After last year’s rough season, and a tough loss 12-4, this week against Churchill to open up the new season, the boys’ lacrosse team is looking to rebound the rest of the way.
The team is looking at an intense schedule after the Churchill loss on Mar. 21, with upcoming games against rival Quince Orchard, state contender Sherwood, and 3A region opponent Damascus, who all beat the team last year. Senior newcomer Tyler Siegal said, “We definitely have a great team and something special this season; we just need to keep our momentum strong, stay focused, and practice before playoff time.”
Last season ended with a rough 10-9 loss to regional rival Rockville in the playoffs and losses to Churchill and Quince Orchard during the season. With the same schedule as last season, the team will look to improve from their 3-10 record with new faces and first-time lacrosse players in the mix, as 11 seniors graduated out last year. The next varsity game is vs Sherwood at home on Mar. 31.
This season will be the first time seniors Kian Kaz, Tyler Siegal and Toby Subiela will play lacrosse. Kaz and Subiela have played soccer, and Siegal has played football and baseball. Siegal said, “Lacrosse has been fun to learn, and starting up with lacrosse has been a great experience as I have many friends on the team from football that have helped me learn how to play.”
Team chemistry is a big focus as players have bonded during fall ball as well as winter during workouts and conditioning. The team will also have group dinners, with the first being on Mar. 23. The team dinners, along with previous fall-ball games and winter workouts, have already created a bond between the team members. Junior Capitan Zach King said, “Team dinners are super fun, and I look forward to each dinner as they build team chemistry and we can hang with the boys after we eat.”
As for JV, expectations are high, with varsity-level players on JV. The team practices with varsity to get varsity-level practice. JV lost to Churchill 12-3 on Mar. 21 and beat Springbrook 13-1 on Mar. 24 with their next game being at home vs Sherwood on Mar. 31. JV freshman Adam Epstein said, “Being on JV and watching and practicing with varsity makes me want to work harder so I can get to that level and eventually be on varsity.”
Both teams will look to build on their skills in practice by practicing in-game scenarios. The team will also continue conditioning with running incorporated into all, if not most, practices, which include sprinting and occasional long distance. Epstein said, “Running during practice is annoying, but I know it helps us as a team build stamina and speed and make us perform better in our games.”
The varsity team plays Sherwood next on Monday, Mar. 31.
