Feature Photo By: Oscar Perez – The team celebrates after a goal and a lead against the opposing team.
For Rangeview, boys lacrosse brings a fun competitive mindset to the spring season. Spring season athletes have been preparing themselves for this season with other sports this year.
Looking back at previous seasons, it hasn’t been the best every year. The boys only won 6 out of their 15 games during the 2017-2018 season. The boys lost 6 seniors from last year this year forcing students to come out and prove themselves with the varsity team. What does this mean for the success of the team this year? It means the team has the chance to expand the chemistry from what has already been built.
The team averaged 1 goal per game and .297 shot percentage. More than halfway below the national average. But one thing the team was excellent at was saving goals. They averaged a .675 save percentage which actually came out higher than the national average. This shows that the team has a good defensive background. They just need room for improvement in the offensive area.
The team has introduced a new coach though in hopes of seeing a difference in results. Head coach Eric Dinkel has better expectations. He stated, “I believe in my players, and I know no matter what situation is in front of us we will come out on top… This year we are trying to find our identity as a team, and once we do find our identity, we will accomplish many goals on and off the field.”
The team has a total of 15 juniors this year. This means that experience can carry over, and there can be better results. Although the team has kicked off on a negative record, it is far too early to say things won’t get better.
Junior defensive player Avery Smith says, “ We are not facing nobody, but ourselves and that’s our greatest weakness — we have to face ourselves every game in order to win and keep a strong competitive mindset.
The team is also in a new conference this season which can also bring new tougher opponents that have not yet been experienced against. Players will need to adapt to possibly a new playing competitive style to help better their chances.
Coach Dinkel mentioned overall, “We’re going to approach every practice, game, and situation with full confidence and believing that we will win. The boys are in a new conference this year and can compete at a level that they can succeed in all aspects of the game.”
Apart from the team itself, support from students can just be another addition in a promising season.
Lacrosse fan Cameron Stiffler says, “I have huge hopes for this season. I know it might take a while before things start clicking between players… Sooner or later it’ll just be a W over W over another W, and so on.”
The season still has a long way to go, make sure to get out there and support like Raiders always do!
The next upcoming game is Thursday, April 4th against Thomas Jefferson at 4:00 PM.
For updates on results and standings check out MaxPreps.
