Alex & Joe Fuller: Brothers on varsity lacrosse

Why stop at making the hearts of a team full when you can make them even Fuller?  The 2014-2015 Newport Harbor Lacrosse program has something that makes them special: brothers.  Senior Alex Fuller and freshman Joe Fuller have chemistry that goes beyond their grey and navy jerseys, and into their blood.

Like Joe, Alex also made the varsity team his freshman year, which jump started the incredible combination of the Fuller family and Lacrosse.

“I joined the team because I previously played baseball and it just wasn’t fun for me anymore,” said Alex.  Now being his fourth year on varsity, the attack player is now a captain and recently broke the school record for most goals scored in one game with eight goals.

With Alex starting to play his freshman year, this gave his younger brother three years of preparation for the Sailor seasons in his future. Currently, Alex holds better statistics than his freshman counterpart, but both brothers believe Joe will surpass his older sibling by the time he concludes his senior year season.

“I started off rough with maybe a few assists trying to change the level of play so drastically, but now I feel as if I contribute a decent amount being one of the top scorers on the team,” said Joe.

Aside from Alex just being another teammate to Joe, he serves as a role model to answer any of his questions and show his younger brother the lay of the land. And with all the challenges of being so young on a majority upperclassman team, Joe takes all the constructive criticism he can get.

“Alex has definitely been a mentor for me,” said Joe. “He teaches me well and knows how to talk to me to the point where I will actually listen.”

Although Alex has four years on his brother, he still learns strategies by watching Joe during games and practices.

“I feel like I learn a lot from my younger brother,” said Alex. “He has his own personal tendencies on the field that I see work to score goals and this helps me to improve and build on my own attributes.”

Not only is this an unusual and exciting experience for the brothers, but one that affects the whole Fuller family.

“The most challenging part of the two boys playing on the same team is to keep them both motivated to do their personal best,” said the boys’ mother Laurie Fuller. “One may have an outstanding game and so we encourage both of them to work hard and work as a team!”

The Fuller boys truly enjoy playing on the varsity team together and have only experienced the positives of playing side by side.

“I haven’t really experienced any challenges,” said Joe. “A whole lot of my total assists have been to my brother and that is a great example of our chemistry on the field.”

As the lacrosse season comes to a close, the Fuller family says goodbye to the successful year that Alex and Joe had the opportunity to play together.

Joe #4 and Alex #7 interact while on the field.