Over the past month, the Jesuit Lacrosse team has had an exciting series of games with both ups and downs. The Rangers have faced top teams in the nation, traveled to Washington, and clinched a playoff berth.
To start off the succession of games, the Rangers traveled up north to Washington, D.C. to take on some of the fiercest competition in the United States. Jesuit played St. John’s College High School to start off the round-robin in Washington. From the District of Columbia, St. John’s had the advantage of playing the games right in their back yard. Jesuit started off slow in the first half, giving up four goals and only putting in one. But in the second half, Jesuit rallied back to make it just a one goal game. Unfortunately, the Rangers couldn’t pull off the come back and fell to St. John’s with a narrow 5-6 loss.
Next, Jesuit took on St. Paul VI from Fairfax, VA, another team from the North. Yet again, the Rangers came out slow in the first half, but this time they were not able to rally back. After going down 5-0 at half, Jesuit could not come back and lost 9-3. Jesuit then played Landon in the third game in Washington but lost yet again with a final score 4-13.
Although the games didn’t look to good on the books, Jesuit actually played some crisp, competitive lacrosse. John Michael Priddy ’16 said, “We competed well in D.C. But we were unable to make the big plays that were needed to be made.” The ball just did not roll Jesuit’s way over spring break. Although the Rangers did not play at their normal level of lacrosse, the competition gave the Rangers some good experience and exposed them to other teams from the North.
Back in Dallas, Jesuit Lacrosse faced off against Coppell at Buddy Echols Field on March 21st. Ranked 4th in the state, Coppell would be a tough game for Jesuit that night. Jesuit still found itself on a cold streak that night, only punching in 2 goals, whereas the team usually scores with ease. Coppell simply outplayed the Rangers that night and, therefore, won by a score of 4-2.
Next, Jesuit played St. Marks on March 25th at St. Mark’s home stadium. Although Jesuit lost 6-4, Mac Elliot ’16 thought, “The team pieced together a good game and played well together.” Elliot went on to explain that “offensively we tried to stall as much as possible and did a good job managing the clock.” Unfortunately, this game plan was not enough for the Rangers and they barely lost by just two goals yet again.
In their most recent game, the Rangers went head-to-head with Plano West in Postell Stadium. Plano West, just 11-8 overall, was no match for the Rangers, who are undefeated at home. Jesuit’s efficient offense really came together that night and looked like a state-contesting team. The Rangers took a lot of shots on goal and won many ground balls to keep possession. The ruthless offense coped with Jesuit’s gritty defense earned Jesuit a 8-4 win over Plano West. The win was of tremendous importance because it clinched Jesuit a playoff spot for this year, where the team hopes to make it back the semifinals and possibly the championship. Overall, Zach Kissick ’16 thought, “We may have started off a little shaky this past month, but I think we have the potential to finish out the season strong.”
Photography by Kelly McClure
