Liberty University Club Sports Athletics
Midfield recruits will boost Flames men’s lacrosse team’s physicality, versatility
7/13/2023 4:27:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Blake Konchak, from North Cobb Christian in Dallas, Ga.; Harris Shook, from Holland Christian (Mich.) High School; and Kason Brehm, a graduate of nearby E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Va., are incoming recruits who will be vying for playing time at midfielder next spring.
Three incoming midfielders in Liberty University men's lacrosse team's fall recruiting class will be battling to fill the role vacated by Remy Newton, the middie who sparked the Flames' transition game this past season.
Newton graduated a day after helping to lead Liberty to its first MCLA Final Four appearance in program history, May 8-11 in Round Rock, Texas, and a No. 3 final national ranking.
Blake Konchak, from North Cobb Christian in Dallas, Ga.; Harris Shook, from Holland Christian (Mich.) High School; and Kason Brehm, a graduate of nearby E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Va., are similar-styled players who will be vying for playing time at Newton's former position next spring.
"These three middies are all versions of that type of player that Remy embodied," Liberty Head Coach Kyle McQuillan said. "He would put his head down and do the work, whatever was needed. Remy was wildly capable as an offensive player, but he knew that our greatest need was on the defensive side of the ball. If I told him to get in net, he would do that."
"I'm not saying any of them are going to step in and fill Remy's shoes, but it's nice to know that we've got some guys that are going to continue that (approach) — that are going to work hard, do what they're asked to do, and that say 'I may be used in a lot of different ways, but if it's best for the team, then that's what I'm going to do,'" McQuillan added.
Konchak, a 6-foot, 1-inch, 190-pound player, played football for 13 years, at tight end through high school, before picking up a lacrosse stick four years ago. He gave up wrestling his senior year to focus on lacrosse, playing for his high school and club teams.
Playing football and lacrosse, as well as hitting the weight room seven days a week this summer, has helped developed the physical side of his game, adding to his strength and agility. His background in wrestling gave him more discipline and equipped him to pick up the technical aspects of the sport of lacrosse.
"I hope that by not playing football this fall, I will be able to put my total focus on lacrosse, working not only on the technical aspect of the sport, but also on the IQ side," said Konchak, who plans to study Business Administration with concentrations in marketing and sales at Liberty.
He definitely demonstrated his offensive firepower in high school, scoring 47 goals and distributing 11 assists his senior season to bring his career totals to 140 goals and 38 assists (178 points).
Konchak got his first glimpse of Liberty's program when he attended the Flames' games against Colorado and Colorado State University on Feb. 25-26 at the Liberty Lacrosse Fields and also practiced with the team.
McQuillan noted that while he began playing the sport more recently than most, he took to it very quickly and developed a passion for it.
"He is a big, athletic kid, that can do quite a lot," McQuillan added. "He is pretty diverse and is a confident player who's got a ton of potential. He definitely needs a little bit of work and needs to develop, but you can't teach size, you can't teach speed, you can't teach strength and he's got all of those things. He's got a lot of intangibles physically, but also from a personality perspective, and from a work-ethic perspective."
Harris Shook (second from right, surrounded by staff from Holland Christian (Mich.) High School) signs his letter of intent to compete for Liberty.Shook, who is 5 feet,11 inches tall and weighs 170-pounds, is another athletic and versatile midfielder.
"He's got the ability to take some faceoffs and he's come to some of our showcases and camps and shown an interest in being able to do that," McQuillan said. "We could probably see using him early in his career on the defensive side of the ball as a defensive middie as he continues to develop his stick skills to be a little more dynamic on the offensive side of the ball. He's just got a lot of potential, and a really strong work ethic."
In 16 games with Holland Christian this past spring, he scored 25 goals and distributed 31 assists.
"For high school, a lot of our guys had to play multiple positions and I played offense and some defensive mifielder as well," he said, noting that he also played soccer in high school.
His loyalty to the Flames' program helped him earn a spot on the team.
"He has shown a lot of dedication, tracking with Liberty for years and years," McQuillan said. "That always translates really well when a guy is looking to be at Liberty and has us on his radar as long as he has because you know that this is where he wants to be and he is going to be dedicated to the program and developing his game. The expectation is he is going to be a much better player when he leaves."
At Liberty, he plans to study biomedical sciences before going on to medical school.
"I am really excited for it, to be on a team that pays at a high level and to be around other guys that are passionate about the game, take it pretty seriously, and want to have success," Shook said.
and midfielder in lacrosse at E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg.
A Lynchburg resident himself, Brehm followed Newton, who played at Lynchburg's Liberty Christian Academy, one of his high school's closest rivals.
"E.C. Glass consistently sends players to a lot of different schools, so it is great to have a local kid that is excited to be here," McQuillan said. "(Brehm) is a good athlete that we're going to be able to utilize in a lot of different ways. We are excited about him coming in."
Flames Assistant Coach Mike Zumpano said Brehm, who is 5-foot-8 and weighs 178 pounds, fits the mold of a middie like Newton. As an outside linebacker for the Hilltoppers, he recorded 78 tackles, fourth most on the regional championship team.
"Kason is a very similar type of player and hard-working and will do whatever you ask him to do," he said. "He's played a lot more defensive middie than he played offensively, but he's got a lot of offensive capabilities. It'll be a little bit of a learning curve moving from the high school to the college game, but he is a guy that is up to the task."
"I'm just going to go and work hard and try to help the team in any way that I can, playing any role they would have me to," added Brehm, who plans to study sport psychology. "I just want to accomplish anything I can to help the team win."
He has spent much of his summer thus far in the gym, "Working out, trying to get faster and stronger, and to get my stick skills better and to become a better player," Brehm said.
By Ted Allen/Staff Writer
