Former McDonogh lacrosse star Dante Trader Jr. leads South team to win at Under Armour All-America Senior Game

A week before University of Maryland football team starts training camp, freshman defensive back Dante Trader Jr. was showcasing his multi-sport ability in the Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Boys Senior Game Saturday night.

In a record-breaking offensive spectacle where both teams combined to record the most goals in a half (31), Trader found the net twice to help the South team defeat the North team, 28-22, at the Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field in Baltimore.

Trader, who originally committed to Maryland for lacrosse, has been in College Park for two months, but knew he had an obligation to play in the All-America game. Terps coach Mike Locksley was concerned about Trader getting hurt but knew the former McDonogh star couldn’t pass up on the honor of competing with the top lacrosse players in the country.

“It meant a lot,” Trader said. “It’s been a dream ever since I started lacrosse. I’ll never get this game back, so you know, I’m grateful I was able to play tonight.”

Trader committed to Maryland’s lacrosse team in September 2020. When Locksley found out Trader was becoming a Terp, the Delmar, Delaware native was asked to join the football team as well.

Saturday night was Trader’s first time playing with his future Maryland lacrosse teammates Eric Spanos and Colin Burlace. Trader and the rest of the Maryland commitments used the opportunity to get to know each other.

“We really haven’t played together at all,” said Spanos. “Playing out here was really cool [because] we all got to hang out a bunch and build some chemistry before we actually get to campus.”

As the North team were doing elaborate celebrations after jumping out to a 6-2 advantage in the first quarter, the South team was prepping for its comeback.

The South team reeled off five consecutive goals to take a 7-6 lead in the second quarter and managed to take a 10-9 lead into the half.

Both teams were trading goals in the third quarter, each striking six times. Spanos, who finished with two goals and an assist, extended the South’s lead to 11-9 with an unassisted goal during the opening stages of the third.

Former McDonogh lacrosse, football standout Dante Trader Jr., winding up for a shot against Calvert Hall on April 24, helped the South team win the Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Boys Senior Game at Homewood Field in Baltimore on Saturday. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Baltimore Sun)

Less than a minute later, Boys’ Latin senior attack Ben Smith (Penn) fired the ball into the net for one of his three goals. After tearing his ACL in 2020, Smith’s performance was humbling.

Weekly

Get the latest high school sports stories, photos and video from around the region.

“It just makes you look at the little things a lot more and just cherish every moment that you’re able to be out here,” Smith said.

The South separated from the North in the fourth quarter by scoring 12 goals. Spanos and Trader traded goals to give the South a six-goal advantage.

Griffin Schultz’s five-goal performance kept the North team within striking distance. The South, however, solidified its victory with Tynan Walsh (Penn) and Antonio DeMarco (North Carolina) each finding the net in the final 16 seconds.

The South’s final goal total tied the Under Armour All-America boys’ record for most goals by a team. The South outshot the North 72-54 while tallying 59 ground balls.

“It just shows the all the good kids in our class top to bottom,” Trader said.