The brotherhood on the Lyons Township High School boys lacrosse team this season extended well beyond senior standouts and twins Colin and Sean Kultgen. They were tri-captains with senior Nick Marino and among eight senior starters. The three captains along with seniors Aidan Schell and Ronan Fay were lacrosse teammates since first grade.
“Everyone just loved playing together and everything we did was just a lot of fun,” Colin Kultgen said. “We just had a sort of chemistry that added to our skill level. We knew going into this season we work so well together and we all knew and we should go far.”
The Lions (17-4) did just that. They won the program’s second sectional title and came one victory from the state semifinals before losing to Neuqua Valley 10-8 at the Lockport Super-Sectional June 3.
“This year’s group felt like it was more than a team,” Sean Kultgen said.
“While there were only three captains, it felt like everyone was a leader and held each other accountable. The culture shift created by the players allowed us to bounce back from hard losses and build momentum from huge wins.”
Midfielder Colin Kultgen (team-high 67 goals, co-team high 13 assists) was named second-team all-state. Defender Sean Kultgen (team-high 79 ground balls and 47 caused turnovers) was honorable mention all-state. Colin Kultgen was all-sectional and goalie Marino (130 saves, 58 save percentage) honorable mention all-sectional. Senior Nathan Fisher was academic all-sectional.
The Kultgens and senior long-stick midfielder Ryan Gertsmeier (54 ground balls, 24 caused turnovers) were All-West Suburban Conference for the second straight year. All-conference for the first time were Marino, defenders Fay (47 ground balls, 33 caused turnovers) and Schell (24 ground balls, 22 caused turnovers), junior attack Tavis Seger (19 goals, co-team high 13 assists) and freshman midfielder Danny Brooks (23 goals, 7 assists).
The Kultgens also were named the Lions’ co-Most Valuable Players. Marino was defensive MVP and Seger was offensive MVP. Other statistical leaders included senior attack Brady Lee (15 goals, 7 assists), senior defensive midfielder Gavin Carolan (35 ground balls, 26 caused turnovers) and junior faceoff/midfielder Xaedon Giannotti-Frye (127 won faceoffs, 53 winning percentage).
“Our senior-heavy team [helped us]. A lot of leadership in close game situations and a lot of guys who weren’t afraid to go out and make a play when we needed it,” said second-year LTHS coach Charlie Kidder.
“And then our defense was just really phenomenal. We were able to force turnovers when we needed and were able to take care of the ball in the clear.”
Colin Kultgen hopes to walk on at Ohio State or play for the club lacrosse team. He’ll study finance and minor in entrepreneurship, perhaps someday starting his own company. This season, he certainly played a big role offensively after being concerned entering the season if he could handle becoming the “go-to” guy.
“[All-state] meant a ton to me as it was sort of a personal satisfaction filled, knowing that I was able to contribute in a way that got me recognized by state coaches as a whole,” Colin said. “I knew [my role] would change this year so being able to have that [67 goals] at the end of the year is my personal statistic I am the most proud of.”
Sean Kultgen will major in law and public policy at Indiana University with hopes of becoming a lawyer or joining the FBI. He’ll play for the Hoosiers’ club team. Team captain was Sean’s favorite achievement.
“Ever since freshman year, each captain has been not only a player I look up to. Being someone chosen by the players to lead the team meant the world to me,” he said. “(All-state) means more than just an individual accomplishment. It represents how each teammate and coach was able to elevate my play to the highest caliber and I couldn’t be more thankful.”
The Lions won the St. Rita Sectional 4-3 over St. Ignatius May 30 on an incredible last-second goal by Colin Kultgen, who converted a 20-yard shot from the right of the goal while falling. Beating rival Hinsdale Central 8-7 May 16 was huge, especially considering the Lions lost to the Red Devils 8-7 in the 2024 sectional quarterfinals.
Colin Kultgen gave the comeback victory over St. Ignatius the nod. Before his acrobatic game-winner, Kultgen assisted senior Tommy Kokicki’s goal for a 3-3 tie with 1:34 left.
“[That game] was to win the school’s second-ever sectional and I was able to score three of our four goals with one being a game winner,” Colin said. “To be able to score a game-winner – to achieve the goal that our team set out for at the beginning of the season – put me on a high. I will never be able to forget it.”
In the sectional semifinals May 29, the Lions edged Downers Grove co-op 3-2 on his sudden-death overtime goal. They previously beat Mt. Carmel 9-6 in the quarterfinals May 26 by scoring the final four goals.
Sean Kultgen cited the 6-3 victory over Downers Grove co-op May 13 as the catalyst for what was to come. The Lions trailed 3-1 at halftime.
“It was our first upset in a week of three ranked (opponent) games. During halftime, it felt like the whole team bonded,” Sean said. “This game built the momentum for us to win all of our next games and truly showcased how good of a team we are when we all play like a family.”