SWR lax star Kershis earns national MVP honors

As far back as Shoreham-Wading River’s Liam Kershis can remember, he always had a lacrosse stick in his hand. He tried many different sports growing up, including soccer, basketball and baseball, but lacrosse was always his favorite.

“My parents’ main idea was to get me and my brother into every sport imaginable and see what would stick,” Kershis said. “But there was something about lacrosse that just stood out to me. The sport is amazing. Playing the game on the front foot, the hand-eye coordination, running full speed. It was similar to playing tag, using juke moves and stuff. I just wanted to get better at it; whether it be catching the ball, shooting the ball, moving without the ball, or making the right pass.”

That passion for the game only grew as he got older and, by his junior year, Kershis developed into one of the highest-rated recruits in the country. He was recently named to the New Balance Senior All-America game — just a cherry on top of his illustrious high school career. But before he became the face of Shoreham-Wading River lacrosse and a Duke University commit, Kershis was just a regular kid playing on his dad’s lacrosse team, the Long Island Long Boards, which consisted of players from Shoreham-Wading River and Riverhead.

“We were just having fun and I wasn’t really taking lacrosse serious until I got scouted by Legacy Lacrosse in fourth grade,” Kershis said. “They asked my dad if I would try out for Legacy, which was a really good team in our age group. I ended up making the team and my lacrosse career kind of took off from there.”

Lacrosse dominated his life. Kershis was constantly away playing in tournaments all over the East Coast, playing with the best of the best. It became more than just a game. He became obsessed with trying to improve and spent hours upon hours perfecting his game. The results speak for themselves. Kershis remembers that even as early as his freshman year, college scouts were watching his games. They couldn’t contact him at the time because of NCAA rules, but they were there.

“The scouts were off to the side, usually on some kind of beach chair with a clipboard,” Kershis remembers. “They wore gear from the university they were from and they just seemed to always show up when I was playing.”

Those scouts saw something in him from an early age. Kershis was different. He didn’t have that typical arrogance most top athletes do. He was a humble kid who kept his head down and worked as hard as he could.

“The highest honor you can get is to be called a good teammate,” Kershis said. “I never tried to force goals. An assist still got a goal on the board. I tried to always let the game come to me. It just comes down to effort and hard work. I just tried to always outwork the person in front of me.”

Kershis was a force to be reckoned with on the varsity lacrosse team at Shoreham-Wading River even as a small-framed, wide-eyed freshman. He scored 35 goals that year to go along with his 20 assists and his production level only increased. His sophomore season he netted 45 goals with 35 assists. He ramped that total up to 59 goals and 38 assists in his junior season, leading the Wildcats to a Suffolk County championship.

“Over the years I’ve seen Liam grow into a confident and mature young man who leads by example both on and off the field,” SWR head coach Mike Taylor said. “His commitment to his teammates, his relentless work ethic and his positive attitude have made him a cornerstone of our program.”

Being able to play in college was always Kershis’ ultimate goal and there was one team, even as a kid, that stood out among the rest.

“It was always a dream of mine to play for Duke since I was a little kid,” Kershis said.“They were always one of the best teams so naturally as a kid you gravitate toward them. They always had the best players so I wanted to be able to call myself one of the best.”

Collegiate offers poured in by the bunches. Kershis estimates he had scholarship offers from more than 30 schools. He earned scholarships from the all of lacrosse hierarchy, including the University of Notre Dame, the University of North Carolina, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. But even after going on visits to those schools, Duke was always in the back of his mind.

“I just felt the most comfortable there,” Kershis said. “Those schools are amazing but they just didn’t compare to Duke in my eyes. Duke had the total package. The campus was nothing like I’ve ever seen. I love all the coaches, the players, it’s got such a social atmosphere. I visited the campus many times and I could really picture myself wearing the Blue Devils uniform.” With his commitment in tow, Kershis set his eyes on hoisting a state title in his final year as a Wildcat. It would have been a perfect ending to his high school career. Unfortunately, a late penalty in the Suffolk County championship was called when a SWR player reentered the game too early after injury, which ultimately derailed a comeback bid against Bayport-Blue Point as the Wildcats lost, 9-8. They had a chance to tie before the referees deemed a change of possession. At that point, when the final seconds ticked off, Kershis thought he had played his last high school game — that was until he got a call shortly after the season.

“I was told that I’m going to be part of the Senior All-American game,” Kershis said. “I knew I was going to be one of the players considered but I’ve got to be honest, I felt like I had a pretty down year in my opinion and I didn’t expect to be called.”

A committee made up of the nation’s most knowledgeable figures in high school lacrosse sat down and decided on the top 44 seniors in the country. It was clear from his production level that Kershis deserved to be there. His play at Homewood Field on the Johns Hopkins campus Saturday proved he belonged. He scored two goals, one of which he whipped by the goalkeeper backhanded, and assisted on four other goals as he propelled Team North to a 16-15 victory. He was named the MVP after it was all said and done.

“While earning the MVP in such a prestigious game is always a significant achievement I can’t say I am entirely surprised,” said Taylor, who coached an underclassman team in another All-American event last weekend. “Liam demonstrated exceptional skill, work ethic and skill throughout his time with us. His dedication to improving and his ability to rise to the occasion always made him a standout player.”

“It’s supposed to be a fun game,” Kershis said. “But when we fell behind early, we all started to play harder. I was getting on our team a little bit saying we had to pick it up. And honestly, I’m a super competitive guy. I don’t have it in me to take it easy. The game is just more fun when we’re in a competitive environment.”

Not a bad way to end a high school career. It became the perfect segue into his college years. Kershis got a chance to play with some of his future teammates in Ben McCarthy, Nikolas Menendez and Nolen Connor at the All-American game — simply a taste of what’s to come in his upcoming years at Duke.

“I expect everyone in college to just be on another level,” Kershis said. “It’s not the best recruits in the country anymore. It’s the best players in the country, period.”

Once he dons that Blue Devil uniform for the first time, it will truly be a dream come true.