Team captain Bryce Reece inspires Lenape boys’ lacrosse team with his goals and vocal leadership

Bryce Reece spent some time calling former teammates before the season to ask for advice on how to be a great leader.

Reece had been named a senior captain on the Lenape boys’ lacrosse team, and so it made sense to reach out to the players who came before him — the players he still looks up to.

It was a simple gesture that spoke volumes on where Lenape is as a program.

Every year, the Indians graduate a star-studded senior class. Every year, the team remains among South Jersey’s elite, a state title contender. Every year, players are motivated to live up to what has come before them.

It’s the culture that coach Bill Sutphin envisioned when he started the program 16 years ago.

And it’s something Reece personifies on a team poised to make its sixth straight appearance in the South Jersey Group 4 final.

“At the beginning of this year, I was struggling with what it really meant to be a captain,” said Reece, who has 39 goals and 16 assists as a midfielder for the 12-3 Indians. “So I would hit up guys like Zach Cole, Tim Montgomery, Matt Lajoie, those guys who I always thought were great leaders. They told me not to try to do too much. There’s only so much I can do but to just lead by example, be vocal and let them follow.”

Sutphin said Reece’s leadership has improved almost daily this season, largely because of how dedicated he is to it.

“He’s always been a presence with his athleticism and him being a creative player,” Sutphin said. “And now he’s added this year the role of a vocal leader, and it’s helping the team.”

Two weeks ago, Reece scored his biggest goal of the season when he buried the winner in overtime against Cherokee. Lenape was trailing for most of the fourth quarter before Matt Souter tied the score with 20 seconds left.

Reece said he wanted to step up for his team in that situation. He knows it’s his year to do it. “I feel like it’s my obligation to take the shot,” he said.

He also helped establish an attitude on the Indians sideline. The feeling that Lenape simply would not lose that game was palpable, even in the final minute.

“I just told my guys to make sure we stayed together,” Reece said.

Grinding out wins and fighting and clawing for success is also part of Lenape’s identity. The team embraces a blue-collar mentality.

Reece said the attitude suits his personal approach to the sport.

He started playing lacrosse in sixth grade in the Mount Laurel youth program. Early on, he was coached by his father, Tony Reece, who played at Cornell.

But since those days, Reece has been something of an unlikely star player. At 5-foot-6, he has been told he’s too short. He has been told his shot isn’t strong enough.

“People have looked down on me my entire lacrosse career,” said Reece, who is committed to play at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University. “So having that blue-collar work ethic, that’s what drives me and the rest of the team.

“I want to come out here and prove people wrong.”

One thing no can deny is Reece’s athleticism. His lateral quickness and overall speed and ability to create space for himself are elite.

That, too, is a sign of where the Indians are as a team this year. Last year, Lenape was known for it’s size and strength. This year, the team is shiftier and relies more on its speed.

What binds the two seasons is the polish the players have and their obvious dedication.

Every year at some point, Sutphin will take his players to work with and coach younger players in the Mount Laurel youth program. It’s tradition at this point.

In addition to being in that youth program with some of his current teammates, Reece remembers looking up to the Indians players who came to coach him. He also remembers coaching players who are now his teammates.

“That’s where it starts. It’s one of the ties that keeps this going,” he said.

Added Sutphin, “That’s one of the attributes of our success, that kids are always willing to reach out. And old leaders are always reciprocating and giving advice and helping us to keep a good atmosphere, and Bryce is helping to carry that on. … It’s just been a fun ride.”