With the start of the new semester, spring lacrosse starts again with a team more ambitious than ever before. Coach John Almy held tryouts for the 2018 season on January 22, 23, and 24. This season, Almy anticipates a return to the playoffs, despite the loss of senior team leaders from last year.

“It’s going to be tough to replace a couple of the seniors like Nash Johnson and Nate Jones, I expect to have a little bit better season so we can rely on more that just one player like we did with Nash. We’ll be able to move the ball around more and have a little bit more offensive output,” Almy said.

Almy wastes no time at practice and expects his players to start preparing for games immediately. He plans to focus on stick skills and improving players’ ability to catch on the run during practice. Almy also plans to work on shooting and footwork skills to expand upon last year’s improvements.

“I expect a lot of hard work. We are not that kind of team that shows up and wins games, we have to out-hustle people. I hope to see growth out of the team and see them progressively get better each week,” Almy said.

Seniors Tim Emerson and Brice Grubb take the role of team leaders in Almy’s eyes, and represent the team well with their astonishing skills. The two seniors plan to lead the team to the playoffs for their second consecutive year.

Emerson, a lacrosse player since seventh grade, wanted to commit to a sport different from the norm. Representing the team with pride, he expects a well-executed season with the help from the talented returning players.

“You’ve got to have discipline, you have to act right, you have to have good grades, and you have to be a good example for your teammates,” Emerson said.

Freshmen playing spring lacrosse caught Almy’s eye and showed new, unexpected skills. As a whole, the freshman class shows potential, and it excites Almy to see the fresh meat show promising signs of success.

“As coaches, we’ve noticed all their skills as freshmen are really good compared to last year and years prior,” Almy said

During the spring lacrosse season, the team will play nine games on the road and seven at home. Due to the construction on the third field, the team will continue practice at Awtrey Middle School after spring break during April 2-6, causing senior night to occur more towards the beginning of the season. Despite this new, odd schedule and practice location, players still anticipate an incredible season.

“It will be tough for everybody off because we’ll have to start practicing at Awtrey after spring break, but next year it will be sweet because we’ll have the three fields,” Almy said.