Seneca storms past Eustace in boys' lacrosse

Seneca's Tyver Butler had spent a bit of time as a midfielder before high school, and he had a cup of coffee at the position as a sophomore.

By nature, though, he's an attack.

So his display over the last three games after switching to center midfield late in his senior season - 10 goals, including four in a 13-3 win over visiting Bishop Eustace on Friday night - is as much a testament to his guts as it is to his athleticism.

"He actually came to me about this," said Seneca coach Rob Davidson. "He told me the offense looked stagnant, that he thought we could be playing better.

"And he asked that I move him to midfield to help get us going - in the middle of his senior year, he asked to switch positions. That's the kind of player he is. He'll do anything to make his team better."

In his new role, Butler covers more ground and can run the offense almost like a quarterback.

It's not a role he has played before, but he was confident, and he immediately took to it.

"You can see the field better," he said. "You can call things out, also you have a little bit of a defensive responsibility. So it's allowed me really to be all over the field and help make sure everything is being taken care of."

The Seneca offense entered this season as a unit in transition. In recent history, the team featured a dynamic, run-and-gun, high-octane offense with elite goal scorers.

This year's offense is more about pace and settled play.

It takes cohesiveness to thrive in that style - and that's what Butler hass brought since changing positions, something owed equally to a high-lacrosse IQ and athleticism.

"I just knew we needed a change and we needed to grow and get better as a team," he said. "And I think we've been showing that."

In his first game in the midfield, the Golden Eagles knocked off a hot Haddonfield team, 7-5. On Monday, the team fell, 9-6, to Moorestown, its second loss of the season, but arguably its most impressive performance.

Moorestown is the No. 1 team in the Inquirer South Jersey Top 10 and a top team in the state. With the postseason fast approaching, the game showed that the sixth-ranked Golden Eagles (8-2) are moving in the right direction.

Friday night against Bishop Eustace (8-4), Seneca backed up that notion.

The team looked fluid and balanced, and strong all over the field in a convincing win over a solid team.

"We're playing much better," Davidson said. "We just need kids to keep stepping up."

Bishop Eustace 1 1 0 1 - 3

Seneca 4 2 4 3 - 13

Goals: BE-Ian Gray, Paul Braungart, Tim Spellman; S-Connor Fries 2, Tyver Butler 4, Ryan Hackney 3, Ian Gray 2, Alex Stahre, Peter Burke.

Saves: BE-Anthony Olivo 11; S-Tyler McCormack 5.