Mackey Lynett draws inspiration from a guardian angel he knows is looking down upon him.
In early May, as he and the Scranton Prep Cavaliers boys lacrosse team were closing out the regular season, Lynett’s grandfather and greatest supporter, Edward Lynett, died. In the days that followed, while grieving, he helped push his team to a strong finish and an undefeated run through the Wyoming Valley Conference.
Since then, Scranton Prep has claimed a second District 2 Class 2A championship in the last three seasons.
On Tuesday, the Cavaliers (19-0) host the runner-up from District 3, Lower Dauphin (18-3) at 5 p.m. in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs.
“It’s been tough,” Lynett, 18, said of the passing of his grandfather, the former publisher of The Scranton Times and The Times-Tribune. “You are going to face that in life. My team and all of my family members rallied around me. It truly shows just how much of a family we are as teammates.
Lynett is part of an athletic family.
His brother, Bo, was a track and field athlete at Colgate University. His brother Jack was a pole vault specialist at Lafayette College. His brother Quinn competes for the Syracuse club lacrosse team. His younger brother, Thomas, is a sophomore teammate at Scranton Prep.
“My brother, Quinn, thought it would be a cool sport, so we got into it, and I fell in love with it,” Lynett said.
As a sophomore, Lynett made an immediate impact for the Cavaliers on the way to the District 2 championship. He scored 46 goals and had 10 assists.
Last season, he totaled 83 points on 47 goals and 36 assists.
During this season’s undefeated run, Lynett scored a game-winning goal in the final 2 minutes of play against Abington Heights. In the district playoffs, he has scored eight goals and added six assists.
In the District 2 championship win, Lynett scored six goals – a season high.
He is third on the team in goals with 49, behind Will McPartland (56) and Braedon McPartland (56), and is second in assists with 28, behind Owen McPartland (29).
“I couldn’t do any of this without my teammates,” said Lynett, who will continue his career at the University of Scranton. “With them being able to score, it opens it up, and with me scoring, I can open things up for them. When you have good players, good things are going to happen. Everyone is always helping each other.”
Scranton Prep faces a Lower Dauphin team that lost in the District 3 final, 6-5.
“Offensively, we have to stay patient,” Lynett said. “Defensively, we have to be disciplined. It will come down to how much we want this. The team has to know if we are going to do this; we have to look at ourselves as the underdog and do this together.”
They can also be confident that their biggest fan is looking down on them.
“He was my and all of my brothers’ go-to guy,” Lynett said of his grandfather. “He was always the first one to congratulate us and always had a smile. I miss him. I know that he will always be there with us.”
PIAA BOYS LACROSSE
CLASS 2A: 3-2 Lower Dauphin (18-3) at 2-1 Scranton Prep (19-0), Tuesday, 5 p.m.