Boys lacrosse: All Saints' Yohance Love was driven to be the best since his sophomore year

Yohance Love wanted to be the best lacrosse player in Polk County since his sophomore season.

Surrounded by elite talent that he could feed off of and learn from, he augmented his skills through tireless work sessions at home. A couple years later, and set to take on bigger things, the All Saints midfielder is The Ledger’s Boys Lacrosse Player of the Year.

“I’m really thankful. I’ve been trying so hard to win this award because since sophomore year when I (first) heard of the award, my goal was just to earn it," Love said. "And how I felt, I felt like I accomplished a lot because all the work I put in with coach Hall, working with my parents and working with what God blessed me with, I was able to achieve Player of the Year.”

Love started young

Love’s journey in lacrosse started when he was 8. His parents, who are travel agents, took him on a family trip to Washington, D.C., where he noticed a couple of kids holding lacrosse sticks. Love asked what sport they were playing and that sparked him to look into the sport once the family returned home.

Love joined a youth league in Lakeland and started to polish his skills.

By the time he reached high school, he already had the lacrosse IQ, the speed and the hand-eye coordination to excel.

“All the coaches said I was a good player when I went to high school. But I still felt like I had room to develop,” Love said.

That willingness to keep learn paid off his freshman year, as he helped All Saints go undefeated claim the district championship.

Love said he attributes his practice habits to his dad, who worked with him in the backyard, and his friend and former Bartow lacrosse All-American, Brayden Glowgower.

Love said he learned a lot from Glowgower. In his senior season, he racked up 53 goals, 56 ground balls, 10 assists, 63 points and won 58% of his faceoffs en route to helping All Saints to the district finals. But more importantly, Love was a utility player for All Saints, playing man-up, man-down, offense and defense. He also took faceoffs and excelled in it.

His college plans

His skill set has been on the radar of college recruiters for a while, and Love is heading to Jacksonville University — a Division I lacrosse program — to play the sport he loves the most and to study health science. His ultimate goal is to become neurosurgeon.

Already a travel agent thanks to his folks getting him in the business, Love said he will continue the family hustle while in college, helping people plan and take trips before going to medical school to pursue his dream.

“I’m very humble and (grateful) of the opportunity that God blessed me with,” Love said.