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Sam English suffered the wrath of Jake Stevens when he entered Culver Military Academy in 2015. Stevens, a then-sophomore, was the beret in charge of inspecting English and a few other freshmen. Stevens yelled at English to clean his room. He berated him when his bed wasn’t made. He examined his uniform and assessed his military duties. And he screamed at English when his shoes weren’t shining bright enough.

English expected to gain a quick companion in Stevens, as the two competed in box lacrosse growing up in Canada. He certainly didn’t think Stevens would be his drill sergeant.

“That was a little shell-shocking,” English said.

Culver — a high-school lacrosse powerhouse in Indiana — molded English and Stevens. It was where their friendship originated, one that’s steadily blossomed through their eerily similar career paths. They were raised within 30 minutes of each other in Canada. They ascended in the lacrosse world while sharing the midfield at Princeton. Everything culminated in their simultaneous transfer to Syracuse, the final stop on their shared lacrosse journey.

Eight years together drastically changed their association. Stevens was no longer English’s disciplinarian, becoming his confidant as the duo discussed their potential fifth-year ventures. They wouldn’t concretely state they made their decision in lockstep, yet they didn’t have to. It was inevitable.

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Both Stevens and English already established ties with Syracuse offensive coordinator Pat March, who coached Stevens for one year at Princeton and helped recruit English. Stevens said a feeling lingered that he’d select SU, and once English spoke with the staff, it started to make sense for all parties.

Though Stevens’ mother, Shireen, believes her son was always waiting for English’s choice. A few weeks went by after Stevens first brought up the idea of playing at SU, which prompted Shireen to re-inquire about his future.

“So Jake, have you heard anything more?” Shireen asked.

“Well, I don’t know. I’m waiting to see what happens,” Stevens responded.

She pressed him further, questioning what he’d do if English didn’t go to SU. Still, Shireen received the same answer. Once English narrowed his decision to Syracuse, Shireen recalls Stevens saying “Sam’s in.”

“Once Jake made that decision and I knew he was going there, (it) made it a little bit easier for me to make that decision,” English said. “Knowing I have somebody here, knowing I’d be able to transition easily and be here with someone who’s helped me and can help me.”

English needed Stevens the same way he did at Culver. For a military school with a rigorous reputation, it was necessary to have someone guiding them. The program, which rose to prominence following former head coach Jonathan Posner’s hire in 2004, is perennially ranked No. 1 in the country and are consistent national title contenders.

Culver alum and former Delaware midfielder Jake DeMare said Posner bases his message around having a tireless pursuit at all times and fostered a tight-knit culture. He wants the best for his players and treats you like a son, per DeMare. Nevertheless, none of that came without painstaking commitment.

“There’s a saying at Culver, ‘It’s a Culver thing,’” DeMare said while laughing. “You don’t understand Culver unless you went. I hated it when I was there.”

English was thrown into the fire. According to former teammate and current Delaware attack Mike Robinson, they’d wake up each morning at 7 a.m. to change into uniforms for mandatory room inspection. Then, it was time to line up in the courtyard and march to breakfast. Class from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Two-hour practice right afterward. All that’s left is to hit the showers, eat dinner and a sliver of downtime before a mandatory homework session from 8 to 10 p.m.

And then they’d wake up the next day to do it all over again.

“Culver was not an easy place for your first so many months there,” Stevens said. “It was definitely a culture shock. I’m pretty sure everyone wanted to leave at some point.”

Toughness is a necessity in a military environment — no one exemplifies that like Stevens. Posner, the current head coach at Lawrenceville (NJ), said he was one of the toughest players he’s ever coached, marveling at his focused and deliberate mindset. Stevens took responsibility, reflected accountability and didn’t have to be told when he made a mistake, Posner said.

Jake Stevens adds a valuable, versatile piece to Syracuse’s midfield. Joe Zhao | Asst. Photo Editor

Captivated by the passion he displays on the field, English gunned to model his game after Stevens. He said Stevens’ versatility stood out as a midfielder who shoots with efficiency and utilizes his quickness and strength to pick up loads of ground balls. English thought if he could have even a “little bit” of Stevens in his game, he’d solidify himself in Culver’s midfield.

Though developing the same heart as Stevens is hard to come by. Posner revealed that Stevens often played through severe injury, recalling one instance where he played a string of games on a broken foot and the coaching staff ultimately forced him to sit out.

“If you were going to play rock, paper, scissors with Jake and he lost, he would want to kill you,” Posner said. “That’s how intense and competitive he was. He was always serious.”

Stevens’s willpower rubbed off on English. During his junior year at Culver, Posner noticed that English was having trouble speaking. English cited that his mouth was killing him and he felt he was coming down with a fever.

Posner asked to examine his mouth, seeing English had inflammation near his wisdom teeth. The head coach drove English to Indianapolis so he could receive treatment from an acclaimed oral surgeon in the area. He needed his wisdom teeth taken out right away. Posner called English’s mother, Kim, to approve of the procedure.

“I was kind of hoping that maybe I could get him back up here to Canada, where (the operation) would be covered under our insurance,” Kim said.

The surgeon ripped English’s wisdom teeth out while he wasn’t under any anesthesia. Posner watched it all, he said as English pulled through, ridding himself of any pain and illness to get back on the field.

“I played the next day at practice,” English remembered. “That was definitely one of my finer moments.”

As his commitment to the program grew, English continued to follow Stevens’ lead. Posner said English and Stevens grew into similar players, displaying versatile skill sets while becoming “lethal” in transition. Even among a stacked roster, they set themselves apart.

“They always wanted to get better,” Posner said of English and Stevens. “Some kids shut down when you coach them pretty hard. But those two were a coach’s dream.”

Coming out of Culver, Stevens originally committed to Cornell, but flipped to Princeton ahead of the 2019 season. The exact same scenario occurred with English, switching from the Big Red to join the Tigers the following year.

Stevens said he was compelled to look out for English due to their history at Culver. The two had more freedom outside of lacrosse at Princeton. They didn’t live together, but played golf and watched movies and TV shows. Stevens also helped English with his coursework and getting him acclimated to the new setting.

“We were always together,” English said of their time at Princeton. “It definitely made life easier… (Stevens) was just super helpful there the whole time.”

Sam English has tallied eight goals as a midfielder in his first seven games since transferring to Syracuse. Aidan Groeling | Staff Photographer

Plus, their on-field chemistry increased, leading to gaudy results. From 2022-23, they combined for 121 points. In 2022, each earned Second-Team All-Ivy League honors and All-American list selections.

Stevens and English propelled the Tigers to the Final Four with their all-around playstyles, solidifying themselves as two of the nation’s top midfielders.

“Watching the season that year and how we both contributed to that team, I think it was pretty special,” Stevens said.

In their latest endeavor at Syracuse, Stevens and English are closer than ever. They finally live together, hitting the links and watching movies in their spare time. They carpool to practice every day and can focus more on lacrosse without the military responsibilities.

The duo may not wake up as early as they used to, and Stevens is no longer tasked with reprimanding English for wearing a dirty pair of shoes. But their intertwined careers have led to them sharing a midfield for one of the sport’s most historic programs. Even for a set of hyper-focused individuals, it’s important to reflect on the winding road that got them there — and the eternal bond that’s been forged.

“It’s cool to look back on it now,” Stevens said. “To see how close me and Sam have become and what we’ve done since those early days.”

Published on March 7, 2024 at 1:04 am

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews