By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 12/3/17
Chase Patterson – although confident – was not putting extra pressure on himself this weekend at the 2017 Faceoff Academy National Showcase at The Super Dome in Waldwick, N.J.
Council Rick South’s Chase Patterson (far left) won the 2019 championship at the Faceoff Academy National Showcase
“My goal was just to go out have fun, compete hard and win – but I had no idea ‘this’ was going to happen,” said Patterson. “It was awesome!”
In fact, Patterson, of Council Rock South and the Duke’s LC, representing Philly Faceoff League, stunned the field of 64 and won the 2019 age group championship today as an uncommitted.
Also from Philly Faceoff, Southern Lehigh 2018 Mike Sisselberger (Duke’s LC, Lehigh signee) was runner-up in his age class to Nick Rowlett (Robinson Secondary-VA, Michigan signee) and Malvern Prep’s Rowan Almonte (Rising Sons) was the 2020 runner-up while Haverford School’s Jake McCarthy (Mesa) was the 2021 runner-up. Almonte and McCarthy also train with the Faceoff Academy of Philadelphia.
Although he was not considered a favorite, Patterson has enjoyed a strong fall and said he began to believe quickly that he could win the crown.
“After I won my first match, I was like, ‘OK, I made it to the second round. I can at least make it to the third round,'” he said. “When I got to the third round, I said to myself, ‘Alright, I am going to win this championship.’
“I did not change anything. I kept doing what I was doing well; I got it off the clamp, and if not, I overpowered them.”
Patterson did not allow himself to get intimidated by the top names.
“I did not,” he said. “When I go out there I don’t think of who the person is or where they are going or if they are a big name person. I look at it like they are in my way and I have to go out and beat them.
“My fall season went very well and I was very confident. During practice (Saturday) I was doing well and I felt good about things coming in.”
In the finals (all bouts were best of 5), Patterson won, 3-1.
“When I got the (clinching) groundball, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just won the championship,” he said. “I was happy about it, with all these (top) kids.
“I knew some of the guys here; some I had faced off against before. Other than that, I didn’t know many, and you’d hear whispers of who they were.”
Patterson, undoubtedly, helped himself in the recruiting scene.
“Right now I am just talking to schools and getting started,” said Patterson, whose older brother, Brendan, was an All-Phillylacrosse.com pick last year and was a reserve faceoff specialist as a freshman at Binghamton in 2017. “This gives me a lot of confidence. I know I can go out and beat anyone on the opposite side of me.”