Photo by: Hannahally Photography
Sisselberger and Gaffney Share Competitive Drive
5/14/2021 8:30:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse, Features
By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
Heading into Saturday's NCAA Tournament First Round Game against Rutgers, Mike Sisselberger has won 79.5 of his faceoffs, which is better than the current NCAA Division I record for a season.
But it was never a sure thing Sisselberger would even see this much playing time… Why?
His teammate Conor Gaffney is an All-American himself.
"If you have two of the top guys in the country going at each other every day, there's really no one who's going to challenge you more than in practice," said Sisselberger. "Every day is a competition. It's a gift and a curse. It's a gift because we sharpen each other's skills, but you can only send one guy out there.
"Conor recently being drafted (by the Archers of the Premier Lacrosse League) shows how much talent he has and shows how good we are for each other."
When Sisselberger entered Lehigh in 2019, he was the nation's top-ranked incoming faceoff specialist according to Inside Lacrosse. He joined a faceoff unit including Gaffney, who won 61.0 percent of his faceoffs as a freshman and 59.4 percent as a sophomore. Gaffney continued to be "the guy" in 2019, earning Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year after winning a cool 69.7 percent.
However, things changed at the start of this season, due to circumstances out of Gaffney's control.
"I was in quarantine for 34 straight days and for most of those days, there were two feet of snow on the ground so I couldn't even go on a jog around the block," he said. "It was tough, physically and mentally. Mentally, not being able to see the guys at all and physically, not being able to work out or train when it was preseason and everyone else in the country was training, getting ready for the season and getting into midseason form."
More than a month straight of quarantine would have a toll on anyone, and it certainly did for Gaffney.
"I'm not going to lie… I thought about going home to my parents in Denver," he said. "I was almost ready to call it [quits]. It seemed like I was never going to get to play this semester. But I stuck with it and it worked out because now we're moving onto the tournament."
When all is said and done, Sisselberger and Gaffney could very well end up being the top two faceoff specialists in Patriot League history, and that's saying something considering the number of quality faceoff specialists who have come through the league.
Gaffney is the Patriot League's record holder for groundballs in a career and faceoff wins and groundballs in a season. He's within shouting distance of the league's career faceoff wins record, too. Meanwhile, through his first full season, Sisselberger is challenging NCAA records.
What makes them so successful?
Each other.
Prior to this season, the change in rules to standup faceoffs led to Gaffney and Sisselberger helping each other as they adapted. Conor was used to it from his high school days, while Mike had only ever faced off with a knee down.
"There's a lot of film on it, but until you really get in there and do it, there's nothing you can watch that's going to make you that much better," said Sisselberger. "John Bodnar with Philly Faceoff League produces a lot of good players and I started going to him a lot more in the summer when he was hosting standup clinics."
The new style has certainly worked for Sisselberger, playing to his style and strengths.
"I was a big wrestler in high school, so it's similar," he said. "You're really low to the ground. You're in a crouched position and driving with your quads. Your arms are just driving into the ball more than you would on a knee because it's more of a full-body movement. You're really susceptible to counters. If you don't win the ball outright, you can do a couple moves to get it out of the other guy's stick."
Ever since he started facing off in the eighth grade, Sisselberger has consistently won clamps. That hasn't changed in 2021, but something else did.
"If you win 100 percent of the clamps, it's still a battle to actually win the faceoff," said Gaffney. "The fact that Mike is doing that at 80 percent, his exits have taken a huge step up and he's developed different ways to exit so the other guy can't just play him one way."
Sisselberger likes to credit much of his improvement to Gaffney.
"Without going against a superstar in practice, I wouldn't be that good," he said. "My reaction time and strength gets challenged every day. It either has to increase or I'm going to lose."
Gaffney and Sisselberger are used to winning, but they win faceoffs in different ways.
"My style is I'm a grinder… I like to get the entire ball," said Gaffney. "I like to get my top rail all the way down, all the way on the other side of the ball, have the entire thing and then exit to where I want to go.
"Siss doesn't necessarily always take the full ball," Gaffney continued. "He has developed a really good rip. He only needs around 70 percent of the ball and can be out quicker than his opponent can react."
No matter one's style, Gaffney believes technique is the most important contributing factor for faceoff success.
"Not everyone who faces off is a body builder or power lifter," said Gaffney. "You can make your movements stronger, faster, quicker and more effective by being technically sound. Going against each other helps us dial in our techniques."
The duo battles in what they call the "sand box."
