Eddie Bouhall is the latest Lynbrook lacrosse alumni to be drafted for a professional team. Bouhall, who graduated in 2015, was a star player for the varsity lacrosse team all four of his high school years. On Mar. 9 2019, Bouhall was selected with the 49th overall pick by the Atlanta Blaze.

After being selected for the varsity team his freshman year, Bouhall made an instant impact on the defense, utilizing his quickness and strength to overwhelm defenders, a mantra repeated by Head Coach and Economics Teacher Bill Leighley. “[Eddie] will forever be one of the best on-ball we [have] ever had at Lynbrook, and his ability to pick up ground balls and generate transition [offense] for us was key to our success all four years he was on varsity,” said Leighley. As a senior, Bouhall was named an All-American and was awarded the James C. Metzger Leadership Award, a prestigious award given to only six players throughout Nassau County who best embody and exemplify all the best qualities of a great team leader. With Bouhall anchoring the defense, Lynbrook won the Class B Long Island Championship in 2014, Bouhall’s junior year. It was the first LI title for the Owls since the team won back-to-back state titles in 1999 and 2000.

After graduating in the class of 2015, Bouhall attended Lehigh University, where he currently leads one of the best teams in the Patriot League, one of the toughest conferences in the nation.

More so than anything else, Bouhall credits his time around the Lynbrook lacrosse brotherhood as the source of his growth and ability as both an athlete and a leader, on and off of the field. “There is a strong correlation between my experiences at Lynbrook and my lacrosse career. The community of Lynbrook does an excellent job of connecting the youth and creating a positive environment to help athletes improve their skills. These experiences allowed me to gain a strong set of [attributes] that I can now use to further myself in lacrosse and in life,” said Bouhall. “I am grateful for my experiences at Lynbrook; they have shaped me into the person I am today, and they have allowed me to further my lacrosse career,” added Bouhall.

Bouhall placed a special emphasis on just how much his time as an Owl has impacted, and how he still feels that affect every day. “When talking about my individual growth as a human being and an athlete, I can proudly thank the Lynbrook culture, all my previous coaches, and all of my teammates… All of these variables have given me important knowledge… which has allowed me to become a better person. Lynbrook’s team culture is important because it has shown me what values I need to portray in life and on the field. The connections I make with teammates is why I continue to play lacrosse.” When asked about his former player, Leighley thought of one story that best summarizes who Eddie Bouhall truly is: “I could talk all day about Eddie Bouhall the lacrosse player. But the thing that sticks out most in my mind about Eddie is how much it meant to him to have his brother, Mikey, who was a freshman at the time, brought up to varsity for the end of Eddie’s senior year. It showed how important team bond was and how badly Eddie wanted to share that with his brother. Winning and success [are] great, but there is so much more that can be taken from our experiences of being together as a lacrosse team in Lynbrook, and I will always be grateful to Eddie for reminding me of that.”