MERIDIAN — Alex Culbertson saw lacrosse as a fun mix of the sports world.

Now the Meridian resident and Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic sophomore is using the sport to strengthen his world — not to mention the CWNC boys lacrosse program.

Culbertson was among the top scorers in the WPIAL with 64 goals and 36 assists for 100 points this spring. The Trojans (11-6) played only 17 games and missed the playoffs by one game in just their second season.

“Alex is an all-around player,” CWNC coach Don Bryant said. “He also averaged four ground balls and three forced turnovers per game for us.

“We play him at the attack position because he’s so darn good at it. But he could play other roles as well.”

Culbertson began playing lacrosse six years ago in the Butler youth program. He had also been a baseball, basketball and football player.

“Lacrosse looked like the perfect way to combine a lot of sports together, so I figured I’d try it,” Culbertson said. “Now I do basketball and cross country because those sports help me prepare for lacrosse season.

“Basketball helps me see plays develop and cross country is great for endurance.”

He spends a lot of time fine-tuning his game on his own as well.

“I’ll go outside and just shoot for an hour or two,” Culbertson said. “Some other guys on the team and I get together and work on things, too. We’re a close-knit group. We all want to get better.”

Whatever preparatory work Culbertson is doing, it’s working.

He scored 40 goals and 12 assists as a freshman in CWNC’s inaugural season. That team finished 6-10. Then he exploded this season.

“The kid has phenomenal stick skills and he’s a very unselfish player,” Bryant said. “He is a leader on the field because he makes so many hustle plays, grabbing ground balls and forcing turnovers.

“Alex will do anything he can to help the team. He works hard at his game all of the time.”

What makes his productive sophomore season even more impressive is that Culbertson fractured a rib in a car accident in late December and fractured it again during lacrosse practice in February. He missed a couple of games early in the season before returning to full health.

He is a two-time first team all-section player.

Culbertson plays summer lacrosse for the Apex program coached by Rob Riesmeyer, who has been working with him for four years.

“I’m impressed with his athleticism and he has a great sense for the game,” Riesmeyer said. “He sees things developing.

“Alex is not a ball hog. I compared him to Steph Curry in basketball in how he makes his teammates better. Like Curry, Alex knows when to drive all the way in and attack the net and he knows when to dish off to an open teammate.

“He is a very gifted player,” Riesmeyer added.

Bryant describes Culbertson as “a Division I talent” and plans to help facilitate his college ambitions.

“I played at (University of) Virginia, which has very good lacrosse players, and I know Alex could eventually play there,” Bryant said. “But his No. 1 choice is North Carolina and I’ll do what I can to help him get there.”

North Carolina won the NCAA championship this season.

“It’s my dream to go there,” Culbertson admitted.

In the meantime, he’s busy setting the bar high for future CWNC lacrosse players.

“I can always work harder, definitely,” Culbertson said. “My passing can get better and I watch a lot of lacrosse on TV to work on my lacrosse IQ.

“Keep my head up and know the situation. That’s where the IQ comes into play.”

“The good thing about Alex is he always wants to get better,” Riesmeyer said.

The proof is in the numbers.

“I can’t imagine what he’ll be like for us next year, but I’m looking forward to it,” Bryant said.