Bend senior Eli Pite leads Bend lacrosse

The Bend lacrosse team is off to their best start in school history: they’re currently 11-0 and fifth in the rankings.

They lead the state in goals scored per game at 15.5

And they are led by one of the state’s most dynamic players: Eli Pite.

The first thing you notice about Pite: he’s kind of short for a lacrosse player.

“I’m 5-4, but I’d like to say 5-5 or 5-6. I’m around 5-5 I’m pretty sure,” Pite said.

But don’t let his lack of height fool you: Pite is a bona fide goal-scorer, as the senior has found the back of the net 34 times this year, and has also dished out 28 assists.

“It’s satisfying seeing that people underestimate me just because of my physical appearance, rather than my ability,” Pite said. “It’s really good motivation, and it really inspires me.”

Pite has what coach Joe Kerwin calls a high lacrosse IQ: a great knowledge of what’s happening around him on the field at all times.

“He’s a crafty player,” Kerwin said. “He’s a smart player. Understands the game, what the defense is trying to do..”

“He’s thinking one pass ahead. That goes a long way. He’s always putting himself in the right spot.”

Bend senior Quinn Fettig said Pite “gets defenders to come up high on him — and he just ducks under them and gets around them, just to get a greater angle when he shoots.”

It was Pite’s performance last week that absolutely turned heads: a school-record eight-goal, seven-assist performance in their win over Sisters, as he had a hand in 15 of their 19 goals.

“I didn’t even realize until I saw the stat sheet after the game,” Fettig said. “I was thinking maybe four goals, four assists. But I didn’t know it was that ridiculous.”

Pite said, “By the second or third quarter, I realized I started scoring a lot of points, and it was an unusually good performance for me.”

“I’m really thankful for having such a really balanced with so many dangerous players on our team.”

Next up for Eli and the Lava Bears, a top-10 matchup with cross-town rival Summit on Tuesday, as Bend looks to continue their undefeated season.

Pite will play lacrosse at the University of Oregon next season.