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By Whitelaw Reid
UNION-TRIBUNE COMMUNITY SPORTS WRITER
March 9, 2005

CARMEL VALLEY – John Principi doesn't think of himself as a pioneer. He says he was just a guy in the right place at the right time.

But Jody Silstrop, Principi's former high school coach, doesn't hesitate to use the word when he talks about Principi.

He says Principi is a reason Torrey Pines High has been a powerhouse in lacrosse.

"He was the biggest football player on campus," Silstrop said, "but the fact he played lacrosse as well was instrumental in the sport becoming popular. He brought it to the attention of a lot of the football players."

That was important, Silstrop said, because before Principi the better athletes had not gone out for lacrosse – which was played only at the club level. Lacrosse was sanctioned by the San Diego Section in 2002.

"When I played, it was for the castaway guys," said Silstrop, a Torrey Pines grad himself. "John brought a lot of popularity to lacrosse based on him being who he was and getting some of his boys to come out and play. He basically helped put the sport on the map."

Today, Principi has come full circle. He has taken over for Silstrop as the school's lacrosse coach after serving as an assistant for two seasons.

Principi – whose father Anthony recently stepped down as secretary of veterans affairs for President Bush – was thinking about moving east and enlisting in the military just before the Falcons' head coaching position came open. The chance to coach at his old high school put those plans on hold.

"Not everybody loves their high school experience," said Principi, who graduated from Torrey Pines in 1997. "I really enjoyed mine.

"Torrey Pines is one of the finest schools in the state and has a top-notch athletic department. There's definitely a sense of pride in being able to give back. That's what it's all about."

Principi was born in San Diego but spent his early childhood in Fairfax, Va. While there, his older brothers – Tony and Ryan – took up lacrosse and introduced Principi to the sport.

When he returned to San Diego for middle school, Principi continued to play. He played four years on the club team at Torrey while also earning varsity letters in football and wrestling.

Principi says even when lacrosse didn't have any kind of following he sensed it was going to get big.

"I knew it was inevitable," said Principi, who played football (as a walk-on) and lacrosse at Cal. "I don't even think it's scratched the surface of what it's going to be five or 10 years from now. It's growing exponentially."

sohotrightnow wrote:That would be 1998, when Tyler Kreitz, The Moon Brothers, and Robbie Warner led Cal to the national title as freshmen. On a side note, Torrey Pines won the California State Title in 1997 behind John Principi against Bishop O'Dowd high school where his eventual teammates at Cal (Kreitz and the Moons) played.