Winning the State title was a first for the boys’ lacrosse team last year. This season, the team has a chance of losing the title of reigning champions, or even losing the chance to qualify for State.
The boys’ varsity lacrosse team gained a Division B State Title in 2013, last season, beating Naperville Central 13 to 6, according to IHSLA’s (Illinois High School Lacrosse Association) website. However, the team lost many valuable seniors this year and are currently ranked 19th out of 78 in the state.
The boys have moved from Division B to Division A in the state divisions, which has better teams, according to Travis Lores, senior.
“In order to be in the A division you must win the B division championship,” Lores said, “We set the expectations high, and I seriously hope that we make state this year.”
Moving up to a more difficult division, the boys prepare for a harder battle to get to that state cup, according to Lores. The boys also face more disappointment than last season, losing more games than they would have liked to this season.
Losses of graduates and adjusting new members has been a factor for losing some games this season.
“We had a varsity squad who had played together for three years and that had a lot to do with their chemistry and goal scoring ability,” Lores said.
Lores is a returning player and captain this season and hopes that the team will make state this year. Even though they lost seniors, it has opened the door to two incoming freshmen for the varsity team, including Kole Keller, defense and Griffin McNerny, midfield.
“Being a freshman has its challenges,” Keller, player, said. “The game’s different than I’m used to, and at first, I needed help adjusting. The game was faster. People were bigger and stronger.”
Players on the team have stepped up to leadership positions, senior captains Travis Lores and Timmy McCullough. Strong players include seniors Frank Petropoulos, David Finney, Jack Boliaux, and Nikos Kakos, according to Lores.
“You know quickly who your captains are when they take time to help the team instead of trying to impress the coaches,” Keller said.
Being a captain earns Lores some respect, being more knowledgeable and having more impact on the team players, Lores said.
Not doing as well against the other suburban schools according to Lores, the boys’ team is still on track to make the playoffs, currently 14 wins to 7 losses in the season.
