Ever since he tried lacrosse in fourth grade, Dylan Mount has played with aggression.
He started as an attacker, but his physicality was more valued on defense. He made the switch in sixth grade and hasn’t looked back.
“My coach took away my short stick, handed me a D-pole and said, ‘You’ll play defense,’ ” Mount said. “It just fit my style of play.”
Mount relied on that style to become a key component for Lakes. As a sophomore, he helped the Eagles win 14 games and reach a sectional semifinal. During this school year, Mount has been a leader for a team eager to take the field in the spring after last season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 5-foot-7 defender recently committed to play for Calvin University, a Division III program in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mount said he has wanted to play at the college level since his freshman year.
“It’s going to be so enjoyable to continue to play the next four years,” Mount said. “I really wouldn’t know what it’s like to be in school and not playing. It’s going to be fun.”
Casey Powell, Mount’s coach at Team One Lacrosse, said he plays textbook defense and is a true blue-collar player. Mount’s combination of fundamentals and aggressiveness puts him on equal footing with taller, heavier opponents.
“In the sport of lacrosse and in any sport, if you have the tools and the toughness like Dylan does, it makes up for the height,” Powell said. “He plays bigger than he really is.”
“I feel like it’s a lack of fear on my end,” Mount added. “It doesn’t intimidate me. Every time I face a bigger guy, it’s not, ‘Oh, no, I’m going to lose.’ It’s just, ‘I have to try harder.’ “
Mount is a member of the National Honor Society and competes for the school’s math team. Lakes coach Jacob Perry noted Mount plans to major in electrical engineering and minor in biomedical engineering at Calvin.
“Right there just tells you the type of kid that he is,” Perry said. “He loves learning about the game. His mind is always running on different things that could be happening in practice and games.”
Mount watched and learned as the upperclassmen led the Eagles during his sophomore season. Now Mount organizes team lifting sessions and open gyms.
“He really took a stand because we were lacking a leader defensively,” Perry said. “This year we can’t really do much, so it’s all up to the players. He’s really taking a stand and pushing these guys.”
The Illinois High School Association has targeted May 3 as the start date for games, although that could change. Mount’s top priority is to set up the Eagles for the future.
“One of my major goals is to make sure all the underclassmen understand what Lakes culture is so I don’t come back years from now and it’s a struggling program,” Mount said. “I want to instill the hard work ethic we’ve had the past couple of years.”
Nick Frazier is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
