Freshman Timothy Kren has grown to be a centerpiece for the varsity boys lacrosse team this season as a starting attackman. Kren finished in the top three on the team for both goals and assists, behind junior midfielders Ryan Kelly and Jonathan Brake.

Kren has been playing lacrosse since the second grade and has played for multiple teams including Maryland Xtreme, DC Express and Bethesda House.

While freshman defenseman Eric Giron and freshman midfielder Jordan Ibrahimi both contributed to the varsity team, Kren was the only freshman to be on varsity full-time and start in all the games he played.

“Timmy was around constantly in the offseason from the very beginning of their summer league, to every workout that we held,” head coach Jesse Rutter said. “Throughout the offseason he was there working his butt off, never complaining and always leading by example.”

Kren normally played the X position (behind the net) and utilized dodges around the crease and cuts to get the ball and score. Kren also excelled at initiating the team’s offensive sets from the X position and finding open cutters.

“Timmy was easily the best freshman. He’s great at controlling the ball and running our offense from X,” Kelly said.

The Rams finished the regular season 7-5, but had several injuries going into the playoffs, losing to the Magruder Colonels who only had one win during the regular season. The disappointment of being upset has helped motivate Kren to improve in the offseason.

“This summer I’m going to play summer league lacrosse for Rockville to stay in shape, and I’m also going to work on my speed and agility. I’m not normally one of the faster players on the field,” Kren said.

Despite missing three games due to a concussion, Kren finished the season with 18 goals and 11 assists.

“[Timmy’s concussion] had a really really big effect on the team; it spoke to how quickly he fit into and ran our offense successfully,” Rutter said. “While he was out, you could see the ball start to stick and the offense not to move as smoothly, and we really realized how much of an impact he had on the team.”

Kren was named MCPS division player of the week after his performance in the team’s first regular season game against the Gaithersburg Trojans. He finished the game with eight total points, having five goals and three assists.

“I knew he was good after watching him in the summer, but to put up a point total like that in his first varsity game as a freshman was definitely eye opening,” Rutter said.

The passion Kren has for lacrosse is prevalent, Krens skills are recognized by many including his teammates.

“He’s definitely going to be a star for his next three years on the team,” freshman teammate Brendan Stewart said, “he always came to practice and games ready to play even when he was injured.”