The Orono boys lacrosse team will be kicking off their spring 2013 season with high hopes of winning state this year after their first year as a Minnesota State High School (MSHSL) sanctioned sport.

Last year, Orono boys lacrosse was sanctioned as a high school sport by the MSHSL. Before this, it was only considered a club sport in the Minnesota Boys Scholastic Lacrosse Association (MBSLA). “This is only our second year as a legit MSHSL varsity sport, but in the MBSLA we won state one year, got second once, and got fourth, leading up to turning MSHSL,” said senior captain Jake Anderson.

Last year, the team went 12-3 during the regular season, beating some of Minnesota’s top high school lacrosse teams like Breck, Blake, and St. Cloud Tech, but lost in the first round of playoffs to Eden Prairie (15-3) by the score of 2 to 6.

Last season, Orono was led by Chandler Sampson, now a junior, followed by Alex and Parker Gross for total points. Anderson, now a senior, had a save percentage of .700 and was the state’s top wins leader, and, according to MNlaxhub.com, ranked sixth in save percentage.

All four of them are returning this year and will use their experience to their advantage.

“The biggest difference for this season is the experience that we return,” said Sampson. “We only graduated two seniors from last season so the team that we have this year has been playing together since middle school and are like family to each other.”

Something that makes these “lax bros” so unique is the bond they all have since most of them have been together since the club started.

“We’re all good friends and have literally been in the program since the beginning” said Anderson.

The team members were confident in their chances to move on

to state this year. “I personally think we will make it to state and have a very real shot at a championship” said senior Silas Cleveland.

Freshman Blake Leischow said, “Knock on wood, but I have very high expectations for this season, as do all my teammates. We are working hard and hope to do very well this year.”

For those who aren’t familiar with lacrosse, there are four positions: midfield, attack, defense, and a goalie. There are three of each position on the field and one goalie, totaling up to ten players on the field at once.
Lacrosse is a very fast-paced sport with no shortage of excitement. “You should expect to see a lot of speed on our team, a lot of hustling, and everyone having each other’s backs,” said Leischow.

“You should expect us to beat some of the best teams in state, especially with our fans’ support. We need all the fans we can get and it really will be worth the time at our games for sure,” said Anderson. More support from student fans is at the top of the team’s wish list.

Cleveland said, “Last year we had some fans, not as many as we would like, so it would be nice to see some more students come out and support. It’s a fun and exciting game and the students could get really into it.”

At the time of publication, several of their games had been cancelled due to weather complications.

Anna Anderson is the News Editor for The Spartan Speaks