Huntington Lax Alums Drafted by Pros
Shamel Bratton and Zach Howell, two of the greatest lacrosse players in Huntington High School history, are going to be teammates again after being drafted by the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse.
Bratton, a star midfielder at the University of Virginia, was the fourth player to be drafted in the first round. Howell, who has shined at attack for Duke University, was selected in the eighth round by Boston with the 46th overall pick.
Rhamel Bratton, Shamel's twin brother who is also a senior midfielder at Virginia, was plucked in the third round (17th pick overall) by the Long Island Lizards.
The trio helped lead Huntington's lacrosse team to three Suffolk titles and two state crowns. The Blue Devils went 63-1 over their final three seasons and all three players earned All-American honors and were among the top recruits in the nation.
Shamel Bratton earned first team All-American honors for the second time last spring after compiling 24 goals, 17 assists and 16 ground balls. Over the course of his career at Virginia, the college senior has 69 goals and 32 assists in 53 games.
Rhamel Bratton was named a second team All-American last year, his first appearance on the elite team. He tallied 23 goals and a career-high eight assists in 2010. In 51 college games, he has 42 goals and 18 assists.
The Brattons were three sport stars at Huntington, excelling in football, basketball and lacrosse. Either brother was capable of busting a game wide open in any of their three sports.
While playing for the Blue Devil lax program, Rhamel scored 123 goals and added 61 assists, winning All-American honors twice. Shamel, also a two-time All-American, scored 153 goals and assisted on 53 others. He was named Newsday's Player of the Year as a senior.
Howell scored 51 goals last spring. It was just the ninth time in Duke lax history that a player has scored 50 or more goals. He had a career high seven points against Penn State after tallying five goals and two assists. The Huntington alum had a remarkable 10 hat-tricks as a junior. He enters his final collegiate season with 91 goals, 42 assists and 72 ground balls.
Howell's Blue Devil stats are mind-numbing, including 146 goals and 123 assists. An All-State football player as a Huntington senior, Howell completed 146 of 211 passes for 2,368 yards and 20 touchdowns – the most on Long Island. In three years as the varsity quarterback, he compiled a 73 percent completion rate, connecting on 367 of 501 passes for 5,337 yards and 50 touchdowns. His best game ever came in the 2006 Suffolk Division III semifinals against Kings Park when he threw for 472 yards on 10-of-17 passing.