Above – Dr. Phillips junior Edwin Wiley chase Timber Creek’s Evan Walker during a pre-season game Many folks around the state are probably asking themselves, “Dr. Who?” today as they look forward to the Elite 8 Play Off games tonight.

Dr. Phillips has arrived on the scene in a big way.  They have not, however, just appeared out of nowhere.  As late as 2010 they were not what you would call a strong program.  They were 2-12 in 2010 and that was about as good a result as they had had up until that point.  But in 2011 some kids with youth lacrosse experience and a new coach named Matt Provincer showed up at Dr. Phillips.  They went 6-7 in 2011 and in 2012 they were 13-4 and won their district before falling to Winter Park in the first round of the State Tournament. In 2013 they fell to Olympia in the District Final and 2014 finds them with a new young group of kids and new head coach, Charlie Battaglini at the helm.  When we say a “new young group of kids” we are not kidding.  This team starts three freshmen and eight sophomores.  Step one for Coach Battaglini apparently was throw these guys into the fire.  He lined up a schedule with teams like Bishop Moore Catholic, Lake Brantley, Oviedo, Boone, and Hagerty.  While these games didn’t go their way, they did learn that they can run with anyone.  They have also learned how to win as they have put together a 15-6 record, but Battaglini said the most important lesson his young team learned is that the little things make big differences. When his young team took the field against Plant, few outside of these two programs understood what a huge rivalry this is.  These two schools are football powerhouses.  Plant and Dr. Phillips are very familiar with one another is several sports with  Plant having the most recent victory in the latest meetings in football and tennis.  So while neither school is a household name (yet) in the lacrosse world, the kids were ready to put it on the line. The lessons and maturity gained from a tough schedule were put to the test early.  DP went out to an early lead 3-1 to only see it evaporate to a 4-3 deficit.  They owned the second quarter, however, and went into halftime with a 7-4 advantage and never let Plant get closer than two goals.  Ian Decker had a huge game for Dr. Phillips with six goals and Jake Gellen scored twice and recorded three assists before going out with a broken arm.  He will be missed tonight against LHP. Lake Highland, of course, will be playing the Giant in this scenario.  The Highlanders are fresh off a 17-3 dismantling of one of the most storied lacrosse programs in the state.  They will come strutting into the game tonight with seventeen wins under their belt against the best programs in the state.  One would be hard pressed to find a single facet of the game where they do not hold a significant advantage. But, with three freshmen and five sophomores on the starting roster it’s very likely that the youngsters at Dr. Phillips aren’t paying any attention to that.  As Battaglini said, “We’re going to be around for a while.”