Senior lacrosse captain and defenseman Miles Shelton helped lead the Raiders to a 13-3 season.
The Raiders have also won the 2024 and 2025 GCC championships during Shelton’s career.
Shelton has been on the varsity team for four years, a starter for three, and a captain for two. Head Coach Will Talbott-Shere said that Shelton has been a key player during all of his three years as coach. “It’s a testament to the work he puts in in the offseason, how focused he is, and how much he grinds during the season,” Talbott-Shere said. “He’s grinded over the summer, he’s grinded in the offseason, and he’s one of the hardest workers at practice every day.”
Shelton said he has loved his time playing for Coach Talbott-Shere. “Since Coach Talbott has arrived, I have built an amazing relationship with him. He is a very personable coach and a great guy to be around,” Shelton said.
The Ohio Lacrosse Network put Shelton on the Pre-Season Region Two All-State watchlist. He was also dubbed “one of the most imposing uncommitted defensemen in the ‘25 class” by Inside Lacrosse.
Talbott-Shere said that he had high expectations for Shelton, but Shelton exceeded them. “I knew he definitely had the potential to become that player that he is today when I first met him. I wasn’t sure if his work ethic was all there, but he’s definitely proved all my doubts incorrect,” Talbott-Shere said.
Shelton was also a captain of the basketball team and a member of the football team. “Playing three sports at the varsity level is a lot to manage at first, but once I developed a schedule that allowed me to balance my schoolwork and practices, it was not nearly as stressful,” Shelton said. “All three coaches care a lot about my health, too, as they would talk to me frequently and allow me to take a little time off in between seasons.”
Shelton said that his responsibility as a captain extends beyond his on-field performance. “I have been able to use my experience to my advantage by helping out younger players in practice and giving them pointers when they mess up,” Shelton said. “I believe that as captains, we bring a different perspective to the team by giving players other leaders to talk to that they are more comfortable with.”
Senior captain and defenseman Jaden Wilkerson says that his competitive friendship with Shelton has helped them both improve; Shelton made 2023 All-Region Honorable mention and 2024 and 2025 All-Region second team, Shelton was also named a 2025 USA Lacrosse Academic All-American, and Wilkerson made 2023 and 2025 All-Region second team and 2024 All-Region honorable mention selections.
“Both being freshmen on varsity, we have come a long way,” Wilkerson said. “Each year we have pushed each other to get better and better.”
Shelton also credits Wilkerson for pushing him to excel. “He has always pushed me to take the next step on the field,” Shelton said. “As freshmen, we were both in the same position fighting for time as freshmen on varsity, so naturally we competed every day to get on the field.”
Senior midfielder Kellen Young is glad to have Shelton on the team before games. “He adds a sense of leadership and motivation to the team through his fiery speeches,” Young said. Senior attackman Joey Moore said Shelton is a big speaker before games. “He’s always there to motivate and push us,” Moore said.
Shelton said that he is responsible for settling the team down during games. “During the triple overtime 8-7 win over Chagrin Falls, I tried my best to keep everyone calm in such a stressful scenario. In a game like that, everyone’s nerves are high, so I reminded everyone to stay level-headed and play our game,” Shelton said.
Talbott-Shere said that Shelton was crucial to setting up the team’s defensive system. “He talks with Coach Brady, who’s our defensive coordinator, and he was the one who was able to really implement the system with the defense. They’re always talking in film and at practice about ways that the zone could be the most effective and where guys should be out on the field,” Talbott-Shere said.
Young said that Shelton inspires the team through his on-field performance. “To see Shelly make an explosive play motivates you to do the same. I’ll see Shelly hit a mean check, and it gets the sideline and the rest of the team fired up and ready to play with more explosiveness,” Young said.
Shelton will continue his lacrosse career at Rochester Institute of Technology. “I am extremely excited to continue my lacrosse and academic careers at RIT,” said Shelton. “It is an amazing opportunity to play for such a high-level lacrosse program that is able to compete for a national title every year.”
A version of this article appears in print on page 8 of Volume 95, Issue 5, published May 27, 2025.
