My Brother and Me (x3) -- Observer Preps

WINTER GARDEN There’s a couple of things one should know about the West Orange High boys lacrosse team this spring.

First, the Warriors are 15-0, making them one of the top teams in the state, with three games remaining between them and an undefeated regular season.

“It’s a cool experience knowing that you kind of have that connection from backyard lacrosse and then executing it on the actual game field.” 

— Robert Luette

Second, a quarter of the team’s roster is concentrated in three sets of brothers: three senior older brothers (Zach Malaussena, Daniel Luette and Liam Mueller) and three sophomore younger brothers (Sam Malaussena, Robert Luette and Logan Mueller).

That wrinkle in the roster has given the 2017 spring season — possibly the strongest regular season in veteran head coach Bill Baker’s time on campus — the feel of being a family affair.

“To have this many pairs (of brothers) all on varsity at the same time is a little uncommon,” Baker said. 

In fact, the ties between the three sets of brothers goes even beyond their first season on campus together in 2016 — when the boys were juniors and freshmen. According to Baker, the Malaussena and Luette families have known each other dating back to when the boys were toddlers. The boys later met the Mueller brothers in middle school.

However unlikely the situation, it has worked out well for the Warriors.

“It helps in that, especially having the seniors, it makes the younger guys more applicable to pay attention,” Baker said. “In the end, the younger bothers look up to the older brothers — whether or not they admit it.”

For the brothers, playing lacrosse together is a unique opportunity they do not take for granted.

“It’s a cool experience knowing that you kind of have that connection from backyard lacrosse and then executing it on the actual game field,” Robert Luette said. “The age group (in youth lacrosse) was just wide enough to where we were separated — so when he would move up, I would move up.”

“The thing with the three seniors is those three have been four-year contributors on varsity. They’ve played a big role since their freshman year. ... I think their success … it has spurred the younger guys to step up.”

— Bill Baker, coach

This season marks the second, and last, that the three sets of brothers will play together. During the season-and-one-half worth of time, Baker says he has noticed some similarities and differences between the brothers.

Daniel Luette, a midfielder, and Robert Luette, a defender, have similar personalities, Baker said — especially regarding their work ethic. Similarly, Liam Mueller, an attacker, and Logan Mueller, a midfielder, are also similar because both boys are noticeably friendly.

Of the three sets, the Malaussenas are the brothers whose personalities are most distinct. Bakers said that while Zach is quiet and cerebral, Sam is more outgoing and known to be quick with a joke.

The three older brothers bring a high level of experience and maturity to a team with state-championship aspirations.

“The thing with the three seniors is those three have been four-year contributors on varsity,” Baker said. “They’ve played a big role since their freshman year. That experience, alone, has been huge in what they bring to the table. I think their success … it has spurred the younger guys to step up.”

Of the older brothers, Liam Mueller and Daniel Luette each plan on playing lacrosse in college at the Division II level: Mueller at Florida Southern and Luette at Lynn. Zach Malaussena, true to the cerebral nature his coach ascribes to him, will be attending the University of Central Florida to participate in a pilot degree program related to biomechanial engineering.

In the meantime, though, there is the small matter of trying to complete an undefeated regular season ahead of the state playoffs — a goal from which the team will not shy away.

“When we talked about our goals for the season, it was to go undefeated in the regular season and win the state championship — and those goals came from the kids,” Baker said. “Finishing the season undefeated is a huge goal for them. They really want to be focused and finish out the season strong. The experience is there with this group where I don’t know if we need that (one) loss as a learning moment.”

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].