Student Spotlight: Zachary Strohl
Zachary Strohl has been playing lacrosse since kindergarten and now, before he even enters high school, he’s already experienced being a national champion—twice.
The Plymouth Whitemarsh High School rising ninth grader plays club lacrosse with the Fusion Futures 2029 team, who beat a team from Connecticut on July 13 to return as back-to-back National Lacrosse Federation (NLF) champions.
“We were knocked out of the World Series of Lacrosse last summer by the Eclipse team, so it felt great to beat them in the NLF championship two years in a row,” said Zach.
A defender on the team, Zach recognizes the hard work and sacrifice he needs to put in to continue being part of the elite program. “We train 11 months out of the year with our Futures team, playing in tournaments in the fall, spring and summer,” he said. “We often have to wake up early on weekend mornings for practice or competitions. I have missed parties and other fun activities with my friends in order to make all my lacrosse events.”
His lacrosse career started with the Conshy Bulldogs. When they had to take a break for the pandemic, Zach started playing for club teams, including Black Bear Lacrosse and NXT, and moved to the Futures when it formed in the summer of 2023.
He played lacrosse for Colonial Middle School in seventh grade but went back to where it all began for his last year of eligibility. “In 8th grade, I wanted to play with the Conshy Bulldogs for my final year of the program. I enjoy playing other sports and I thought it would be too much to play on three lacrosse teams at the same time,” said Zach. “Instead of CMS lacrosse, I competed on the track team for the first time.”
At Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, Zach plans to be a three-sport athlete, playing football and basketball, as well as joining his older brother Drew for lacrosse.
“I have cheered [Drew] on from the sidelines for the past three years. I am very excited to join him on the PW lacrosse team,” said Zach. “The PW Varsity team made it to the playoffs in 2024 and 2025 after having losing seasons for several years. I hope to help the team go even deeper into the playoffs next year!”
Zach plans to play Division I lacrosse in college, and his experience with the Fusion Futures 2029 team has taught him what it takes to be successful on and off the field. “It has helped me to learn that if I work hard I can achieve great things,” said Zach. “The important thing is setting my eyes on the goal and then doing what it takes to reach that goal. I think this lesson in sports can translate into many areas of my life.”
