Timberlane's Licata looking forward to challenge of moving up to D1 boys lacrosse

Ken Blaszka knew right away that Matt Licata was going to be a special lacrosse player from the moment he joined the Timberlane Regional High School varsity team.

The bigger question for the Owls coach was how would his freshman phenom survive.

"The first game we played, I think was against Winnacunnet, and he took a hit from a senior playing defense, and I thought he was dead," Blaszka said. "It’s very difficult to play this game as a (high school) freshman on a field against 17- or 18-year-olds. They are huge and Matt was kind of small, but man was he fast. He has such a quick first step, righty or lefty, and he would leave really good athletes with their ankles broken."

Licata's skill, speed and lacrosse IQ kept him in one piece during that freshman year, and helped Timberlane finish high enough in Division II that the Owls hosted a first-round playoff game in 2017. And even as a freshman, Licata had a way of making everyone around him a little bit better.

"Even that first year, with what we were doing, he was already head and shoulders above everybody else, but just so small," Blaszka said. "But it helped, too, because we had Mike Bowman as a senior, and you could attribute a ton of his success senior year to having an elite (player) as a second attackman. Matt’s freshman year, (his scoring) was about as even as could be, so he was able to step on the field and contribute as a freshman, which I think is very rare."

After another playoff appearance last season, Timberlane faces a big challenge this year, as the Owls make the jump to Division I.

For Licata, it's just another in a long line of tests, and so far, he's been able to pass most of them.

"I feel like as a team it’s going to be tough," he said. "I feel like I’m pretty used to the speed, but it’s going to be hard being at the speed and wanting the other kids being in the areas that you’re used to them being in. We’re definitely seen as a low-end team, but I think we’re going to play well and we’re going to show some teams that we’re not as bad."

That's something Licata has been doing on the lacrosse field for quite some time. He began playing during the indoor season in fifth grade after watching is older brother, Alex, at practice.

"He was just playing and I’d always go to the practices, and it just looked so fun," he said. "I just started in the winter leagues. I was nervous but it came pretty quick and I just kept loving the game."

Now there aren't many times throughout the year when Licata isn't playing, something that Blaszka thinks most kids his age aren't able to handle without a certain level of passion.

"He practices at such an unbelievable level, and he has such a passion and heart for the game," Blaszka said. "It’s that fire inside, you really can’t do all that if you’re just doing it because people think your good. It’s tough."

That dedication to the game has already taken Licata far, and after his final two seasons at Timberlane, it will take him even further, as he's verbally committed to play at the next level at the University of Utah. The Utes are in their first season as a Division I program and are 4-7 with four games left in the season.

"The coaching staff, the campus was just so nice," Licata said of why he wanted to go to Utah. "Spending time with a couple of kids on the team felt right. Talking to the coach the next day, it felt like I was already part of that team. I think it’s going to be so fun. The team is improving so quickly all ready and it’s going to be a big opportunity."