Along with every other spring sport, the boys’ varsity lacrosse team had their tryouts throughout the first week of March. Tryouts consisted of position group drills, conditioning, and an intersquad game on Saturday, which concluded the week of tryouts. 

Tryouts are designed to test a players mental, physical and even psychological strength. Tryouts force a player to communicate and work with one another, and a player must be able to perform to near perfection in a high-stress environment. “Tryouts were definitely a wake up call for me. Although being an experienced senior, I still had a hard time with tryouts. Tryouts were physically demanding and only those in top shape succeeded. I was slightly out of shape but managed to get by,” senior defensemen Nate Jacobs said. 

Tryouts also force a player to enhance and bring out their leadership abilities. More skilled players have the job of commanding and instructing the new players and teaching them proper form, from everything to scoring, footwork, stickwork and much more. 

The solidified team consists of 26 players, and the two senior captains are attackman Ian Smith and defenseman Nate Jacobs.

On Mar 16, the team had their first scrimmage at home against Blake and the team secured a victory over the Bengals 15-7. “This was a great first scrimmage and really told us a lot about ourselves and the team as a whole. Our offense was great as well as our defense and we communicated effectively and executed our plays very well. I think this win really set the tone in a good way for the rest of the season,” senior Miles Wiley said. 

Their second scrimmage came two days after on Friday, Mar. 18 against Rockville once again at home, and the team pulled out another scrimmage win against the Rams 16-1.

At this point the team has started to expose their strengths, weaknesses, and everything they need to work on. Scrimmages allow a team to try out new things and solidify the offensive and defensive plays before the regular season starts. Most importantly, scrimmages allow athletes to take bold risks without repercussions. 

Since it is just a scrimmage, players learn a great deal on how the team and themselves play, and they can use that knowledge to be even more prepared for when the regular season rolls around. “ I think our two scrimmages went very well. I think it showed us that our offense can be dangerous. Against some of the better teams in the county, we are going to have to battle, but I have no doubt in my mind that we can fend off anyone who comes our way,” junior Devlin McCarthy said.

The team’s home opener will be on Tuesday, Mar 21, at 7:15 against Clarksburg at home. In addition, the team’s second game will be Friday Mar 25 against Whitman home at 7:15.