"We're in our little square of the field," said Gaffney. "Everyone I've been on a faceoff team with is super close. We're with each other all day at practice banging heads, but also talking about the other team's sandbox and what we have to do to beat them. The sandbox is definitely a brotherhood."
The Mountain Hawks have a bit of a pipeline coming into their sandbox, which also features current freshman Matt Brock – who has played an important role in Conor and Mike's success as well.
"Matt's the man… We love Matt," said Gaffney. "He's only gotten better and better each week to the point where now, I think if he faced off against himself from three months ago, he would cook his old self. He's also a great team player, giving scout looks."
"I know he doesn't get the press, but Matt pushes both of us in ways you wouldn't think," said Sisselberger. "He is really good at realizing he may not get the clamp every time because he's going against two really good guys, but can counter well now as opposed to when he first started in the fall. He's adapted superbly and I believe he could very well start on a lot of other teams in Division I lacrosse."
Gaffney admits the Philly Faceoff League has helped all three members of the Mountain Hawks' sandbox get to this point.
"In my opinion, the Philly Faceoff League features the highest concentration of faceoff talent in the country – run by John Bodnar and Mike Dolente in Philly," he said. "The pipeline that the [Lehigh] coaches set up, and the training we get down in Philly, really prepared us to compete the way we do and have the success we've had."
Sisselberger and Gaffney define their success by team wins and losses, not statistics or awards. That mindset and approach has allowed them to thrive as each other's biggest fans.
"In terms of awards, getting drafted and recognition, all that stuff's great and I appreciate all of it, but if I was playing lacrosse to win awards, then I wouldn't be good," said Gaffney. "The outside recognition isn't what internally drives me. It's much more about competing and wanting to win.
"The validation will take care of itself."
Heading into Saturday's NCAA Tournament First Round Game against Rutgers, Mike Sisselberger has won 79.5 of his faceoffs, which is better than the current NCAA Division I record for a season.
But it was never a sure thing Sisselberger would even see this much playing time… Why?
His teammate Conor Gaffney is an All-American himself.
"If you have two of the top guys in the country going at each other every day, there's really no one who's going to challenge you more than in practice," said Sisselberger. "Every day is a competition. It's a gift and a curse. It's a gift because we sharpen each other's skills, but you can only send one guy out there.
"Conor recently being drafted (by the Archers of the Premier Lacrosse League) shows how much talent he has and shows how good we are for each other."
When Sisselberger entered Lehigh in 2019, he was the nation's top-ranked incoming faceoff specialist according to Inside Lacrosse. He joined a faceoff unit including Gaffney, who won 61.0 percent of his faceoffs as a freshman and 59.4 percent as a sophomore. Gaffney continued to be "the guy" in 2019, earning Patriot League Faceoff Specialist of the Year after winning a cool 69.7 percent.
Whether it's in the classroom or on the field, @LehighLacrosse's Conor Gaffney will always be a competitor.🥍 His all-around dedication is a prime example of what you can accomplish when you put in the time and effort.#NCAALAX
— NCAA Lacrosse (@NCAALAX) April 9, 2019
(via @PatriotLeagueTV)pic.twitter.com/7MgxmYk8pg
However, things changed at the start of this season, due to circumstances out of Gaffney's control.
"I was in quarantine for 34 straight days and for most of those days, there were two feet of snow on the ground so I couldn't even go on a jog around the block," he said. "It was tough, physically and mentally. Mentally, not being able to see the guys at all and physically, not being able to work out or train when it was preseason and everyone else in the country was training, getting ready for the season and getting into midseason form."
More than a month straight of quarantine would have a toll on anyone, and it certainly did for Gaffney.
"I'm not going to lie… I thought about going home to my parents in Denver," he said. "I was almost ready to call it [quits]. It seemed like I was never going to get to play this semester. But I stuck with it and it worked out because now we're moving onto the tournament."
When all is said and done, Sisselberger and Gaffney could very well end up being the top two faceoff specialists in Patriot League history, and that's saying something considering the number of quality faceoff specialists who have come through the league.
Gaffney is the Patriot League's record holder for groundballs in a career and faceoff wins and groundballs in a season. He's within shouting distance of the league's career faceoff wins record, too. Meanwhile, through his first full season, Sisselberger is challenging NCAA records.
Shoutout to Conor Gaffney of @LehighLacrosse, who set a school record with 2️⃣4️⃣ faceoff wins last night (on just 29 attempts) 😳 @NCAALAX @USLacrosseMag @Inside_Lacrosse @phillylacrosse @PL_MLAX @PatriotLeagueTV pic.twitter.com/UMyHXx9aU1
— Lehigh Sports (@LehighSports) April 11, 2019
What makes them so successful?
