Varsity men’s lacrosse reflects on a season of improvement after a difficult start due to injuries and inexperience.
After the loss of 14 graduates in the class of 2015, the team is made up of eight underclassmen and 17 first-year varsity players.
“We lost a lot of key players,” captain junior Sam Rosenbaum said. “We are coming off probably one of the best teams in the history of Piedmont lacrosse.”
Despite the lack of experience, there is a lot of talent on the team, Rosenbaum said. At a given time during a game, there are often only two returning players on the field at once.
“I’d like to say we don’t have rebuilding years here at Piedmont, but there’s definitely some rebuilding going on,” Rosenbaum said.
It has been difficult being compared to last year’s team, but it has also been inspiring to have the older players serve as role models, junior Henry Heckmann said.
With Rosenbaum’s fractured back, junior Brandon Lew’s ankle injury and junior Gordon Faust’s inability to play due to transfer rules, key players were missing from the field. However, this lack of key players gave underclassmen an opportunity to step up and assume leadership positions.
“I think by the end of the season there was a lot more confidence, a lot more leadership,” said Rosenbaum in regard to the new underclassmen.
Leading up to the season, the players spent a lot of time doing preseason workouts, and fostered a very close bond throughout the season. The bond on the team has allowed them to stay positive despite initial losses against Acalanes and Campolindo, Heckmann said.
“A lot of the boys have pretty much been playing together since Skyline, so we’ve all been part of the same program,” Heckmann said. “We know each other’s tendencies, which helps on the field. We’ve got chemistry.”
Skyline is a club team in the Bay Area, which is made up of many players from Piedmont of all ages.
One of the new players, freshman Tre Anderson has had a really great experience on the varsity team, largely as a result of the social chemistry between players, he said.
“Everyone gets along well, and the captains are great leaders,” Anderson said. “They lead practices and always keep us on track, always keep us working.”
With a record 9-9, the men’s team is second place in their league. They are eighth seed going into North Coast Section.
“The season was turbulent, but we are looking forward to a strong performance in NCS,” senior Darion Guan said.
While some teams counted PHS out of the running for NCS, Rosenbaum said this ended up becoming a source of motivation.
The team won 17-15 in a close game against Saint Mary’s on May 11. Lacrosse continued in the NCS playoffs to compete against Moreau Catholic on Friday, May 13.
