The boys varsity lacrosse team faced off against Hartland this past Saturday, May 14. Once the clock hit 1 p.m., the boys were off. Despite the preparation and hard work the gentlemen put in, our Rangers fell short of the Hartland Eagles. The final score was 15-3. 

Despite such a rough outcome, the team prepared well; they got into a rhythm with their warm-ups. It was quite an enigma as to what happened during the competition.

“The energy going into the game was good,” said coach Andy Shira. “I thought we had a good shoot-around and a good warm-up, so I was a bit stunned at how poorly we played. That’s been our biggest issue this year: our inconsistency,” he added. 

With the tiny spark that the warm-ups produced, three boys secured goals. Senior captains and attackmen Jonah McConnell and Graham Bennett both had one goal each. Junior captain Nolan Hartl did the same. 

The deficit in goals was the result of some underlying issues on the field. The game’s minor, subtle aspects were being forgotten, the face-off competition was one like no other, and the team lacked the support and leadership necessary to carry the boys to success. 

“The biggest strain was simple fundamentals,” Shira said. “We couldn’t pass and catch. We couldn’t pick up ground balls. Face-offs were my biggest concern coming into the game, but I thought Luke Wedder did a great job competing at the X. Our senior leaders need to step up. There’s not much leadership right now, and that needs to change. I’m going to have a meeting with the seniors Monday after practice, and we’re going to see exactly what the kids want out of this season.”

Leadership coincides with the theme of inconsistency; leaders must push the players to keep going and work to the best of their ability. The team needs someone to drive them and tell them when things must be done. Along with leadership, the boys must work on the easy stuff and mentally be in the game. 

“I think focusing on fundamentals and caring about performances is a thing to focus on to improve,” Shira said. 

Considering everything, Shira will be ready with a game plan for the next practice. He is going to reconstruct the team. He will work with the boys from the most minor to the most significant things; he will break everything down from the beginning of the season to the present. 

“I think the biggest thing will be learning from our mistakes. If we can’t do the little things well, how can we expect the team to do the big things well?” he asked. “We need to start from the ground up and rebuild where we should be at during this point in the season. I wouldn’t be surprised if some new faces are given more time on the field.”

The team will give a reasonable amount of time to think about everything. The boys’ next game will be on Friday, May 19, against Detroit Catholic Central. The face-off will be at 6:00 p.m. in our Ranger Stadium. Best of luck, gentlemen.