Players come and go on any high school team, but this year’s boys lacrosse team takes the idea of roster turnover to a whole new level. This season the varsity roster features 12 newcomers, many of whom had never touched a lacrosse stick before. This has given the team a unique obstacle to overcome during the season; trying to balance fun with growth and development.
“Being new has been an amazing experience because it has taught a new work ethic while also being able to have fun with my teammates,” junior Haegen Paschold said.
In cases like these, it’s hard to judge the success of the season solely on the team’s results. When faced with such adversity, it’s only natural that the win total is most likely not going to be very high. This year’s team has its own positive spin on their success and has found various ways to measure their personal and team performance.
This season has seen no shortage of personal accomplishments, junior captain Grayson Brandon scored his 98th goal this year making him the leading scorer in school history. Likewise, senior e, senior captain Matthew Barghout broke another record this year when he saved his 240th career goal, also putting him in the history books.
“Every game is a learning experience, because of the amount of new players we have to adapt and use each game as a lesson,” Barghout said.
Despite the downsides that come with inexperienced players and a program trying to build itself up, having increasing interest in joining the team each year is certainly a positive sign for the future. Whether they come from other sports, or just want to be a part of a team, the amount of interest from outside people each season is something that a coach must be pleased with.
“Pretty much every year, most of the team is either new to the sport or new to the team, and the main reason is guys who are already on the team just getting their friends to come out and play and I think that’s why we have such a good team chemistry and team culture,” head coach Jacob Able said.
Not every team can be judged by their wins and losses, and this year’s team fits into that category perfectly. With interest on the rise, brighter days are surely ahead for the lacrosse program in the very near future.
