Lacrosse: Male and female teams go to district playoffs

BY OLIVIA LEWIS

The CCHS lacrosse teams had very successful seasons this year. The girls have been district champions for the past two years, and the boys made it to district playoffs last year. This year, both teams made it to district playoffs.

The girls took on West Broward High School, which have been their biggest rivals for the past three years, but lost by 6. The boys took on Cypress Bay, which has also been one of their toughest competitors, but lost by 1 in the last few seconds of the game.

On Monday at 7 p.m., the girls varsity lacrosse team took on West Broward at Cypress Bay High School for district semi-finals. The girls’ record this year was 7-6, winning most of their games. The team warmed up 45 minutes prior to the start of the game. The girls did line drills, practiced shooting and defending, and stretched. When the referee blew the whistle, the girls got into their huddles and chanted their traditional cheer.

The starting players sprinted out onto the field and into their positions. Rylee Horton started off on the draw, waiting for the referee to set the ball in her stick. When the referee blew the whistle, the girls flicked the ball up and began playing. West Broward gained possession of the ball first, running it down towards Cooper City’s goal. They passed it around patiently and waited for the Cowboys to make a mistake. The Bobcats saw an opportunity and took it, scoring the first goal of the game.

Immediately after the next draw, Cooper passed the ball down the field in hope of redeeming themselves. Amanda Rivas secured the ball into her stick and shot it, tying the game up. They set up for the draw again, with West Broward winning it. They tried to find a shot on goal, but Cooper caused a turnover and took it down. Crystal Williams received a pass from Grace Barr and took a shot, scoring the third goal of the game. The Bobcats sprinted back to the circle and won the next draw. They were determined to win the first half. With their hard work, West Broward caused numerous turnovers and scored the next four goals. The first half ended with a score of 2-5, with the Bobcats in the lead.

The Cowboys had their halftime talk to get their heads back in the game. Coach Bill O’Connell encouraged every one of them to give it their all for the next 25 minutes of the game. The Cowboys came out and scored the first goal, giving them some confidence back. West Broward won the draw after that and took it down to the Cowboys’ goal, scoring another point. Cooper didn’t give up, winning the next two draws and scoring the next two goals. The game began to go back and forth with both teams scoring a point. There were ten minutes left and the game was close. Both teams were working and trying to win, but the Bobcats pushed a little harder than the Cowboys. They scored the next five goals of the game, ending it with a score of 6-12. Although the Cowboys lost in the district semi-finals for the first time in 4 years, the girls walked off the field with their heads high and proud of their efforts.

“I think that overall we did well, especially since there were many new players that helped us out tremendously,” Kasey Allen said. “Next year the chemistry will be stronger between the new and returning players, which will make us more successful.”

On Tuesday at 5 p.m., the boys varsity lacrosse team took on Cypress Bay at Cypress Bay High School. The boys’ record this year was 4-5, and they had defeated some of the most difficult teams. They hoped to redeem themselves from last year and make it past semi-finals.

When the boys heard the first whistle blow, they took the field and got into their positions. Kadin Schillo, the team’s leading goal scorer, took the first faceoff of the game. Cooper gained possession and took it down the field. Schillo took a shot and scored. The game was already intense from the very beginning, with each team scoring one after the other. The Cowboys gave all their effort to try to win the game.

Kory Schillo, along with his brother, scored numerous goals. The boys were patient with the ball when they had possession, and caused turnover which put stress on Cypress Bay. The game was tied with just a minute left, which meant that it could go to overtime. However, Cypress Bay scored a shot with only a few seconds left in the game, winning with a score of 14-15. The Cowboys were disappointed because of how close the score was, but were also satisfied with the hard work they had all put in.

“We had a good season,” Troy Rasberry said. “We played our hearts out.”

Both teams look forward to next season and hopefully winning districts. They will continue to improve on their flaws as a team, and work to improve themselves individually.

Photo by Ryan Sullivan