Congratulations to Drake Porter on his verbal commitment to Syracuse University! Drake, a product of Markham and Newmarket Redbirds lacrosse had an excellent 2014-2015 season with EDGE, providing the team with exceptional goaltending throughout the year! Drake was also the starting goalie for St.Andrew's College Varsity team and helped the team qualify for OFSSA finals. This September, Drake will be attending IMG Academy (FL) for his senior year where he will have an opportunity to play lacrosse year round and travel and compete in the Spring against top prep school teams from across the country. 

Drake Porter Fall 2014 Video 

An honour roll student and member of the EDGE All Academic team all 3 years, Drake has proven to be a succesful student-athlete, balancing his time in the classroom and on the field. Coach Adam Lukanchoff, who has coached Drake the last 2 years had this to say about Drake:

Drake is a fierce competitor, always thriving to be the best player on the field. He is constantly working on his craft. If he gets beat with a shot, that's the only time he gets beat there. Syracuse picked up a great goaltender who will be a key contributor in the near future.

We had a chance to speak with Drake about his commitment to Syracuse, his time with Edge and advice to future members. 

Where did you first begin playing lacrosse? Where are you currently enrolled/playing?

DP - I first started playing box when I was about 3 years old living in Markham, I played house league and a bit of select as a player until I was 7 then decided to quit. I picked up the sport again through field in grade 6 at St. Andrew's College where I became a goalie, I played for the saints up until grade 11. I ended up playing for the Redbirds as well all the way through up until last fall with U19. After this summer with Edge I'm going down to IMG Academy in Florida for my senior year to play and train year round.

Why did you choose Syracuse?
DP - I chose Syracuse for many reasons:  Syracuse has been my dream school since I first started playing field lacrosse way back in grade 6 as the program has a high standard of excellence and consistently is in the hunt for the national championship, of all the colleges I looked at and visited the campus and number of students felt most like a Canadian University which I liked a lot, the Academics were a perfect fit for me as Syracuse is a high level university, and coaches Desko, Donahue, and Rogers were great to me and my family during the process.

What are you looking forward to most at Syracuse?
DP - I'm definitely looking forward to being able to put the Syracuse Orange jersey on, it's something that I've always dreamed of and it's definitely something not very many kids get to do.

Future ambitions and goals beyond NCAA lax?
DP - Beyond the NCAA I would jump at an opportunity to play in the MLL but as far as a career goes I'm undecided right now… Hopefully something which pays a lot of money.

When did you join Edge? Can you tell us about your experience in the program?
DP - I joined edge back in the fall of grade 9 and I was actually on the 2016 "B" team. The first fall was definitely a wake up call when I saw how fast and strong the kids in the US were and it definitely motivated me to elevate my game. Following that fall it was nothing but good times as I made my way up to the "A" team and got to play extremely high level lacrosse that just isn't available anywhere else. I wasn't one of those kids who was a prodigy from grade 7 all the way through, I really had to work on my game every day in order to get better and get to where I'm at now and edge definitely played a huge part in that.

Any future advice for Edge members?
DP - I would say that in terms of recruiting you shouldn't be afraid at all to reach out to schools that you're interested in, whether that's a call or an e-mail, the worst thing they can say is no. I would also tell you to not get worried about early recruiting, especially with goalies. If you keep improving and play well coaches will notice no matter how old you are, all it takes is for one goalie's commitment to fall through because of academics or some other reason and then you're right there. I had virtually no interest until the summer before my senior year but I did my best not to get discouraged and it all worked out for me. Pay your dues and keep working hard and good things will happen.

Favorite memory with Edge?
DP - My favorite memory with Edge has to be when the whole team supported me and picked me up when I was down after being the last cut from Team Ontario last summer, meant a lot to me and that's something I'll always remember.

Who did you look up to growing up? Anyone you would compare yourself to now?
DP - I've always looked up to former Syracuse goalie John Galloway who now plays in the MLL, I'd like to compare myself to him since I've always tried to emulate his style of play.

Any shoutouts, special thanks?
DP - I’d like to thank my coaches and advisors throughout the years: Dan Vertolli and Fergy Bellows of the Newmarket Redbirds; Adam Lukanchoff, Stu Brown, and Alan Tsang from Edge; Bill Shatz and Mike Ryder from IMG; Joe Commisso, Joel Morissey, and Fraser Cowell from SAC; with a special nod to Greg Reid who’s been my coach on Newmarket and SAC since I started playing field and has supported me throughout. I’d also like to thank my family especially my parents for supporting me and taking me on long drives to help me achieve my dream. Also a shout-out to all of my friends from Edge, the Redbirds and SAC.