Lacrosse season has started, and the teams are ready to go all out. Last year, the girls’ team made it all the way to district finals and lost to Stoneman Douglas. Both the girls’ and boys’ team got second in districts, which is the farthest they have made it in a few years.

     The girls started off the season strong with conditioning every Monday at six o’clock at Johnny O’s Gymnasium. They did speed, agility, and strength training. They started conditioning at school on January 5th, and they worked specifically on speed and agility. They also worked out in the weight room on Thursdays to prepare for the intensity of the season. The girls’ and boys’ team had tryouts on January 24th and 25th. Then, started practice on the 26th and watched film of past games in coach Dugdale’s room.

     The girls’ team also does a yearly secret Valentine’s Day exchange. Each girl gets assigned another teammate and secretly gives them gifts and places them on each other’s desk every morning before school. At the end of the week, they hold a team get together at one teammate’s house, and they give their last gift out. This is a super fun bonding experience for the girls and a great way for the new players to be involved with the team off the field.

     Both the boys’ and girls’ teams have a bunch of seniors this year. Seniors on the girls’ team are Alexis Hanford, Camryn Costolo, Merrit Gill, Lauren Blake, Cassie Watson, Daniela Goetz,  Skyler Martinez, Paige Rolgol, Kathleen O’Neill, and Teagan Archer.

     “I’m really excited for this season, I feel like it will be a lot of fun,” said senior Alexis Hanford. “Although I’m not excited for it to end, I feel like we are a pretty close team.”

     It will not only be hard on the seniors when they leave at the end of the season, but also on the underclassmen. Most of these girls have built their friendships through lacrosse, and watching them go means that now the underclassmen have to step up and take their place leading the team.

     The boys’ team had tryouts the same day as the girls. They had a ton of boys try out, and everyone made the team. The team also has a bunch of seniors playing this year as well, including Jack Cordoba, Ryan Saffici, Sean Dingle, Matt Hicks, Barret Joy, Tyler Cassago, Stefano Defeudis, and Jaeger and Jordan Frost, who moved to Boca last year from Maryland.

     “The team is definitely a lot different than Maryland; most of the kids on my previous team were all D1 commits, and the coaching staff were all former professional players,” said senior Jaeger Frost. “I believe we’ll have a strong season despite our tough schedule, but we want it more, and that is all that matters.”

     The boys’ team may lose some games, but they always stick together as a team, and the bond the boys have on the field really stands out. They work together very well, and their energy itself could take the boys very far in their season.

     So far, the girls have a record of 8-1, and the boys’ record is 1-7. Boca High will be hosting districts this year, so make sure to stay tuned to The Paw Print’s Instagram (@bocapawprint) for dates and other information so you can come to watch.

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