is buy into the team concept and culture we started to implement here six years ago,” Amplo said.
Amplo created an acronym he wants to define Navy men’s lacrosse. BATTL stands for bold, accountable and together with love. He said these seniors live and breathe that slogan.
“They designed the behaviors and standards that mantra represents,” Amplo said. “During the fall, they each took a leadership role. Every week, one senior would do a 15-minute briefing on those principles based on their own experiences and beliefs.”
Those senior speeches came during players-only meetings held regularly during the fall and Tolker said “we always came out of those feeling like we took a big stride forward.”
Tolker is a four-year starter on attack and has amassed 113 points on the strength of 90 goals. After starting 43 games through three seasons, he has only started six this season, often coming out of the box as a midfielder.
“I’m proud of Henry because he’s executing a specific role we have asked him to fill this season and doing so without complaint,” Amplo said. “Henry is going to leave here with more than 100 career goals and that’s significant.”
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Norton has also been a four-year contributor and is now Navy’s top short-stick defensive midfielder, playing in 57 career games and 35 ground balls along with 22 caused turnovers. The Gonzaga College High product is the team co-captain along with McGullum, a two-year starter on close defense that Amplo described as extremely steady.
“Ian doesn’t do anything flashy; he’s just very fundamentally sound and an outstanding one-on-one defender. He can guard the No. 1 attackman at times and win the matchup,” Amplo said.
Carter Ash is a starter on attack and proven a very effective finisher, tied for the team lead with 15 goals. Evan Conway (14 points) runs on the first midfield, while classmates Ramon LaRocco and Gregorek are members of the second and third units, respectively.
Bobby Kittelberger has been one of the team’s top long stick midfielders the last two seasons and started on close defense against Lafayette since McGullum was out with an injury. Jacob Darrow was a real revelation during preseason practice and earned a starting spot on close defense after previously playing long stick midfield. Amplo has praised the Severn School alum for the communication he provides on the defensive end.
Charlie Brady, always the consummate scout team player, has been getting some runs on defensive midfield lately due to injuries. Norton called the Annapolis resident and St. Mary’s High graduate “the toughest guy on the team.”
“Charlie has probably played every position on the depth chart and grinds it out every day. It’s just love for the boys and love for the program,” Norton said.
Taylor LaFar had played in just three games coming into this season, but was still selected by teammates to wear the No. 40 in honor of former Navy lacrosse player Brendan Looney. That is one of the highest honors bestowed by the program as Lieutenant Looney, a Navy SEAL killed in action during a helicopter mission over Afghanistan in 2010, is a revered figure.
Lafar has been injured throughout his career and this is the first season he’s been able to practice on a daily basis. He’s a leader of the scout team and rarely gets into games.
“Taylor’s work ethic is the best on the team. He’s the type of guy who can pick you up when you’re down and is always there to support you,” Norton said. “He’s a model midshipman who leads by example with the way he carries himself at all times.”
Norton said all the seniors take great pride in wearing Navy across their chest and they have emphasized the importance of that responsibility to the underclassmen. “Playing lacrosse for Navy has been the best experience of my life and I’m very grateful for the opportunity,” he said.
McGullum said the 14 seniors that have stuck it out to the end will be best friends forever, saying they are “as close-knit as you can possibly get.”
“I think the legacy we will leave starts with the culture we’ve set. This year, we took a giant leap forward in terms of holding guys accountable and living up to the Navy lacrosse standard,” McGullum said. “We need to capitalize on the opportunities we still have and that starts with beating Army.”
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No. 5 Army at Navy
Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: 1430 AM