By Justin Feil, The Packet Group
Dylan Wills will get to rest this summer. . . finally.
The New Egypt High School senior has played three sports for all four of his years, and he’s at the end of the road now. It’s been quite a start to his final scholastic year with the football and basketball teams experiencing unprecedented success.
”We definitely set high expectations for lacrosse season since we won the division for football and made it to the sectional semifinals for football and made it to the finals for basketball,” Wills said. “It sets the goals higher for lacrosse. It definitely sets the standards higher than what I thought they’d be coming into the fall.”
Wills was quarterback for the football team that picked up its first playoff win ever, and a role player for the basketball team that reached the championship game. He’s a star with the lacrosse team, and likely the program’s all-time leading scorer when everything is said and done.
”He’s everything you would think about in a Group I high school athlete,” said New Egypt boys lacrosse coach Jay Corby, who also coaches the Warriors boys basketball team. “He’s a hard worker. He never missed practice. He listens. He’s a leader that’s fun to coach.
”He’s tough as nails. He does have moves. He’s a lefty. He’s learned to step out and shoot from a little farther. He can get on top of the goalie too and put it in. He’s got good dodges. He’s tough.”
Wills worked his way to four goals and two assists as the Warriors dominated Nottingham, 16-1, Thursday to improve to 4-1 overall. Sean Pryzbylkowski added five points on three goals and two assists. Tyler Emery and Jim Law had two goals and an assist apiece. Brian Donahue had two goals.
”We had kids that put in a lot of time over the summer to get better,” Wills said. “Definitely our schedule got a little easier, but I’m really happy and proud of where we’ve gotten to. Everyone put in a lot of commitment over the summer to get where we’re at. I’m a little surprised at our start, but not content.”
Wills’ summers are usually filled with activities. There isn’t much time to loaf when you’re preparing for football with lifting and running and some 7-on-7, playing in the summer basketball league to hone those skills and getting together two or three times per week with your club lacrosse team. It’s amazing that he finds the time to be good at any of the three sports.
”It’s definitely kept me on the right track and kept me focused on all my schoolwork, instead of going out and doing what all the other teenagers are doing,” Wills said. “I’m glad I stayed on the right path.”
Wills admits that he did almost give up his weakest sport, basketball, during his sophomore year. He was thinking about doing a winter lacrosse league, but couldn’t leave his friends and teammates in basketball.
”I ended up sticking with it,” Wills said. “It’s just fun to play with those guys. We’re like a family. I’m glad I stuck with this instead of quitting.”
After a deep run in basketball, Wills came out ready to go for the lacrosse season and has started quickly. In his first five games, he already has 29 points. But Wills is doing more than scoring for the Warriors. This year, he’s in the critical spot of also taking faceoffs, something he takes very seriously.
”I started taking faceoffs last year sparingly,” he said. “I’m taking every faceoff this year. I’ve been working on it. I knew the kid that faced off last year was a senior and we had no one to fill that spot. I went to a couple clinics.”
Not that Wills had the time to find another commitment.
”It’s non-stop in the summer,” he said. “Always working on something.”
The work has paid off for him. At one point in Thursday’s win, Wills won the faceoff, scooped up the ball and raced in for a goal less than five seconds later. In that flash, he showed some of the speed that he used to use for track up until seventh grade. Wills didn’t have the advantages of playing at a young age as his 7-year-old brother does.
”In sixth grade, I ran track,” Wills said. “That was one of the most boring things I’ve done in my life. During sixth grade, a couple people talked to me about (lacrosse). I was interested because of the contact. I started in seventh grade and it was fun. I loved it.”
While growing up in the New Egypt program and also training with the Jersey Elite Training club team, Wills steadily developed the skills that make him one of the top area threats on offense.
”Coming in as a freshman, I didn’t have much experience,” Wills said. “I didn’t have much of a right hand. I didn’t have many dodges. Whenever I go to the summer work and tournaments with my travel team, that helped me develop an outside shot, dodges, and finding the open man. It helped me get where I am today.”
Wills has helped raise the level of the Warriors as well. New Egypt’s only loss was a 5-4 defeat in overtime at the hands of Rancocas Valley, a game in which New Egypt had a 4-2 lead in the fourth quarter.
”Our preseason was pretty tough,” Wills said. “All the teams we played, Pennington and Robbinsville, we stuck with them. I think we lost, 7-6 and 10-9. Preseason helped us improve our game and helped us maximize our ability to have the best season we could. We’re standing at 4-1. If we didn’t have that preseason, we probably wouldn’t be doing as well as we are right now.”
With the wins have come momentum and a more positive locker room. New Egypt has the veterans, led by Wills on the attack and fellow senior Lyle German on defense, to have confidence going into every game.
”We do have some experience,” Corby said. “Boomer Dohn, our junior goalie, is a three-year starter for us.. Joe Puza is a junior who was a longstick middie and I moved him to defense this year. He’s a big ground ball guy. He gets about 10 a game. Dylan is our faceoff guy and Joe runs the line and he’s like a vacuum.
”We have some other returning middies, Tyler Dietrich is playing well right now. Sean Pryzbylkowski, he started last year. He played some attack and some middie. This year, he’s playing attack. Him and Dylan Wills are starting to play off each other a little bit.
Tyler Emery got good experience at middie for us last year. Hopefully by the end of the season, these guys will be really veteran players.”
They’ve already shown a lot of promise. The Warriors had hardly been challenged going into an expected tougher game against Lawrence on Saturday.
”We’re playing better than we’re practicing,” Corby said. “That’s what we’re trying to focus on — practicing a little harder and more efficiently. I don’t know if we’re hungry to play, or what. Our practices are tough. We don’t have much of a second team. I think our practices could be better, but I’m impressed how we’re coming out in games.”
It’s changed significantly in the time that Wills has been a part of the program.
”It definitely got better from my freshman year to senior year,” Wills said. “We didn’t have as much commitment freshman year. The lacrosse program wasn’t good. Eventually kids started to buy into the program and working on their stick skills. Now we have a program starting up.”
He is thrilled to be leaving the program better than when he joined it. Still exploring his options, including the chance to play lacrosse in college, Dylan Wills is enjoying his final scholastic season. It’s one that he hopes will end with a deep run, and the chance to be a part of at another first.
”With the returning guys we have, I knew we could be competitive in our division,” Corby said. “Our goal is to win the division. It’s never been done. The overtime Rancocas Valley game hurt, but hopefully that will benefit us somewhere down the line.”

