CICERO -- As Section III lacrosse playoffs heat up, no doubt fifth seeded Cicero-North Syracuse will need everything its senior leader Mike Debottis has to offer.
Mike has started on the team since he was a freshman, an accomplishment Northstars Head Coach Bill Aldrich admits probably hasn't happened in his time with the team. Another claim that's exclusive to DeBottis is that he is the only player on the current C-NS roster that has won a sectional playoff game, a fact that he hopes is changed Friday night when the Northstars travel to take on #4 seed Corcoran for the right to play either top seeded Fayetteville-Manlius or Rome Free Academy.
While Mike's experience and leadership certainly make him standout, it's something else that makes him special. "He's a great player, a great leader for us but the nice thing about him is he's a great kid, he's probably one of the nicest guys I've ever coached" says Aldrich. "He's an old style lacrosse player, just shows up, wants to play lacrosse and doesn't (run) his mouth" Aldrich adds.
With that said, Onondaga Community College is receiving the perfect package in the fall for its two-time defending national champion lacrosse team. Mike says he's excited to play for the Lazers and hopes his hard work there translates into finishing his career at another prestigious program after his two years at OCC are done.
Congratulations to Mike DeBottis, this week's Dunkin Donuts' CNY Central Athlete!
