During the course of any of the four football games this season, senior Captain Jack Lavanchy cuts, slices, sprints, punches, kicks, catches, intercepts, tackles, and leads. As the number one wide receiver, the outside linebacker or strong safety, and the team’s kicker, Lavanchy is a Swiss Army Knife for the Rebels.
On September 12, Lavanchy set the tone for a big senior season. The Rebels beat Foxboro 31-8, 25 of those points were scored by Lavanchy himself. In that game, Lavanchy had five receptions for 120 yards and three touchdowns, kicked four extra points and a field goal —and that was just on offense. Defensively, Lavanchy intercepted a pass and made a number of tackles. Since his breakout game, Lavanchy continues to post impressive stats on both sides of the ball and is one of the main reasons the Rebels are undefeated at 4-0.
Through four games, Lavanchy has six touchdowns, two interceptions, and two field goals. His impressive mid-season stats show how Lavanchy has become an incredibly important part of the Rebels success thus far.
Lavanchy became such a versatile player mainly because of his ability as a place kicker.
Replacing Colton Mitchell (the Rebels kicker since 2011), Lavanchy has connected on both of his field goal opportunities this season. In the team’s opening game against Foxboro, he hit a 26 yard field goal. Against Dedham,
Lavanchy hit another one from 37 yards out.
Lavanchy is not only a nightmare as a kicker but also a kick returner. A special teams stud, Lavanchy also returns punts for the Rebels alongside his fellow Captain Andrew Papirio. His most notable return came against Dedham when he returned the punt 30 yards for a touchdown to put the Rebels up 14-3 in the early minutes of the first quarter. Although Papirio has returned more kick returns for touchdowns this season, Lavanchy’s talent forces the opposition to choose between two talented returners.
“Jack is a tough kid and an even tougher competitor,” Papirio said. “He just gets it done on the field.” Papirio is another Rebel wide receiver and is often paired up against Lavanchy in drills at practice.
Lavanchy’s success so far this season is a reflection of the hard work he put in during the off-season. In a crowded weight room this off-season, Lavanchy could always be found lifting with his team. According to Head Coach Barry Greener, the weight room attendance this year was one of the teams best ever because of the leadership of Lavanchy and his fellow captains, Matt Ordway and Papirio.
Lavanchy hopes to continue playing football next year in college, though he has no definite plans as of yet. A versatile leader on and off the field, Lavanchy represents one of the most dynamic football players. When asked about the Rebel’s winning streak this season, Lavanchy said, “Hopefully it continues to be a good season, but we need to take it one game at a time.”
