There's a reason Mike Koonz spent plenty of time on the lacrosse field in high school and college. It's the same reason Koonz came to play for Team Lacrossewear at the Vail Lacrosse Shootout - he's good at winning faceoffs.

For the past 15 years, Koonz has been the guy who crouches down at midfield in hopes of gaining his team possession of the ball.

In a sport where possession is essential, and there are usually more than 20 chances per game to earn possession from faceoffs, the person taking them is vital.

"It's like having a 7-footer in basketball, and you have a jump ball after every point," Koonz said.

And just like teams scout opposing goalkeepers, they also scout opposing faceoff guys.

"People are surprised at how much scouting you have," said J.D. Nelson of Team 21. "The week going up to games, our (college) coaches would break it down. You had film of just faceoff guys that you had to watch."

So what does it take to be the one who will decide how the beginning of each game starts?

"Quick reaction, good technique and a little bit of luck," Koonz said. "It's a bit of a guessing game."

Here's how it works. Two players crouch down with the pockets of their sticks facing their own nets. The ref places the ball in between their sticks, blows the whistle, and the opposing players can go after the ball.



Getting a tip

Even before the ref blows the whistle, there's plenty to watch for.

"You're always trying to get an idea of what the ref's timing is," Koonz said. "When they say, 'Down,' you usually watch their feet, then it's two steps, and they'll blow the whistle. I always try to gauge the ref or the other guy's hands."

Others try and not worry too much.

"Keeping focus and staying in your own game and not worrying about anyone else (is important)," Nelson said.

But even if you have the most infallible move, it may not work.

"It doesn't matter how good you are if you are slow off the whistle," Nelson said. "You're giving up an advantage right there."



Draw it up

On most faceoffs, the player will try to draw it to himself and move the ball to an attackman in the zone. Very few faceoffs are won cleanly, which is where the two wingmen from each team come into play. Most teams have a long pole and a short pole on each wing.

"Ideally, you want to try to get it to yourself," Koonz said. "If you can't, you try and get it to your wingman. If you can't do that, you're going to try and tie up (your opponent) so he can't get it to himself. If (the opponent) wins the faceoff, I'm going to try and not let him pick it up, and hopefully our long pole can come in and get it."

Depending on how the wings line up, some faceoff guys will change their strategy.

"If their wing is lined up hip-to-hip (with my wing), you try to win it yourself," Nelson said. "If you shoot it out there, you're giving their guy a chance to get it, too.

And when a long pole takes a faceoff, the strategy also changes.

"You're trying to get the ball and protect yourself," Nelson said. "A lot of long poles let you get the ball and wait and try and get it from you. You try and get the ball a little further out than normal so you have a chance to run away from him."



Standing off

In the girls' game, the faceoff is taken standing, but it's just as important.

"It can make or break the game," said Lauren Cramer of Team Ski Bar. "If you are constantly winning the faceoffs, your chances of winning the game are 95 percent better."

For the faceoff, the girls place their sticks together in the air, and the ref nestles the ball in between the pockets. When the ref blows the whistle, the players must draw their sticks up and over their heads.

"You're playing off your opponent," said Brighde Dougherty, who played for Colorado State University. "It's strength and stick positioning."

And some trickery.

"Basically, the person who can cheat the best wins," Dougherty said. "Walking up to the faceoff, you'll pull your strings inward so that the ball will lay in your pocket a little more. Or, you'll punch a pocket into (your stick)."

It also can help to be the first to put your stick in the center.

"Really good refs will place (the ball) in the center, but others will just place it in there, and then put the other person's stick on top. So if you can get in there and put your stick in first, you can get an angle on it."

Unlike the guys, the girls tend not to draw the ball to themselves.

"I draw it backwards to my defensive wing," Dougherty said. "Most people try and get it in the offensive end, but I know if I'm going to win it, my defensive win is the best one."



In for more

Most guys who take faceoffs are fo-gos. That is, they take the faceoff and get off the field. The girls, on the other hand, tend to stay on the field after the faceoff.

"A few teams have fo-gos, but usually the center is one of the stronger players," Dougherty said. "They are involved in every play."

Although the guys taking the draws tend to not rack up the points or make the huge hits, they still take pride in faceoffs.

"There are other positions on the field that will get you more glory, but it's an important position," Koonz said. "And if you can do it well, everyone will respect you for it."



Sports Writer Ian Cropp can be reached at 748-2935 or icropp@vaildaily.com.



Vail, Colorado