This year, the boys’ junior varsity lacrosse team finished 1-5-1 in MCALs, but was undefeated at heart. Junior attackman Cameron Hall, a leading scorer for the team, said, “JV struggled with a lack of kids and confidence, let alone basic lacrosse skills. However, with so few kids on the team, everyone really got to know each other and we developed great team chemistry.”
The Hawks claimed their first and only victory with a 5-4 win on the road against Terra Linda on March 28. “Beating Terra Linda was one of the greatest feelings ever,” freshman Nick Goldman said. “We were undermanned and less skilled, but hope and the desire to win was the reason we came out on top. As Coach John Black said after the game, ‘we thought we had just won the Super Bowl’.”
Coach Black has been a part of Tam lacrosse for two years and this season was his first year coaching JV. “I’m not sure if they responded to me as a coach as much as they responded to their love of being out there,” Black said. “I would coach beginners that love to be out on the field rather than superstars that are unenthusiastic in practice, and that’s exactly what we had with this year’s JV team.”
“Coach Black was great on how he makes everyone comfortable on the team,” junior attackman and leading scorer Mike Krakauer said. “He helps everyone stay focused on what needed to happen while throwing in some quality jokes as well. His easy going attitude makes it easy to respond to him and respect him.”
The Hawks had a tough schedule throughout the season, facing off against some of the best programs in the state. Freshman Sam Emblidge said, “We improved so much throughout the season that if we played some of those earlier games again, our record would be much different. Also our team was very injury prone, causing us to play with only one sub or none at all.”
As for the future of the program, “There is definitely some athletic talent in this freshman class, but most of all, the work ethic they put out is something that most lacrosse teams don’t have,” Hall said.