Over the past few seasons, the boys lacrosse team has remained consistent in making the playoffs almost every year and has typically finished no lower than fourth in the CPC. This season, however, has seen the team take things a step further as they completed what head coach Jacob Able is calling “the best season in program history.” When looking at the team’s 9-8 overall record and fourth place finish in the conference, it would be easy to assume that this season was just like any other, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“This year’s team was one of the best the school has ever had. They did a great job of always giving their best effort and having a great attitude. It was a very special group,” Jacob Able said.
What made this season so special for the boys lacrosse team was the completion of two major milestones, one being defeating Mt. Tabor for the first time in program history. Before this year Mt. Tabor had defeated the Titans in every one of their meetings, with some being as lopsided as 18-2, but the boys lacrosse team finally found a breakthrough by notching a dominant 21-10 win over the Spartans to open the season.
“The guys were all very excited after the [Tabor] win. It wasn’t some small thing it was a big achievement, and I was very proud of all of them” Able said
The second major achievement for boys lacrosse this season was notching the first ever playoff win in the program’s history. Before this season boys lacrosse had never seen the second round of the playoffs, and just weren’t able to get over the hurdle. With a 19-12 win over Grimsley, the team’s long history of first round exits was put behind them.
“It was absolutely crazy, we worked so hard and it felt like it paid off. The second the clock ran out everyone got so excited,it was so amazing,” senior Will Hayes said.
These achievements are made even more impressive when taking into account the amount of youth and inexperience on this season’s team, with underclassmen and first year players making up a large portion of the lineup.
“It was a surreal feeling, we had a good amount of first year lacrosse players including myself, so for us, the fact that we were able to do something no other team in West’s history has done felt pretty good,” junior Matthew Barghout said.
The amount of youth on the boys lacrosse team not only amplifies the importance of their accomplishments this season but also bodes incredibly well for the future of the program, as not only were there many underclassmen on the roster but each one made a noticeable impact on the field.
“Grayson Brandon and Bryson Miller were both among the best at their respective positions in only their sophomore year. John Reutinger, Cole Tisdale, and Matthew Brown all got significant playing time and had great years as freshmen,” Able said.
Coach Able isn’t the only one who sees the team’s bright future, however, as some of the experienced seniors are also seeing the team’s potential.
“Coach Able is an amazing coach and the guys are hard working and they have a bunch of potential. If they just keep grinding and keep at it they have a very bright future,” Hayes said.
After years of hard work and at times struggle this season may have been the turning point the boy’s lacrosse team was waiting for, and given the amount of promising underclassmen on the roster, the sky seems to be the limit for the program’s future.