McCallie's Sage Rieth commits to Furman

McCallie School sophomore day Sage Rieth has committed to continue his lacrosse career at Furman University.

Rieth hasn't had a chance yet to make a big impact for the McCallie varsity, but he had a very strong summer in showcase events, Blue Tornado coach Troy Kemp said. At Furman's prospects camp, the left-hander consistently outplayed a Maryland boy who had been the Paladins' top target as a face-off specialist.

Rieth earlier made the all-stars (top 40) at a 600-player camp.

"Sage played some with the varsity as a freshman, but most of his minutes were on the JV so he could play a lot and be a leader," Kemp said. "My goal is to get them prepared to play anywhere, and when they show up, they stand out.

"He had a very good summer at the camps and with his travel team, and he has a 3.8 GPA. Colleges like that, too."

Six McCallie seniors already are aheaded to NCAA Division I programs, another to Division II and one to Division III, and a couple of others likely will be signing as well, Kemp noted. One of those is the Tornado's varsity face-off specialist.

"But Sage has become a very good face-off man. He also plays midfield and he has played attack," the coach said.

Furman is in the second year of its program, and Kemp believes the Paladins "are going to be pretty good quickly."

Rieth, who lives near Harrison, said a lot about the Greenville, S.C., program stood out.

"As soon as I stepped on campus, I just loved it," he said. "The dorms are extremely nice and they have a great dining hall and practice field, and academics also are a huge part of it. I got to sit in on two classes while I was there."

He began playing lacrosse as a fourth-grader, subbing it for baseball while continuing to play football and basketball. It's been just lacrosse the last couple of years.

"It's the one sport I looked forward to practice as much as the games," he said.

Contact Ron Bush at rbush@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6291.

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