BY OLIVIA LEWIS
The girls varsity lacrosse team began to hold practice three weeks ago, practicing every day, Monday through Friday from 5:00 to 7:00. During this time the girls work on conditioning by completing sprints and running up and down the bleachers. With standards high from their back to back district championship wins, the girls need to work their hardest to retain their title. Head Coach, Bill O’Connell, has the players scrimmage almost every practice so that they will know what to do in a game.
The team planned to have a jamboree two weeks ago; however, it was canceled to pay respect to the students at Stoneman Douglas High School. They worked as hard as they could in preparation for their game against Flanagan High School on Thursday, March 1.
The boys varsity lacrosse began practicing the same time the girls did, but didn’t have a permanent coach. As a result, Coach O’Connell took over to help coach them. The boys practice every day of the week, from 6:00 to 8:00. They do passing drills and work on defense most of the time. They condition by doing sprints up and down the field, which is beneficial for the midfielders.
With nine seniors leaving last year, the team gained ten freshmen, stacking the team. The boys have worked hard to create chemistry between the returning players and the newcomers. With all that hard work, they were able to dominate in their game on Thursday, March 1 against Flanagan High School.
“If we work like a team and come out every game strong and ready, we’ll go far.”
The girls varsity lacrosse team cut it close playing against Flanagan, winning with a score of 7-6. The Falcons had a foul shot in the last minute of the game, but missed it, giving the Cowboys the win. Sophomore Grace Barr took most of the draws, but the Falcons fought hard, winning most of them.
The girls discussed what needed to be improved for their next game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, March 3, but was canceled. The girls look forward to winning their next game on Monday, March 5 against St. Thomas High School.
“This season is going to be tough since we have a lot of new girls,” Barr said. “But if we work like a team and come out every game strong and ready, we’ll go far.”
The boys varsity lacrosse team came out flying in their game against Flanagan. Midfielder Kadin Schillo won almost every faceoff and scored a majority of the goals for the Cowboys. Cooper City didn’t give Flanagan a chance, winning with a score of 18-2. The boys practiced on Friday, so they would be prepared for their game on Saturday, but it was canceled. They will continue practicing for their next game on Tuesday, March 6 against West Broward High School.
Photo by The Lariat photography
