They will be there for Zach Frank Saturday

2nd Speed Lacrosse Tournament at Landrigan in honor of late WMHS star

Published June 19, 2019

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

WAKEFIELD — If you’re going to the second annual Zachary P. Frank Lacrosse Scholarship Tournament on Saturday you might want to think about wearing one of those “Hello my name is…” stickers.

Sure, you’ll recognize some people. Maybe some old buddies from Wakefield; a teammate of yours at Plymouth State; maybe you’ll see a coworker from Tom James of Boston.

But you better be prepared to introduce yourself because there’s no chance you’ll know everybody.

Yes, you’ll be impressed with the masses of Frank fans flooding into Landrigan Field in their No. 23 pinnies but you won’t be surprised. Because if you’re going to the tournament this weekend, then you most likely knew Zach.

And if you knew Zach, you loved him.

Zach’s parents Kelly and Mike and his brothers Max and Dylan are very proud of the Zachary P. Frank Lacrosse Scholarship and how it has positively affected a member of either the boys’ or girls’ Wakefield High lacrosse teams who want to play at the next level.

Last year, the tournament raised over $5,000 for the scholarship.

But Saturday will also be about honoring a member of the Wakefield and lacrosse communities who is dearly missed.

“The purpose of the tournament is two-fold,” said Kelly. “It’s for a great cause, but it also helps keep Zach’s memory alive, which is important to us.

“We are so grateful for everyone who participates, donates and volunteers.”

That remembrance is also important to many of Zach’s friends and teammates like Dominic Roberto and current Wakefield High lacrosse assistant coach Joe Keegan, who helped the Franks create the tournament last year.

Described as a “speed lacrosse, 3-on-3” tournament, there’s no pads, no helmets and not much of a need for any policing; it’s just pure, backyard lax.

“Last year, I thought we had a very successful inaugural tournament with over 170 players and five fields going at once,” said Keegan. “This year, we want to double our goals. We will have 10 fields running at once and different fencing to separate them which should create an unreal atmosphere. We had so many spectators last year, good energy, music going; I can’t imagine what 10 fields is going to look like but we’re excited.”

A co-ed tournament designed for participants of all ages and lacrosse experience, it’s broken down into two divisions: Youth and Open. So far, the number of teams signed up (42) has already exceeded last year’s (33) with registration still open.

In the Open Division will be networks of friends and family who knew well the Wakefield High and Plymouth State graduate.

Zach was a captain on both schools’ lacrosse teams. Described as an undersized but extremely competitive attack, Zach evolved from an off-ball, catch-and-shoot scorer at Wakefield into the team’s top playmaker.

A similar development happened at Plymouth State where he led the Panthers in scoring his freshman year in 2011 with 26 goals. His junior year he led the team in assists and collected 51 of his 140 career points.

His impact on each lacrosse community is tangible.

Both Wakefield and PSU elect one player every year to wear his No. 23.

It’s designed for a senior who shares Zach’s spirit, values and love of lacrosse.

This year for the Warriors, that honor was Mike Lucey’s. For the Panthers, it was goalie Patrick Griffin’s of Sandwich.

In the Youth Division of Saturday’s tourney, which has already improved from four teams last year to nine so far, will be groups of promising Warriors, many of the ever popular and growing Wakefield Youth Lacrosse Association.

They’ll be playing in a game that also happens to honor the youth program’s first-ever goal scorer.

Mike Frank, one of the founding members and coaches of WYLA who is quick to shout out the Keegans for their help with the tourney, tells it best, and word has it he might even tell it on Saturday, but yes, Zach Frank scored the first goal in the history of Wakefield Youth Lacrosse.

It’s just one of the many connections you can to trace back to Zach as you introduce yourself throughout the crowd.

“The coolest part of this tournament is you will see all these different people that Zach had an impact on,” said Roberto. “There was just something about him. He was friends with everybody.”

Roberto and Keegan believe the format is perfect for a fundraiser; so much so that they want to see it continue to grow to bordering towns, or even help other memorial tournaments get off the ground.

Part of that confidence is the backyard style of the game they learned from Zach.

Known in Wakefield to have the most epic basketball tournaments at his house, Zach was obsessed with hosting pick-up games — that is, if you can call them that with an organized playoff format, a clock and even a WBA scoreboard.

“Oh it was the event of April Vacation every year,” said Keegan.

“All these different groups and types of people would show up,” agreed Roberto. “It was awesome.”

That even crossed over to wiffle ball games up at the Frank house in Maine.

“Whenever we’d go up there we would pick teams and have a best-of-seven series,” remembers Keegan. “Zach kept a running tally of all the stats. He would keep track of home runs, strikeouts, everything, throughout the summer.

“He’d update it, print it out and post it so everyone would see it in the morning.”

That way, if a Grinnell or an O’Brien tried to claim the most dingers in the summer of ‘09, well, they all knew the truth. It was always a blast, but always competitive.

“That’s the same for us with this tournament,” said Keegan. “We want to have winners, not just roll the ball out. Yes, we want to encourage everyone to play, but if he was doing it he would be going at 100 percent.

“We want to encourage everyone to play by Zach’s code: competitive on the field but as soon as the final whistle blows everyone’s respectful.”

And if you’re wondering why or maybe how Zach had so positively affected so many, all you really need to know is that he would do anything for someone he cared about.

“Sometimes it’s hard to put into words the type of person that Zach was and what his friendship meant,” said John Casaletto.

“When we were around 16, I can recall us talking late at night and I could tell he was upset about something. I asked him if he wanted me to come pick him up so we could talk because I remember thinking, ‘He would do this for me in a heartbeat if I needed him.’ I don’t remember the full conversation but what sticks out is just how genuinely and freely we spoke.

“And that was just Zach. He was selfless, caring and as genuine a friend you would ever meet. He was someone I would have done anything for because I knew he would have done anything for me. He made everyone a better friend and person just by being around him.”

So, if you ever catch yourself in awe at all those 23’s and crowds of fans this weekend to remember Zach Frank, now you know.

He was there for them.

Now, they return the favor.