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There are teammates, and then there are Bobby Russo and Jon Dugenio.
Lacrosse teammates at Rutgers the past three years, they were teammates throughout high school at Bridgewater-Raritan. They also played together in youth programs. Playing games together dates much further.
“Jon was my best friend in pre-school when I was like 3 years old,” Russo said after a practice recently. “There’s a picture I’ve seen of us in a sandbox at pre-school. We were in the same school fifth grade through high school.”
Both will graduate from Rutgers next month. Russo, a defenseman, is a team captain, Dugenio is one of the top faceoff men in the Big Ten Conference.
Their regular season ends this month. Ranked No. 9 nationally, Rutgers will host No. 4 Maryland Sunday, then goes to No. 5 Penn State Friday. The Big Ten Conference Tournament begins April 29 at campus sites. The Scarlet Knights are 8-3, their losses coming by a point to Army, and 4-point defeats to Johns Hopkins and Ohio State. Hopkins and Army are tied at No. 7 in the national rankings. Ohio State is No. 18.
Russo has played 55 games for Rutgers with 43 starts. Career-wise he has 103 ground balls, 38 caused turnovers, 4 goals and 7 assists. Including a year at St. John’s, Dugenio has won half of his 1,055 career faceoffs, has 241 ground balls, 6 goals, 16 assists and caused 11 turnovers. This season he has won 56 percent of his faceoffs.
Needless to say, they are quite familiar with their skills; their own and each other’s.
“I think to call Jon a faceoff guy discounts everything else he’s able to do,” Russo said. “He is one of the most talented lacrosse players. If you saw him out on the field just shooting or dodging, you’d be like, ‘Does he play attack?’ That just speaks to his work ethic.
“When we were kids, he always liked having a stick in his hands. He loved trying new things and getting better. I think that’s what’s made him so well-rounded. He’s such a hard worker, and not just that he loves the grind of it all, but he just loves learning new things and trying out new things. Coach likes to call him the three-way midfielder. You face off, you get a stop for us on defense, you score a goal on offense. He really does it all. And he’s a grinder in the weight room.”
Not heavily recruited, Dugenio impressed the Rutgers staff during a game freshman year in Piscataway. That fall they were teammates again.
They caught up to each other grade-wise with Dugenio having spent a year at a prep school and Russo getting a master’s degree. Intelligence hasn’t disappeared on the playing field.
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Dugenio, 5-foot-8, compares his position to a goalie.
“You have to be quick, and I’ve been gifted with quickness,” he said. “I like to think I’m a good scrapper. If I don’t get the first ground ball, I’m gonna’ be on you and let you feel it. I’m gonna’ be on your hip, poking your elbow, so you gotta’ pick that ball up the first time cause I’ll be all over you. I think that’s what separates me from the rest of the pack.”
That, and being one of the smallest players on the field.
“Growing up, my dad always told me to embrace it. I think one thing I learned from him was to play with a chip on your shoulder, play 10 times harder and not give them any excuses to take you off the field. That has definitely played a crucial role in some of my success.”
Remaining good friends, Russo remembers playing catch at Dugenio’s house. “Second or third grade,” he said. Russo’s Uncle Aldo played lacrosse at St. John’s, and so he used his uncle’s heavy long stick that was at his grandmother’s house.
Starting out playing catch with Dugenio, those days eventually led to playing for Bridgewater-Raritan and legendary coach Chuck Apel. Apel graduated from Rutgers in 1977 after playing the sport. In fact, the entire lacrosse staff played at Rutgers.
Russo has played defense the last three seasons.
“The position gives you the ability to be like a general on the field and communicate. I enjoy seeing everything unfold and see the game from that angle,” Russo offered. “So I get an analytical sense while still playing.”
Russo, who won the 2022 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
“Aside from being one of my best friends, he’s one of the smartest people I’ve ever met,” Dugenio said. “I mean, I don’t get down to the defensive end too often, but the thing that separates him is he knows where everyone is supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be there and why. He’s directing traffic.
“Meanwhile he’s covering his guy, mostly guarding the No. 1 attackman, and telling everyone else where to go. I’ve seen it kind of develop, going from high school where the game is more talent-based. But the college level is a little more cerebral, and I think that’s why he kind of thrives.”
They should continue to thrive after their lacrosse careers are over. Both appear headed to the business world.
“I think besides lacrosse, we’re competitors,” Dugenio said. “But we also like to have fun. I think we’re good guys to be around.”
It’s been that way since they joyously played with trucks and sticks in a sandbox.
Paul Franklin is a freelance reporter for MyCentralJersey.com.
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