Coming back from spring break, the boys varsity lacrosse team pulled out a victory on Thursday, April; the boys went neck and neck with Grand Rapids Catholic Central. At 7:00 p.m., the game went live.

Returning after a long absence, especially after a loss, the boys were ready; they were greedy for a win. A victory was to ensue, no matter what they needed to do.

“We aspired to come back even stronger,” said freshman defenseman Parker Udy. “We wanted to take hold of our previous loss and show our competition that we are a powerful and competitive team.”

The incentive of the loss forged a determination to win and there were various factors in improving their playing. Not only did the win push the boys to work harder, but so did their coach. Coach Andy Shira’s sternness and practice plans paid off on the boys. Junior midfielder Tyler Nass talked about other additions to the team’s game. 

“We installed a new offense and defense, created new rides and clears, and redid many of our plays. We ended up scoring two goals off our rides.” 

Both juniors, midfielders Mickey Mehney and captain Nolan Hartl racked in three goals total; Mickey with one and Nolan with two. Senior attackmen and captains Jonah McConnell and Graham Bennett dittoed Mickey and Nolan; Jonah with one and Graham with two. Senior midfielder Jack Benner had a goal of his own. Junior face-off specialist Luke Wedder managed to score a goal as well. The highest scorer was senior midfielder Magnus Salmon, who scored four goals. To top it all off, senior captain and LSM Sam Sneider secured two goals. As for the crease, senior goalie and captain Crandall Quinn had ten saves. The final score was 14-6.

These numbers are something to be ecstatic about. But there is always something to be worked on. The game had many errors and slip-ups, and if the boys want the ring, they are going to need to clean it up.

“As a whole, the team needs to keep its foot on the gas all game long and not allow big momentum swings as we did in the second quarter,” said coach Andy Shira. “Defensively, I think we are still losing off-ball guys a little too much.”

Putting aside the negativity, there are various plays and players to focus on. The recovery from the break and the loss were memorable. The guys honed in and put their all forward, striving for a better fate than before. Coach Shira was happy about the performance of his boys.

“I am proud of the start we had for sure,” he exclaimed. “We had a couple of really good practices this week, and the guys seem a bit more focused; it was nice to see us come out to the quick start that we had.”

Life on the field is entirely different. Shira can only really reflect on what he sees from the sideline. From the players’ perspective, Jonah had a few words of wisdom of his own. 

“I liked how we got everyone involved from the sidelines to the field. This involvement helped take hold of the whole team and create a good environment where everyone was included.” 

To continue its win streak, the team will stay home to play Okemos High School on Saturday, April 15; the face-off will take place at noon.