Senior Luke Jayne was understandably concerned about acclimating to a new environment when he decided to transfer to St. Ed’s as a sophomore. Now just a few months from graduation, he has already solidified his college plans and foresees the possibility of a spectacular conclusion to an already star-studded career on the high school lacrosse field.
“I was at Martin County High for my freshman year and I felt that this was a much better atmosphere for academics and athletics,” he said. “When I first came here I had a tough time adapting from a large public school to a smaller private school. But the teachers were very welcoming and really made it possible for me to do the best I could.”
Jayne was already an established lacrosse player, but he thrived to an even greater degree working with St. Ed’s head coach Doug Bailey. The big picture for the newly united coach and player was making quality high school lacrosse a prominent factor in forging a pathway to college. The game plan was launched almost immediately.
“Coach Bailey has done a lot for me,” Jayne said. “The first week I was here we had a meeting with my parents. He sent my resume to about 10 schools interested in recruiting lacrosse players. He also helped me a lot getting adjusted to the academics here.
“I love lacrosse and I wanted to use it as a route to get to college. I played baseball until sixth grade when I went to a summer camp with my brother and all of the kids were playing lacrosse. My brother and I fell in love with the sport. We would be in the backyard passing the ball to each other for hours. I just wanted to get better and better.
“I just kept working at it. My parents used to get mad because I kept chipping the paint off the wall. I broke a couple of windows too. But it was well worth it. I’m dedicated to lacrosse year-round. I’ve played pretty much all over the East Coast with club teams, in tournaments and at camps.”
In November Jayne signed with D2 Florida Tech. He has one more spring lacrosse season to go in high school before the dream of playing in college becomes reality. He is currently in the final stages of rehabbing a shoulder injury and expects to be cleared to play very soon.
The Pirates are aiming at a fourth straight district championship, which would make it three in three years at St. Ed’s for Jayne. A long-anticipated tweak to the FHSAA classification system scrambled the schedule a bit.
“We were in the same district as Martin County last year, and it was awesome to play against them,” Jayne explained. “We beat them 16-6 in the district final last year when my brother was actually a coaching assistant for their team. I still live in Stuart and it was a lot of fun to play against all of the kids that I know. Yeah, I had bragging rights.
“This year the districts have changed because the classes are now 1A and 2A depending on school size. We now have Benjamin and John Carroll (along with Jensen Beach, Jupiter Christian and Pine School in 8-2A). If we stay healthy we have a real good shot to win districts.
“Benjamin is going to be a good game, but I feel that we match up well against them. They should have a strong offense, but their defense isn’t as strong as it was last year. We should win the district championship and hopefully make it to the Final Four.”
We got the thorough scouting report and bold prediction from someone with established credentials. Jayne knows about district championships at St. Ed’s and has done his part to produce them. He has excelled mostly at midfield, sometimes on attack, or “wherever the coach needs me,” while amassing 63 goals and 51 assists over two seasons.
He was voted MVP by his teammates and coaches last year to go with numerous other awards. This year coach Bailey envisions potential All-America recognition. After reaching No. 12 in a 2019 statewide poll, St. Ed’s is on an upward trajectory that should continue through this season.
Jayne will co-captain the 2020 team with fellow Florida Tech commit Sam Cardosi. The two go way back and will partner up again as lacrosse teammates in college.
“I grew up with Sam,” said Jayne, who likes to work with his hands and plans to study mechanical engineering. “We played Pop Warner football together. I’m going to have someone that I know. I already have him.
“We will scrimmage a couple of teams in the fall just to keep our sticks warm and get in shape for the main lacrosse season in the spring.”
