Huestis finding a groove for Strath Haven

MIDDLETOWN >> Strath Haven’s season has been full of firsts — a Central League title, a PIAA tournament berth. But that success overshadows the dividing line that splits the Panthers’ season into two distinct halves.

Jef Hewlings’ team has played two seasons in 2016: An 11-game run with attackman Jack Borbee and 12 games without the junior.

The reason why the difference has been so unnoticed is thanks largely to the emergence of Will Huestis, a transitional midfielder who’s become an offensive force as the Panthers (17-6) enter the PIAA tournament Wednesday with a trip to Northampton High School to meet District 11 champ Southern Lehigh.

Borbee began the season as one of the Central League’s top offensive threats. Through 11 games, he scored 10 goals and 24 assists, second on the team in points behind Jeffrey Conner (even with his extended absence, Borbee’s assist total remains second only to Conner on the team). Strath Haven was 10-1 when Borbee went down with a concussion.

Someone had to fill that offensive void, and while Huestis wasn’t the least likely candidate, his extreme level of production since has been remarkable.

In the first nine games of the season, Huestis scored six goals to go with two assists, many of them accompanying the transition game at which Haven is so adept thanks to faceoff man Hunter Mazur and the groundball ability of long-stick midfielder Noah Frantz.

After 23 games, Huestis sits at 40 and 18, a tremendous outburst for an undeniably athletic player who figured to work into Hewlings’ rotation mostly as a transitional player, using his speed to grab GBs on the wings and help clear the zone.

“Definitely since Jack went down, I don’t know if I had to step up, but people saw me and I kind of filled the void,” Huestis said last week after the Panthers fell to Springfield, 5-4, in the District One third-place game. “I’m definitely trying now to be more offensive-minded and get another offensive-minded player on there to try to take the pressure off Jeff and our attackmen.”

Huestis has scored a point in every game since Borbee’s been out. He showed his passing ability with four assists in a 9-7 win over Haverford. And he lists his coming-out party as a seven-goal night in a loss to Garnet Valley. He added six goals and an assist in the first round of districts, a 19-9 shellacking of Rustin.

Huestis, who also plays soccer, has had lacrosse as his main sport since elementary school. A large part of his career was spent as an offensive middie, but in high school, he took a more defensive tack.

Huestis’ insertion to the lineup necessitated changes from those around him compared to Borbee’s presence.

Borbee’s bread-and-butter is behind the net, where he can dish to cutters or use his low center of gravity to sneak out in front of the cage and change the angles for looks to cutting attackmen.

Huestis’ preferred approach is more direct, using his quickness to dodge from the top of the key, get defenders moving and either shoot or try to open lanes.

The Panthers’ changing specialties have required some alterations in the group’s approach. Conner has taken a larger role, as evidenced by the hat trick, including game-tying and game-winning goals, in the District One quarterfinal win over Bishop Shanahan to get Haven to states.

Jake Ross and Sam Mutz have assumed more of Borbee’s facilitating duties, and Tyler Fink and Will Bozentka present change-of-pace options in attack. Mazur, who has 19 goals, is also more prevalent in the attacking half. Without Borbee’s passing vision, Huestis lists the biggest change to team offense as the commitment to off-ball movement, with players knowing they need to work a little harder to get open.

Those improvements present the tantalizing prospect of what the Panthers could look like if Borbee comes back. He returned to practice last week but wasn’t free enough of symptoms to play against Springfield, and his status is still very much in question. That extends to how his teammates regard the prospect of him playing.

“We’re definitely hoping he’s going to come back,” Huestis said. “…You never know with concussions. So really just everyone has to step up and do their part to fill in, because they’re two of our best players. I didn’t think we’d be able to lose them and do as well as we have.”