“It is definitely an exciting sport to watch, and an even more exciting sport to play,” said Owen Scarborough, a player on the Atholton Lacrosse Team who is very eager to jump on the field. The Spring Sports season has started; competition has started riling up in tennis, track, baseball, and lacrosse.
“Atholton has not had the best track record so far with lacrosse, but this year we hope to change that,” said Anri Leger, a player on the team. Even though the previous seasons have not been up to standard for a winning season, he said that he will try his hardest to turn that around.
The team is mainly led by Coach McCoy who has years of lacrosse experience, followed by a plethora of assistant coaches and Coach Lake, the coach for the JV lacrosse team. Jacob Hall, an Atholton lacrosse
player, said, “The coaches make the whole experience very enjoyable. Each day I look forward to practice. I would not feel that way if it were not for the mentors we are given.
They cater to everyone’s needs, from students who are picking up a stick for the first time, to all-time veterans of the sport who have been playing for years. They make you feel like you matter.”
The players also give the sport very good reviews. Leger said, “Lacrosse can be played at any speed depending on your preference. You can play it like a ten minute game of chess, or a two-second game of tic-tac-toe.
The game feels so complex with hundreds of proven plays to understand and memorize but somehow doesn’t seem like you are drowning in things to keep track of. Everyone’s role feels meaningful.” He said the sport requires a lot of hard work, such as mechanics, game sense, conditioning, and physical strength. “You gotta be tough, otherwise you will get pancaked.”
Even though a lot of the players on the team are new to the sport, their improvement over the past weeks has been very commendable. For example, at the start of the season, student, Sam Son, had never touched,a lacrosse stick before, and when he joined he was thrown into the role as a goalie, arguably the most important role on the field. Even though he started with no experience, his suc-
cess in the sport has been exemplary with a save rate of 65% in a recent game. “A save percentage below 50% needs to be improved upon and one over 60% is very good,” according to LaxGoalieRat, a website that brings information about the role of a lacrosse goalie.
Playoffs have started for the varsity players. The team has been working nonstop to improve and begin preparing for the playoffs. Show up to the games and show the team some love. This year’s competition in lacrosse is cut-throat and unforgiving. Many teams have upped their game up by legions.
One of the top schools in the region, Glenelg, has been dominating the scene for years. However, this season looks very promising for Atholton— so much so that Coach Smitty, another Atholton lacrosse coach, said, “I strongly believe we can beat Glenelg.” So stay tuned in on the team’s progress, because Atholton could be the next king of the scene.