“Overall, with the talent we have, if we can make some small adjustments, we should have success this year.” – Billy robertson ’23
It is no secret that Jesuit excels at many different sports Jesuit has been able to keep a high athletic standard against teams who sometimes have double their enrollment of males all while teaching the athletes how to be a Jesuit steward. While all Jesuit sports are able to compete, one of the most successful teams has been the Jesuit Lacrosse team. Last year Jesuit won their fourth Texas High School Lacrosse League championship in seven years, with the 2020 season getting cancelled with a really strong Jesuit team. Jesuit has opened their season by proving that they are ready to fight for a three-peat championship after graduating several seniors who now play in college.
Lake Travis
Jesuit opened their season by travelling down to Austin to play Lake Travis on February 4. Jesuit came out hot, continuing their momentum from last season, by taking an early lead of 6-1 after the first quarter. By the end of the first half the Rangers were winning 10-1 with Charlie Schmidt ’23 and Cameron Martin ’23, who was playing in his first game since 2021, both earned a hat trick. The Rangers continued the great defense in the second half and won the game 13-2.
Zach Fawcett ’23 and Donald Lambrecht ’23 added two goals of their own while Mercer Fernandes ’23, Ty Robertson ’24, and FOGO Cooper Tilden ’24 all scored once. Cameron Martin upped his points on the day while adding four assists, and Fernandes, Fawcett, and Greyson Kissock ’24 all added an assist of their own.
One the defensive side Tilden had five ground balls and Colorado College commit Billy Robertson had three ground balls of his own. Sophomore Aidan Raymond ’25 led the team with three turnovers. In the cage, Jacksonville University commit Cooper Coleman ’23 added seven saves of his own.
Keller
In their second game of the season on February 11, Jesuit went to play Keller at Keller. The Rangers jumped to an early lead in the first half, creating a 5-2 lead at the end of the second quarter. Through some solid offense and defense, the Rangers were able to extend their lead 10-6 by the end of the game.
Charlie Schmidt ’23 had four goals on the day, earning himself another hat trick. Fernandes scored two in the game while Roberston ’24, Fawcett ’23, Kissock ’24, and freshman stud Wil Fagan ’26 all added goals of their own. Fernandes record four assists, Fawcett ’23 and Martin ’23 each had one. Cooper Tilden ’24 won six face-offs and Max Fernandes ’23 caused two turnovers. In cage, Cooper Coleman had seven saves.
“We’re off to a strong start on the season thanks to the work we put in during the offseason, and I am excited for what the future holds for this team.” – Charlie Schmidt ’23
Woodlands
The Rangers finally played in their first home game of the season on February 18 to play the always dangerous in-state rival of The Woodlands. The Woodlands proved to be a challenge for the Rangers, the Highlanders led by new Head Coach Anthony Demaio, who won a national championship with Maryland in 2022. On a cold afternoon, the Rangers started off with an early lead of 3-2 after the first quarter with goals from Schmidt ’23, Martin ’23, and Fawcett ’23. The Woodlands stayed strong, however, and were only trailing 5-4 at the half, Schmidt ’23 and Martin ’23 both earning their second goals of the contest.
The game remained close in the second half, the Rangers barely leading after the third quarter 7-6 with Martin earning another hat trick and Fernandes adding in his first goal of the game. Jesuit had a very good fourth quarter, with Cam Martin ’23 and Ty Robertson ’24 each earning a goal with the defense shutting out The Woodlands, giving the Rangers the win of 9-6.
Tilden remained dominant from the dot, winning seven faceoffs and leading the team with six groundballs. Cooper Coleman stayed strong in the cage, getting eight saves. The Rangers went 14-17 clearing on the day, around 82%, while they rode hard and only allowed the Woodlands a 52% clear rate on their end.
Memorial
Next, Jesuit on February 25 played Memorial from Houston. The Rangers came blazing leading 6-2 after the first quarter. Martin opened with two goals while Schmidt and Fernandes added some of their own. Beckett Foley ’24 and Wil Fagan ’26 both earned their first points of the season. The Rangers heat cooled down in the second half however, the only scoring for either team being two goals from Martin, earning himself yet another hat trick on the season.
The Rangers stayed cold in the third quarter, Foley ’24 being the lone scorer for the Rangers. Thankfully the defense was holding their own and the Rangers had the lead 9-3. The Rangers picked up the pace in the fourth quarter, with Martin ’23, Schmidt ’23, and Foley ’24 each scoring a goal giving the Rangers the win.
On the defensive side sophomore, Aidan Raymond ’25 led the team with eight groundballs and caused four turnovers, the sophomore showing some strong talent on the defensive side that may prove to be helpful as the season goes. Henry Hambelton ’24 showed out for some of his early Class A play, causing a pair of turnovers. Cooper Coleman once again showed out in the net, getting eight saves, several of which were on crease that a high school goalie has no business making.
“Coming into the season we knew we would have to fill in gaps with some young, inexperienced players. As expected, through these first four games there have been struggles but every week we continue to improve significantly on both sides of the ball. It’s great to see some less experienced guys like Aidan Raymond ’25, Sam Emery ’24, Henry Hambleton ’24, Wil Fagan ’26, and Ty Robertson ’24 make contributions early this season. Cooper Tilden has also been great at the faceoff dot which will be critical this year.” – Billy Robertson ’23
Signing Day
Three Jesuit lacrosse players worked hard enough and played well enough with the help of coaches to be offered a spot on a college roster.
Billy Robertson – Colorado College
Jackson Fagan – Rhodes College
Cooper Coleman – Jacksonville University
Stay tuned to The Roundup for more lacrosse coverage this season!
