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Yvette Quinson was furious. She had every right to be.

Eighth graders shoved her 5-year-old son, Casey Quinson, into a lacrosse net and pelted him with lacrosse balls as fast as they could.

What are you doing?

Yvette was perturbed. Casey — only wearing hockey pads — wasn’t. He regularly saved the shots, said Tommy Quinson, Casey’s older brother who is two years older.

Despite how it sounds, Tommy said Casey enjoyed playing lacrosse with older kids. The McCormacks, their neighbors who were then in eighth grade, were one example. Facing them helped Casey improve his reaction time and hand-eye coordination.

“Casey was definitely in full support of the idea,” Tommy said. “He loves to get in full pads, especially when the older kids are wanting to shoot on him.”

That small moment was the first step in Casey’s evolution into a lacrosse connoisseur — where he’s now Colgate’s leading scorer as a sophomore. Between playing with mini sticks in their basement or shooting with him outside, Tommy molded Casey into the creative player that is featured in the Raiders’ offense every game.

“It was just friendly, brotherly competition,” said Chris Quinson, Casey’s dad. “I think that fire burned for both of them and made them both better in the long run.”

In second grade, Tommy played for the Huntington Blue Devils, a Long Island lacrosse team that was mainly composed of his classmates. Casey, a kindergartener, insisted his parents sign him up.

From then on, Chris said, Casey did everything he could to emulate Tommy’s play style. Casey learned to shoot behind his back, which he credits for helping him fall in love with the sport. A mini lacrosse net sat in the Quinson family’s basement, where Casey and Tommy rotated between playing goalie and attack, using those mini sticks and tennis balls for safety.

“Playing like that is where I think my creativity has come from,” Casey said. “I’m not a fast guy, so I’ve always had to use more of my brain.”

Since Casey and Tommy both played attack, they focused on dodging drills together, especially tough-angle shots. Tommy positioned himself at X, and Casey tried to find space to get a shot off.

When the weather improved, they’d move to the backyard or a local field with their father. Chris struggled to keep up with the brothers as they aged, Tommy said, but he still enjoyed messing around with them.

“It was unstructured, and we were just having fun,” Chris said. “There wasn’t anybody telling you how to hold your stick or throw. They just played the way they felt as athletes.”

After long days of Zoom classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Casey and Tommy went outside and played games of horse or pig at any open field they could find. One would fire at a target, and the other had to hit the same shot.

Aside from drills, Casey and Tommy also played the “Casey Powell Lacrosse 16” video game on their Xbox, where they’d argue over the merits of any goal they scored. They often used rivals, like Duke and North Carolina, and performed tricks whenever they could.

In addition to their Xbox battles, the brothers frequently went to high school lacrosse games around Long Island and cheered on Duke, Yvette’s alma mater, in the NCAA Tournament. They also celebrated when their Brunswick High School (Connecticut) teammates, Notre Dame’s Will and Andrew Donovan, won consecutive national championships in 2023 and 2024.

A young Casey Quinson (left) raises his lacrosse stick in the air, a backpack slung around his arm. In his childhood, Quinson often played lacrosse with older kids. Courtesy of Casey Quinson

After years together playing club lacrosse, Casey and Tommy had one final chance to play together in Tommy’s senior year at Brunswick in 2021. Casey, however, was kept off the varsity team due to a lack of strength, size and quickness.

But the setback didn’t impact him. Tommy went on to play Division III lacrosse at Denison after that season, and Casey made varsity as a sophomore. He fought through hip injuries in his underclassmen years to post 56 points and scoop up 39 ground balls as a senior.

“He was probably pretty close as a freshman,” Brunswick head coach David Bruce said. “I don’t think there was any question that we weren’t going to take him as a sophomore.”

Tommy, who also played under Bruce, said the veteran head coach was crucial in Casey’s development. Casey’s daunting off-ball presence stemmed from Bruce putting him in situations where he could develop his awareness.

“(Bruce) is a super successful coach, and he’s run a super successful Brunswick program,” Tommy said. “Casey was able to grow his career a lot under him, and I think I was as well.”

When recruiting season rolled around, Casey toured Providence, Bucknell and Vermont, but his decision dwindled to Colgate and Middlebury. He didn’t rule out playing D-III lacrosse, but he felt he deserved a Division I opportunity.

So, after receiving an offer from Colgate, Casey visited the school twice in fall 2023. During his first visit on Sept. 8, Casey watched a team practice, met with head coach Matt Karweck and toured the school.

Two months later, he returned for a second visit. Casey and Karweck met at a cafe near the school. The head coach drew out offensive schemes using salt and pepper shakers. A plate on the table was the net, and Karweck explained how Casey and incoming teammate Freddy Fowler, acting as the shakers, would fit in.

From there, Colgate became a no-brainer. Casey received the offer at a central New York golf course on his second visit, and he immediately committed.

“He wants guys who want to be there,” Casey said of Karweck. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the best lacrosse player in the world if you don’t have attitude.”

Behind-the-back and shovel shots. Using his wrist and toe drag to fake out defenders. Casey said there are many ways he can be creative in games, and it all stems from those backyard games with Tommy.

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He doesn’t often beat defenders with size and speed, but he’ll find other ways to get a defender to bite, especially with Karweck’s encouraging coaching.

“(Karweck) wants us to play with confidence in that kind of style where it’s free,” Casey said. “That’s where people can be more creative and have fun.”

Casey’s play style starts with deception. If he wants to shoot top left, he’ll signal with his arms, shoulders and head that he’s aiming bottom right. That technique stemmed from the basement, where Casey said he’d try those same dekes on Tommy.

Rory and Liam Connor headlined Colgate with 88 combined goals last season, while Casey scored just 20 as a freshman.

With the Connors gone, though, this year is Casey’s chance to display his full potential. The Raiders started a measly 1-6 before winning four straight games. Through the ups and downs, Casey has been the lone constant.

He’s produced a team-leading 32 goals, 34 ground balls and nine caused turnovers. Colgate’s offense may not have a rigid scheme, but Casey’s creative playstyle has kept it competitive.

Chris has been to each of Casey’s games this season. In the Raiders’ comeback overtime win over Navy on March 28, Casey logged six goals and an assist. But his seven ground balls impressed Chris the most.

“(Casey) takes his position as an attack to ride and play defense when the offense turns over the ball,” Chris said. “(He does) everything he can to get the ball back.”

Tommy was at one of his Denison friends’ apartments in New York City during that game. They watched it on TV, and when Casey notched his game-winning sixth goal, Tommy texted his brother with pride.

That message was a full-circle moment. And it never would’ve occurred without friendly competition in the backyard.

“It was a real advantage to be able to play with your brother in the backyard,” Yvette said.

Published on April 16, 2026 at 1:34 am
Contact Spencer: sabrod@syr.edu | @spencerbrod20