This wasn’t how summer break was supposed to start for Mike Von Kamecke.

Last Saturday the former Bishop Moore High School lacrosse star ended his collegiate playing career, in the NCAA Division III title game in Baltimore, Maryland, in the same sort of manner his prep career came to a close. Salisbury dropped the decisive game to Tufts by a 9-6 score.

It proved to be a tough afternoon for Von Kamecke and the Sea Gulls as they trailed 6-1 after the first quarter of play.

One game removed from helping Salisbury slip past Stevenson 14-13 in overtime in the semifinals with three goals and two assists, the senior midfielder came up empty on seven shots last week and turned the ball over four times in the loss.

Now it’s back to Winter Park, where Von Kamecke was born and raised, before returning to school in Maryland this fall to finish up his degree. While he’s back in town, Von Kamecke plans to spend time helping with local lacrosse camps throughout the area.

Each time he returns home to Florida it’s as if the local interest in the sport continues to grow by leaps and bounds in comparison to past visits.

“It blows me away seeing how the sport has grown every time I go home,” said Von Kamecke.

He is among a handful of local lacrosse players that helped pave the way for such enthusiasm, so to speak.

– Quite A Career –

Von Kemecke’s final game at Bishop Moore in 2006 ended in defeat in the state championship game under the guidance of head coach Danny Hogan. That year he finished with 89 points, of which 46 came by way of assists.

In four seasons of varsity play he helped lead the Hornets to district titles each year and an overall record of 60-15. His 288 career points from 2003-06 ranks second all-time in program history behind the 321 points compiled by Ryan Zipperly (1999-02).

After earning three All-American selections in high school, Von Kamecke landed in Salisbury as part of one of the richest lacrosse programs in D-III history. The Sea Gulls entered the championship game last week with eight titles already under its belt and an impressive 500-108 overall record.

As a freshman in 2007 Von Kamecke scored nine goals and had five assists in 23 games for a national championship team. Salisbury returned to repeat the feat in his sophomore season, when he scored 32 goals along with 21 assists in 22 games en route to being named to the All-Capital Athletic Conference Second Team.

In 2009 he was a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Honorable Mention after having scored 27 goals with 17 assists for the Sea Gulls, who were bounced early from the postseason.

Although his senior season ended on a sour note, Von Kamecke did all he could for a team that finished 21-2.

The team captain was selected to the USILA All-American Second Team, All-CAC First Team and the Eastern Colleges Athletic Conference (ECAC) D-III All-Metro/South Region All-Star First Team this past season. He finished the best year of his career with 40 goals and 30 assists in 23 games.

– Growth Potential –

While growing up in Florida he witnessed firsthand how the sport of lacrosse was just beginning to catch on in terms of gaining mass appeal. It wasn’t until 2008 that the Florida High School Athletic Association began to officially recognize the sport at the high school level, making Orlando home to its state championship games.

And as great a high school lacrosse player Von Kamecke proved to be, he says it was his experience at Salisbury that taught him so much more about the game, and even himself. He says what he learned during his time in Maryland not only sharpened his game but also helped him better control himself mentally and physically out on the field.

“It’s really helped me grow as a person,” he said of the college experience. “You realize just how many different types of people there are out there to meet and how that all plays out on the lacrosse field.”

Von Kamecke was one of eight seniors at Salisbury that took the field with the Sea Gulls for the final time last weekend. Going into the game he and his teammates hoped to “go out the way it started,” referring to winning a title on the same field they did as freshman in 2007.

But it wasn’t meant to be. Still, three trips to the finals and two titles to show for it over the course of four years is nothing to hang your head about.

Now it’s back to another summer back home in Central Florida, where he can marvel at how much the sport he grew up playing has grown so much, just as he has individually while he’s been away.

– (Contact Orlando Sports Central at JC@OrlandoSportsCentral.com) –