Each other.
Prior to this season, the change in rules to standup faceoffs led to Gaffney and Sisselberger helping each other as they adapted. Conor was used to it from his high school days, while Mike had only ever faced off with a knee down.
"There's a lot of film on it, but until you really get in there and do it, there's nothing you can watch that's going to make you that much better," said Sisselberger. "John Bodnar with Philly Faceoff League produces a lot of good players and I started going to him a lot more in the summer when he was hosting standup clinics."
The new style has certainly worked for Sisselberger, playing to his style and strengths.
"I was a big wrestler in high school, so it's similar," he said. "You're really low to the ground. You're in a crouched position and driving with your quads. Your arms are just driving into the ball more than you would on a knee because it's more of a full-body movement. You're really susceptible to counters. If you don't win the ball outright, you can do a couple moves to get it out of the other guy's stick."
Mike Sisselberger 💪
— USA Lacrosse Magazine (@USALacrosseMag) April 10, 2021
1️⃣8️⃣ for 2️⃣3️⃣
The guy's a monster and @LehighLacrosse tops @navymlax. pic.twitter.com/vA1B61MCvW
Ever since he started facing off in the eighth grade, Sisselberger has consistently won clamps. That hasn't changed in 2021, but something else did.
"If you win 100 percent of the clamps, it's still a battle to actually win the faceoff," said Gaffney. "The fact that Mike is doing that at 80 percent, his exits have taken a huge step up and he's developed different ways to exit so the other guy can't just play him one way."
Sisselberger likes to credit much of his improvement to Gaffney.
"Without going against a superstar in practice, I wouldn't be that good," he said. "My reaction time and strength gets challenged every day. It either has to increase or I'm going to lose."
Gaffney and Sisselberger are used to winning, but they win faceoffs in different ways.
"My style is I'm a grinder… I like to get the entire ball," said Gaffney. "I like to get my top rail all the way down, all the way on the other side of the ball, have the entire thing and then exit to where I want to go.
"Siss doesn't necessarily always take the full ball," Gaffney continued. "He has developed a really good rip. He only needs around 70 percent of the ball and can be out quicker than his opponent can react."
Make that 4️⃣ straight @PatriotLeague weekly awards for Mike Sisselberger after winning 15 of his last 16 on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/OTDP8eYhDr
— Lehigh Lacrosse (@LehighLacrosse) April 26, 2021
No matter one's style, Gaffney believes technique is the most important contributing factor for faceoff success.
"Not everyone who faces off is a body builder or power lifter," said Gaffney. "You can make your movements stronger, faster, quicker and more effective by being technically sound. Going against each other helps us dial in our techniques."
The duo battles in what they call the "sand box."
"We're in our little square of the field," said Gaffney. "Everyone I've been on a faceoff team with is super close. We're with each other all day at practice banging heads, but also talking about the other team's sandbox and what we have to do to beat them. The sandbox is definitely a brotherhood."
The Mountain Hawks have a bit of a pipeline coming into their sandbox, which also features current freshman Matt Brock – who has played an important role in Conor and Mike's success as well.
"Matt's the man… We love Matt," said Gaffney. "He's only gotten better and better each week to the point where now, I think if he faced off against himself from three months ago, he would cook his old self. He's also a great team player, giving scout looks."
"I know he doesn't get the press, but Matt pushes both of us in ways you wouldn't think," said Sisselberger. "He is really good at realizing he may not get the clamp every time because he's going against two really good guys, but can counter well now as opposed to when he first started in the fall. He's adapted superbly and I believe he could very well start on a lot of other teams in Division I lacrosse."
Gaffney admits the Philly Faceoff League has helped all three members of the Mountain Hawks' sandbox get to this point.
"In my opinion, the Philly Faceoff League features the highest concentration of faceoff talent in the country – run by John Bodnar and Mike Dolente in Philly," he said. "The pipeline that the [Lehigh] coaches set up, and the training we get down in Philly, really prepared us to compete the way we do and have the success we've had."
Sisselberger and Gaffney define their success by team wins and losses, not statistics or awards. That mindset and approach has allowed them to thrive as each other's biggest fans.
"In terms of awards, getting drafted and recognition, all that stuff's great and I appreciate all of it, but if I was playing lacrosse to win awards, then I wouldn't be good," said Gaffney. "The outside recognition isn't what internally drives me. It's much more about competing and wanting to win.
"The validation will take care of itself."
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