Page 10 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • August 17, 2011 Mahwah ESPN RISE, the high school media division of ESPN, the Worldwide Leader in Sports, has named Mahwah’s Matt Kownacki to the ESPN on the Rise 2011 Junior Watch List. The watch list series selects only the elite college athletic prospects in the country. Kownacki plays midfielder for the Long Island Express Select Lacrosse Club, one of the top rated lacrosse team in the country. Township lacrosse player considered on the rise Left: Chris and Matt Kownacki sharing a laugh. Above: matt kownacki, dodging to the goal at the ESPN RISE Warrior 40 New England Regional. Kownacki, who is studying in Mahwah High School’s advanced, gifted academic curriculum, has garnered significant attention from the top academic institutions in the country for both his academics and lacrosse play. Kownacki’s accelerated studies at Mahwah High have enabled him to qualify for top academic scholarships at a variety of colleges and to complete a significant portion of his first year college credit. Kownacki was among 60 of the top underclassman, selected by ESPN RISE and Warrior Sports, to compete at both the invite-only, ESPN RISE Warrior 40 New York Regional at Hofstra University and the New England Regional at Harvard University. This regional competition includes only elite level lacrosse athletes to compete at four regional events around the country in an effort to select the top 40 lacrosse players in the country for the ESPN RISE Warrior 40. Kownacki also competed in the Under Armour Underclassmen All-America Long Island Regional and was selected by the Long Island Express’ Directors and Coaches to play on the Long Island Express’ 2012 Central All-Star Team that will compete in the National Scholastic Club Lacrosse Association Tournament, comprised of the top 15 scholastic club all-star teams from all of North America. Kownacki’s brother, Chris, who will be a freshman at Mahwah High School in September, played more than 50 games for the Long Island Express 2015 Team and was their top scorer.