Sam Wackman’s priorities are pretty clear: academics before athletics.

“(Being a) student comes first, and then have fun playing lacrosse,” said Wackman, who stressed he works hard at school and sports. 

That commitment in the classroom and on the lacrosse field has the Cretin-Derham Hall senior receiving high marks from his coach, especially after Wackman scored a hat trick to lead the Raiders in a 10-5 victory over Suburban East Conference rival Woodbury at Cretin-Derham Hall High School on Monday.

Wackman’s performance helped him set a new career high with 10 goals this season, and it comes after he was recently named to the President’s List, a Cretin-Derham Hall honor roll reserved for students with a grade point average of 3.92 or higher. 

“(His work) in the classroom reflects on the field and vice versa,” Raiders coach Brent Walby said. “(Sam) is an all-around great person.” 

Walby lauded Wackman’s ability to create offensive chances with either hand depending on which side of the field the ambidextrous midfielder is occupying.

“He’s a workhorse on the clears. And on offense, he’s something else,” Walby said.

Wackman’s three goals were a season-high and increased his points total this year to 19, which is fourth-best on the team. The stats indicate an improvement season for Wackman, who finished his junior year with seven goals and 18 points while also earning honorable mention all-section honors. 

And his athletic success isn’t limited to the lacrosse field. Wackman was one of the top point scorers for the Cretin-Derham Hall hockey team this season, ending the year with 26 (four goals, 22 assists).

With Wackman doing much of the heavy lifting on offense Monday night, the Raiders were able to fully commit to stifling Woodbury’s Trey Lervick, who entered the game as the conference’s third-highest scorer with 25 goals and 45 points.

Cretin-Derham Hall held the junior attackman to just two goals.

“We put Aitor (Flood) on (Lervick) and just blocked him off,” said sophomore attackman Jack Galle, who scored two goals in the win. “That seemed to work pretty well.”   

The Royals (5-5, 3-3) also struggled to capitalize on several scoring chances, allowing the Raiders to erase a 2-0 deficit and cruise to the victory. Cretin-Derham Hall (7-3, 5-1) outscored Woodbury 5-2 over the final 13 minutes of the first half to take a one-goal lead into the break. The Raiders then held the Royals to one goal in the second half as Cretin-Derham Hall pulled away with five goals over the final 24 minutes.

“We were able to answer and continued to play our game and our systems,” said Walby, who added that his players don’t need a dynamic speech or dramatic gesture to respond to deficits. “They know what to do.” 

Galle credits Wackman and the other senior leaders for possessing an understanding how to respond to high-pressure game situations and passing it on to the rest of the team.

“It’s awesome getting to look up to these guys,” Galle said. 

This is the last year Galle gets to admire Wackman as a teammate. After graduation, Wackman is headed to the University of Wisconsin. While he is undecided on a major and whether he will play lacrosse for the Badgers’ club team, Wackman has a plan for his freshman year in Madison. 

“School first, once again,” he said while smiling.

Senior midfielder Sam Wackman scored three goals to lead Cretin-Derham Hall past Woodbury 10-5 in Suburban East Conference action Monday at Cretin-Derham Hall High School. 

The Raiders trailed the Royals 2-0 early in the first quarter but rallied behind two goals from Wackman and took a 5-4 lead just before halftime on a buzzer-beating goal from sophomore attackman Jack English.

Cretin-Derham Hall carried that momentum into the second half and clamped down defensively on Woodbury, allowing the Royals just one goal in the final 24 minutes. 

A goal from Wackman in the third and one in each of the final two quarters by senior attacker Logan English were part of five scored in the second half by the Raiders, helping them pull away with a comfortable lead and win their fourth consecutive game.

Sophomore attackman Jack Galle scored twice while junior attackman Jake Bailey and senior midfielder Cal Crawford finished with a goal apiece for Cretin-Derham Hall (7-3, 5-1).

Junior attackman Trey Lervick scored two goals for the Royals (5-5, 3-3). Eighth-grader Jonah Kopinski and senior midfielders Blake Apanian and Dylan Kulsea all scored one goal in the loss.

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