Balls whizzing through the air, the scent of fresh twine, hair grown down pasts player’s necks, these signs can mean only one thing: Jesuit Lacrosse Season is in full effect.
The Rangers entered the 2nd half of the season with an impressive 8-1 record, displaying they were a team who possesses true talent. Junior midfielder Reece Ellison said, “We have really come together as a team, and our results have displayed this. We believe the trend we established in the first half of the season will carry over into the second half, and we will play a high level of lacrosse.”
On March 24th, the Rangers faced off against a Coppell team that defeated them last year. The Rangers were a reborn team this year and would not allow the previous year’s results to recur. The Rangers set the tone early and hopped out to an early 6-0 lead. The Rangers were led by senior Blake Buell who found the back of the net twice. Buell’s performance led the Rangers to an impressive 9-1 victory over their rivals. Buell said, “It was an overall great team performance. I’m proud of the way we have come together this year, and I hope we keep improving.”
The Rangers next opponent was one of the school’s biggest rivals, the St Marks Lions. The Lions are always formidable opponents, and the match up always proves to be great. The Lions traveled to Postell Stadium on April the 1st. Jesuit students of all grade levels packed the stands giving the Rangers a huge advantage. Gary Horton ’17 said, “As a fan, I always look forward to this game. I know it’s going to be a great one, so I make sure to come out ready to cheer.” The Rangers truly played off of the crowd’s energy en route to a 13-7 victory.
The Rangers next game on April the 3rd came against one of state opponent Indianapolis Catholic. Playing Indy Catholic allows the Rangers to get experience versus a team that they will not see in playoffs. This game allows the Rangers to develop their skills in almost a scrimmage type of way. Indy Catholic truly was a formidable opponent, who gave the Rangers their all. The Rangers strength again was displayed as they were able to hold on to their early lead. Finishing the game off with a powerful 10-6 victory, the win provided the Rangers with a nice confident boost headed into their biggest regular season game of the year.
April 7th marked arguably the Rangers most important game of the year as they faced the #1 ranked team in the state and the defending state champs, the Highland Park Scots. The Rangers had to travel out to Highlander Stadium for this matchup. Highland Park’s roster is stocked with skilled players, but the Rangers consider them as any opponent. Ellison said, “We do understand that HP is an impressive team, but we believe we can compete with any opponent on any day.” The Rangers started the game out strong sprouting out to a 2-1 lead in the first quarter. Junior Daniel Burnum tallied one of his two goals early in the game to start the Rangers out strong. Unfortunately, it was the Scots who took control of the next part of the game taking a 9-4 leaded headed into the 4th quarter. The Rangers never gave up the fight, scoring 2 goals late goals, finishing the game out with a final score of 9-6 in favor of the Scots. Although the Rangers lost, the team still feels optimistic as they hopefully will see the Scots again in the Championship. The Rangers believe they can win verse the Scots, and they will work towards that goal.
The Rangers head into the remainder of the season as only 3 regular seasons game remain. The team feels optimistic as they can secure the 2 seed in the playoffs with a big win at home verse ESD on April 22nd. Make sure to come out and support the Rangers as they look to finish out the regular season strong.
