Pensacola Catholic boys lacrosse's Noah Watkins wins Athlete of the Week after narrow win

It was described as a chess match when the Pensacola Catholic boys lacrosse team narrowly won over South Walton in the Region 1-1A quarterfinals on April 24.

And the grand master was Noah Watkins, who made 16 saves – and stood tall during an offensive onslaught in the dying minutes of the game – for the Crusaders to preserve the 8-7 victory.

As a result, Noah Watkins earned PNJ Athlete of the Week honors after earning 47.37% of the poll's vote the following week on pnj.com. Each weekly winner is awarded a one-of-a-kind PNJ Athlete of the Week shirt provided by BSN SPORTS.

Watkins finished his junior year, his second season as Pensacola Catholic's starting goalie, with just 38 goals allowed (averaging 2.8 goals allowed per game) with a .768 save percentage.

Here's a quick question-and-answer session with Richards after speaking with PNJ sports reporter Ben Grieco.

Q and A with Pensacola Catholic boys lacrosse's Noah Watkins

PNJ: So you just wrapped up your junior year, and your second year as a starter, how do you think things went for you and your team?

Noah Watkins: “The year went great for me and the rest of the team. We had an awesome season, making it to the semifinals. It was a tough last game against Oak Hall, obviously.”

PNJ: You had a significant improvement in your goals allowed stat this year. How much of that is between your own growth and a pretty good defense in front of you?

NW: “100% defense. The defense helped a lot. We had probably the best defense we’ve had, especially forcing outside shots which helps my play. They didn’t really let anybody in for those inside shots from the middle.”

PNJ: Where’s your confidence level on those outside shots?

NW: “Pretty high, just because you see the ball from further away. It’s nothing right in the middle.”

PNJ: You mentioned the tough loss to Oak Hall. What does it mean to make it that far into the region semifinals?

NW: “It was a great feeling to get there, knowing everything we’ve accomplished with the entire season.”

PNJ: Is there a drive to keep pushing further, especially after a game like that, seeing what kind of talent is over there?

NW: “It’s definitely awesome playing against tougher teams, seeing what different levels of play look like.”

PNJ: The week that you won Athlete of the Week was when you had the tight win over South Walton.  What’s it like being part of a game like that?

NW: “It’s awesome because the entire time, you’re just trying to stay ready and stay locked in.”

PNJ: More specifically, what’s it like being the goalie in that scenario? Is there any more pressure?

NW: “There’s definitely a ton more pressure. You try to stay focused the entire time, not really focusing on the scoreboard.”

PNJ: After a game like that, what’s going through your mind after the final buzzer?

NW: “Just relief, honestly.”

PNJ: How did it feel to come out on top in a game like that?

NW: “It felt amazing. When you’ve been working so hard for months with your team, it feels amazing.”

PNJ: Going from your sophomore to junior year, where would you say your biggest area of growth was?

NW: “The biggest area of growth I probably had was just knowledge for the game, making better decisions on clears or positioning in the goal.”

PNJ: Where are you looking to grow going into your senior year, on or off the field?

NW: “Hopefully continuing to build better IQ for the game, focusing on better positioning in the goal.”

PNJ: Do you have any team goals already building for next year?

NW: “As a team, we want to keep working to get better, and do better in the skills that we left off on.”

PNJ: For you, what does your offseason look like to gear up for next year?

NW: “We play in the fall with the Kings. That helps us a lot to get ready for the season.”

PNJ: Now for questions about teammates. Who would you say your funniest teammate is?

NW: “Definitely Jack (Phillips). … He’s always making us laugh. He’s got a good sense of humor.”

PNJ: How about your toughest teammate?

NW: “Probably Pierce (Hopson). He throws super hard checks, and is really tough for people on offense to go against.”

PNJ: Now non-lacrosse related, if you had to have one meal for the rest of your life, what would you want?

NW: “It’d probably be eggs, steak and rice.”

PNJ: If you were able to travel to one place, where would you go?

NW: “I would probably go to Alaska.”

PNJ: If you could have one superpower, what would you want?

NW: “The ability to be invisible.”

PNJ: And if you had to be in the extreme heat or extreme cold, which would you prefer?

NW: “I would prefer the extreme heat.”

Ben Grieco is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached on X (@BenGriecoSports) and via email at BGrieco@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola Catholic's Noah Watkins wins PNJ Athlete of the Week award