“This is the Team”: Lacrosse Review
“This is the Team”: Lacrosse Review
Zane Hermberg
The Hornet’s lacrosse season came to an end in a crushing loss against North Oconee High School in late April. The season marked a turning point in the program’s short history, as it was the first year with their new Head Coach Marty Kelly. The team went through growing pains this year, undergoing a jarring shift in coaching style and grieving the loss of a strong class of graduated seniors. Over the course of the season, the team experienced a back and forth journey of win streaks, losing streaks, and overall inconsistency. The season opener against Whitfield Academy, a 9-8 loss for the Hornets, perfectly articulates this tug-of-war; brushes with brilliance followed by brutal mistakes that lead to eventual failure.
After facing Whitefield, the Hornets went on to beat South Effingham 18-2, as well as Heathwood Hall and Hilton Head Island, before they hit a brick wall known as Porter Gaud, who beat them 15-3. Learning from that loss, they beat the Islands High School Sharks 17-2, but were unable to find continued momentum when they played AC Flora and May River in that same week. Later in March, the Hornets experienced region success in a 17-3 win over Savannah Christian, and triumphed 15-3 in an exciting game against Lakeside. The Hornets faced serious strife, however, against South Effingham, in the form of injuries. While they won against South Effingham, they lost captain and defenseman Boone Wiesner, as well as #49 Conner Hartley, who at that point was the leading scorer in Georgia. The team had little hopes for their subsequent game against Darlington, but with freshman d-pole Connor Turner stepping up and filling Boone’s shoes, the Hornets managed to compete in a harrowing game, preventing Darlington from scoring in the final seconds and coming out with a 10-9 victory. Unfortunately, whatever magic summoned in the Darlington game did not return for the following region games against Richmond Hill, Calvary, BC, or the playoff game against North Oconee.
The Hornets ended the season 9-9. While this is not something to be overly proud of, the team has high hopes for year two with Marty Kelly. They are only losing two seniors to college next year, and while Boone Wiesner and Anders Elizalde will be missed in the locker room, the gaps they leave on the field will easily be filled. A common mantra among the boys this year, in both their brightest moments and their darkest, is “This is the team”. Their roster will be virtually unchanged next year. The Hornets are not going to be hurt when the seniors leave, nor are they going to be benefited greatly by a rising freshman star. Their only option is to improve on what they started this year, to further relationships among themselves and the Head Coach, to develop themselves as a team, and to work toward winning those other nine games.
