Midway through the Philadelphia Waterdogs’ first game this year, rookie short-stick defensive midfielder Dylan Hess scooped a ground ball, sprinted into transition and lowered his shoulder into an attacker in his way.
The hit sent the opponent flying across the midfield line, drawing an offside penalty that put the Waterdogs on the power play.
Where many rookies have a ‘welcome to the pros’ moment, Hess welcomed himself.
A few months later, Hess earned a spot in the 2025 Lexus PLL All-Star Game with a “surprise” phone call from PLL’s Director of Player Personnel Andrew Manning. He’s one of only a handful of rookies to receive that honor and even fewer at his position.
A product of Georgetown University, Hess spent four years making a name for himself in college lacrosse before taking a detour back to his home state of Florida.
The blend of his football background and lacrosse skills caught the attention of a former rival coach, Bill Tierney, who drafted him 15th overall.
“He’s built like a linebacker, but he’s got the ability to cover like a cornerback,” Tierney said. “You very rarely see anybody get a step foot on him. It makes him multi-functional. That gives us the ability to block a guy off.”
Hess has become one of the most physically intimidating SSDMs in the league. He’s not just a heavy hitter, though, but also a quick and strategic defender.
“It’s all about playing angles,” Hess said. “You can be a big dude, quick, have lateral and straight line ability. But, if you don’t play your angles right and you’re a little bit cerebral with the game, then I don’t think you’ll succeed.”
In his first five pro games, Coach Tierney has already compared his skills on the field to superstar Danny Logan, a five-time All-Star and three-time George Boiardi Hard Hat SSDM of the Year.
“He’s as close to Logan as you can get,” Tierney said. “For a young player or rookie in this league. It’s often hard to do a lot of different things, like being a goalie, a face-off guy, a scorer. But, being a lockdown short stick, that’s almost impossible. And he’s doing it and doing it with flying colors.”
Hess’s shutdown defense and transition game is what grabbed Tierney’s attention, but it didn’t stop there. Being a “clearing machine” and scoring on offense during his time at Florida added a unique aspect to the value of Tierney’s selection.
Despite him not using that offensive ability yet this season, the All-Star weekend provides an opportunity to test the waters.
“Coach Lou [DeDonatis] was telling me this is a perfect opportunity to work on two-point going from transition,” Hess said. “When Coach T drafted me, that was kind of the vision, as well as to push transition. The plan tomorrow is to let a couple two bombs fly and hope that some of them drop.”
The All-Star selection is just one of many validations that the Waterdogs have one of the best rookie classes this year.
“People give you credit for a good draft,” Tierney said. “I just give myself credit for being lucky with Dylan. He’s achieved well beyond my hope, and he’s just getting started.”
Though Hess once faced Tierney in a heated Georgetown-Denver rivalry, he’s found a new appreciation for his coach.
“I thought we were a little bit of enemies,” Hess said. “But now I see how much he cares. One of my favorite quotes from him is, ‘Give a sh*t’ about the game, your teammates. Once you do that, everything else falls into place.”
One of the PLL’s brightest stars has done all the right things to get to this stage, where he can further test his abilities against the league’s best.
Mike Bolger started covering lacrosse at the college level in Happy Valley. After four years on the Penn State beat, he stayed in Pennsylvania to cover the Philadelphia Waterdogs. Loves big hits and a Philly made cheesesteak.
Follow on X @MichealBolger
