Boys Lacrosse Picks Opponents Apart, Piece by Piece
Just as the sun began to set, the varsity boys lacrosse team met on the field to begin their routine with some running and stretching. As the rest of their team stretched, the stragglers hurry onto the field to run a lap.
Next, they worked on passing and a variety of drills. “A typical practice consists of a warm-up, and overview of our next opponent and then sixes,” said senior Conner Heathcock. Sixes is a six-on-six game.
Preparations for games is very important, “We stretch, run, and do stick drills before games and usually either a captain or the coaches say the motivational speeches,” said co-captain senior Harry Miller.
The lacrosse team (7-8) has had a tough season, but they are getting better and growing as a team as the season progresses. At the beginning of the year, the team was 0-4 but after making some adjustments they were able to improve a lot with a winning record at the end of the year and NCS berth.
This year’s varsity team has 17 seniors and eight lower classmen. Co-captain senior Conner Wygaerts said, “The season started off pretty rough with some unlucky games but we picked it up,” said Wygaerts.
Wygaerts loves being a captain: “People actually listen to you and you get to help people learn what to do,” he said.
Families and fans in the stands cheer for the boys, “The atmosphere when we are playing is indescribable, sometimes even ten people come out and the stands get crazy,” said Heathcock.
Head coach Andrew Kolasa became a coach at Las Lomas in 2010 and he’s been involved ever since. “It was a way for me to continue to be involved in a sport I love,” he said.
Friendship is not an uncommon result in the sport. Heathcock has made some close friends while playing lacrosse, “Some of my closest friends are also on the team. I guess that’s what happens when you see them two hours a day seven days a week,” said Heathcock.
One of Heathcock’s favorite memories is when they beat Clayton Valley in overtime, “They were expecting to win but we punished them for disrespecting us by picking them apart piece by piece,” he said.
They’ve competed against many teams, Campolindo has been one of their toughest opponents this year, and their team has been together for awhile now unlike Las Lomas.
“It goes to show that team chemistry on the field goes a long way,” said Heathcock.
“I’m not sure what type of aggression is let out but I let out so much aggression during a lacrosse game,” said Miller. “Hitting people and decking them is a great stress relief."
