The Stopper
St. Xavier goalie Creighton Benoit is a guy with a last-man-back mentality, which has allowed him to exert a great deal of control over the games he’s played ? as a baseball catcher, as a soccer goalie and now as a specialist in lacrosse. The high school senior has emerged as one of the state’s best players.
“What makes Creighton so good in goal is that he’s fearless,” says his father, Bill Benoit. In lacrosse, fearlessness is essential for a goalie, who wears no armor save for a helmet and face-mask, shoulder pads and protection in one other vulnerable location. Standing six-feet tall, he’s the average height for a lacrosse player, but while his body type and speed don’t shout “all-star,” opponents underestimate him to their own peril. He once delivered a body blow strong enough to knock out an opposing player, but Creighton didn’t consider the hit to be a serious, saying, “It didn’t really count; he was back playing the next day.”
During a typical game, he doesn’t talk trash. The only words you can hear from him are “SLIDE . . . SHOT . . . MOVE” as he directs teammates standing between him and a small solid rubber ball that, if he’s not careful, can pelt him in some very painful areas at speeds of 70 or 80 mph. To his opponents, he speaks with his actions, and his dictionary consists of a great save, a punishing hit or his ability to leave the goal and draw defenders to himself before zipping a pass to a teammate.
He’d like to compete at the collegiate level next year and is considering the University of Mississippi as well as Lynchburg College and Hampden-Sydney College. This spring, he’s focused on St. X, which has a roster full of sophomores and freshmen. Creighton aims to help get them to the top. “The team is its own clique,” he says, “and we stick together.” Considering his goal of returning to the state championship game ? where St. X has lost to Trinity the last two years ? camaraderie will be key. “We have to make it to state and put up a fight,” says Creighton. “I’ll be extremely pissed if we don’t.” —JLF