ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jack Gray

West Orange senior and varsity boys lacrosse goalie and captain Jack Gray is leading the Warriors during his last season with the team. Gray currently has a total of 36 saves while the team holds currently a 4-1 season record.

Talk to us about your years as a lacrosse player.
I started lacrosse in sixth grade. I’ve played other sports: baseball, soccer, football; and lacrosse was a sport I really wanted to pursue. … I recently just started playing goalie my sophomore year of high school, practiced a lot and worked my way through the ranks within my team so I could become a starting goalie my sophomore year.

Do you like being goalie?
It’s very nice position, (but it’s also) a mentally tough position, because it’s easy to get in your head. So you really have to fight yourself during games and stuff, and have short-term memory loss just to go on to the next play. 

What do you love most about lacrosse as a sport?
I love the team aspect of it. … Lacrosse is very team-oriented, where we have different guys that will help you out, and we share a special camaraderie among each other. … It’s the brotherhood that I have and share with everybody on my team. 

Do you have a favorite drill to do at practice? 
The West Jenny. It’s basically a 3-versus-2; it’s very fast-paced. … It really helps on spacing, shooting precisely and accurately, and just placing the ball. 

How do you believe you instill leadership in your team?
I lead by example. … We have new freshmen every year, and so if leaders like me and a few other seniors … don’t do things properly, then the freshmen are going to do the same. … You want to put out what you want to do so the younger guys can learn the correct way.

What would you like to study in college?
I want to be a dentist, and I want to go in the military as a dentist, too. 

Do you have a favorite professional lacrosse player?
Jack Concannon. … He gets really low in the goal. We get shorter in the goal to try to bait the shooters to shoot high, so we kind of play a mental game with them.

Where are you going to college?
Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale.

What’s your favorite hobby?
I like to woodwork. During COVID, I was so bored, I didn’t know what to do, and I saw a video on YouTube about woodworking. The next year, I joined the woodworking class at WOHS had at the time, and I enjoyed it. … I do make little projects to sell to people. 

What are three things you would take with you to a deserted island?
My lacrosse stick, some sort of care kit bag in case something happens and my dog — Roughy. 

What’s your favorite type of music?
I’m not really that picky about music. I do listen to a lot of country and rap.

Who is your favorite superhero? Why?
Spider-Man, … He’s a regular teenager with regular problems, but he also has a big responsibility. 

If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
Definitely invisibility. … I’m the type of person that doesn’t really like to be put out there a lot and a little closed-off sometimes. 

What are three places you’d like to visit? Why?
Germany, because of their history. Italy, because of the food, and Paris, because I want to see the Eiffel Tower. 

If you could go back in time to a specific period of history, what would it be?
The American Revolutionary War. I love American history. That war of how the country was basically built and founded on I think is really cool, and I’d like to be able to see all that happening in front of me. 

What color would you say represents your personality?
Gray. My last name is Gray, so it runs in the family, and the color itself is very bold. … It’s kind of in the middle of black and white. 

If you could be any animal for a day, which one would you be and why?
A giraffe, because since I’m so short, I want to see how the world looks like when you are 10 feet tall.