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Frank Garcia often took his son, Brady Garcia, to watch Syracuse lacrosse play Army in the Carrier Dome. Frank always felt Army’s aggressive play style reminded him of his son.

During Garcia’s freshman year at Baldwinsville High School, Frank brought up the idea of potentially attending a military academy for college. Initially, Garcia brushed it aside, uninterested in pursuing that path.

“I started off really hesitant, because I (had) never really thought about it,” Garcia said. “I didn’t really want to put my life at risk in any way.”

But a few years later, Garcia changed his mind, committing to Army West Point on Oct. 3, 2023. As a sophomore at Baldwinsville, he was top five in goals and assists, helping it to a state championship. This past season, as a junior, he led the team with 43 goals and 26 assists.

“(He is) one of the toughest players I’ve ever coached mentally and physically,” Baldwinsville head coach Matt Wilcox said. “(He) will do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

But even with that toughness, Garcia still had doubts about his desire to serve. Early in the recruiting process, Army wasn’t on his radar. Yet, when Black Knights head coach Joe Alberici reached out during his sophomore year, Garcia started to look more into the program. He visited the campus as a sophomore and was immediately impressed with the atmosphere.

“(Alberici) is just so soft spoken and he makes you feel at home right away,” Garcia said. “He showed me around and he introduced me to some of the guys, and (they) were super nice. The environment was unlike anything I’ve seen before.”

Despite enjoying his time on campus, Garcia’s sister, Addy, said he couldn’t stop thinking about his dilemma after arriving home from his visit. He had doubts about whether he wanted to balance athletics with service academy work.

To help talk through his thoughts, Garcia relied on people who had military experience. His grandfather, Gregory, served in Vietnam and his uncle, Andy Lamb — an assistant coach at Baldwinsville — did a tour in Afghanistan. When Garcia approached Lamb about his interest in Army, he was surprised due to his nephew’s past hesitations. When the two sat down and talked, Lamb was honest with Garcia.

“I just made sure he (understood) what the commitment really means because it sounds great, and it is, but there’s a lot of things that you’re responsible for. And being a young man and being put in certain situations can test you,” Lamb said.

Garcia wanted space to mull over his decision. Frank, and Garcia’s mother, Jennifer, were surprised when Alberici told him West Point was fine with Garcia taking his time.

Flynn Ledoux | Illustration Editor

“Looking at it, it’s a massive, massive decision … I think that all of those family influences and the appreciation and respect for the military weighed in,” Jennifer said. “I really am so proud of him that he realizes how awesome of a responsibility it is.”

Garcia’s play style embodies Army’s values. Two years ago, Garcia’s brother Dylan — a triplet alongside him and Addy — recalled a moment when the Army commit stood up for him while playing club hockey. After Dylan got body-checked, he remembers Garcia immediately going up to the opposing player to defend him.

“I think that’s one of his most important qualities is he really does protect the people around him that he loves,” Dylan said.

While Garcia is a tough, physically imposing presence on the field, he displays maturity behind the scenes. Tiernan Lynch, a senior attackman for Baldwinsville, says both of them were originally hesitant to step up into bigger roles. The main reason for that was to show respect to the juniors and seniors who led them to the state championship in their sophomore year. However, when senior Anthony Nicolucci got hurt last year, they knew something had to change.

“(We were) like, ‘Listen, we’re down two of our best players. We really got to step up here now,’” Lynch said. “We want to maintain this culture.”

To continue the program’s standard of excellence, Garcia will have to make sure he can lift up his teammates as much as himself.

“It’s really just doing whatever I can to help the team win,” Garcia said. “And my dad’s always said, ‘Be a versatile player, because coaches love to see that you can do a lot over the field.’”

Approaching his final year at Baldwinsville, Garcia hopes it ends with another state championship. But once he gets to West Point, he will be ready for anything that comes his way.

“When he steps into that world with everyone who’s so similar to him, and people that prioritize their academics and athletics, once he taps into all those people and their resources … I think (Garcia’s) just going to be unstoppable,” Addy said.

Published on October 6, 2024 at 11:24 pm