Boys’ Lacrosse Fails to Reach NCS Goal, Juniors Look to Future
This thousand–year–old sport has been played by the Berkeley High School Yellowjackets for many years. BHS’ Boy’s Lacrosse has always been an exciting spring experience for both players and spectators, and this year has been no exception. Unfortunately, last week, the Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse team’s season came to an end. The Jackets have been BSAL (Bay Shore Athletic League) champions for three years in a row: 2009, 2010, and 2011 respectively. This was a great feat for Head Coach Ed Hill, who moved on to coaching at University of California, Berkeley this year. Assistant Coach Chris May stepped up to lead The Jackets and became Head Coach this year.
The Varsity team’s record for the regular season this year was a disappointing 6-9. The team was able to win victories in games against Jesuit High School, Las Lomas High School, Bishop O’Dowd High School, Marin Academy, and Piedmont High School. Their first game at Piedmont High was unfortunately a defeat, but as the crowd cheered for purple, the Jackets became determined to beat the Piedmont Highlanders. The Jackets then destroyed the Piedmont Highlanders at BHS in an exciting game on Senior Night, when commencement is given to the graduating seniors who played on the team.
The graduating seniors have exciting futures ahead of them. Many are headed to excellent colleges and universities such as Stanford and Cal Poly. But wherever they may go, BHS Lacrosse will certainly be dear to their hearts. Senior Long–Stick Midfielder Jesse Gibson remarked, “Berkeley High Lax over everything. I love the team. I love the family.” Gibson explained that he’ll “be there next year to watch and practice with the team.”
Unfortunately, the team’s last game with Piedmont High did not end well. Initially, this meant an end to the Varsity Lacrosse season. NCS (North Coast Section), however, was still a possibility for the BHS Jackets.Head Coach Chris May submitted his bid for a spot, and BHS, being the competitive team that it is, hoped for a chance at getting a spot. To the dismay of athletes and fans alike, the bid was rejected.
Nevertheless, BHS Lacrosse has a bright future. There were ten juniors on the Varsity team this year, all of whom will be playing next year. And for many of these juniors, next year will definitely show the results of the bonding and advancements of 2012, as the 2012 season was their first season on Varsity. Junior Midfielder Andrew Goring, looking back on the season, said: “The season was a blast. There was a great deal of improvement in our lacrosse play as well as our team chemistry”.
However, the outcome of the season was more bleak for some. Junior Attackman Jackson Jaeger articulated, “Ryan Jackson got cheated out of first team all league.”
Overall, the BHS Boys’ Lacrosse season has been a great time, once again. Whether the Yellowjackets continue to NCS or not, they will return next year for lacrosse as early as fall, just to condition for spring. New players will emerge and the old ones will excel. The traditions of BHS lacrosse will continue on.
Comments
Post new comment