As the lacrosse team runs onto the field, parents and friends scream and whistle for the varsity players. This time, the playoff game will include JV players who were pulled up for NCS.

Coaches commonly pull players up from JV to play on varsity during NCS, giving them a chance to experience the varsity level while helping out the team.

Junior Daria Mohazab, with three other players, was brought up to varsity soccer during her freshman year.

“The coaches pull up players that they think will be on varsity the next year and they want to challenge the players on varsity with new players to compete against in practice,” Mohazab said.

Although the experience can help a player improve their skills and experience a higher level of their sport, they may not play during the playoffs.

“I had to go to so many games and all of us just sat on the bench the entire time,” Mohazab said.

Chris Lavdiotis, who has been coaching men’s basketball for 22 years, realizes that a possible negative would be if players feel that they are brought up just to practice and do not play in NCS games.

“While that does happen, I hope that it’s less that and more of, ‘I think this person can contribute,’” Athletic Director Craig Best said.

During a long season, adding new players can keep practices exciting, Lavdiotis said.

“As the season gets along, sometimes practices can get tedious if you don’t change things up,” Lavdiotis said. “By bringing in some new energy, it keeps things spicy.”

However, Best hopes coaches choose to bring players up only if they are needed because it can impact the individual as well as the team as a whole.

“If someone is pulled up, you’re changing the team dynamic a little bit,” Best said.

For basketball, bringing players up to varsity builds camaraderie within the the program.

“We’re really big on family atmosphere,” Lavdiotis said. “All these guys are pretty much friends, so by bringing some guys into the mix, it helps grow the family.

Pulling players up also expands the varsity roster and readies JV players for summer training and the following season.

“[The coaches] all see it as a positive and the players generally see it as a positive,” Lavdiotis said. “It shows kids that if they work really hard they’re going to be recognized for it.”

Lacrosse player junior Jessi Fox has been pulled up from JV for NCS all three years she has played. Fox said the coaches decide to pull players up in order to help improve a their abilities.

“You get to see the varsity level of playing,” Fox said. “On JV it’s a lot more relaxed, so it’s nice to learn from watching people play and being in [a game] for two minutes and realizing how tough it is.”

Although Best sees the downside of pulling players up to varsity, he also understands that it can benefit both the player and the team.

“It can be a good practice,” Best said. “Lower level players can make a contribution and I’ve seen it happen.”