Lacrosse team blazes trails with ambition
Alton Thoroughgood IV ‘25 skillfully swings the ball using his stick, with speed and accuracy.
May 16, 2023
With hundreds of years of history behind it starting with the Native Americans, the rapid popularity growth of lacrosse brought itself to Riordan. Although the school’s lacrosse team isn’t the most popular sport, it’s only getting bigger.
The team had a rough season after starting off strong, going on a 10-game losing streak after 2 wins against Hillsdale High School, leading to a 2-10 record.
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The team’s struggles may not have inspired the most confidence, but the team continued to fight on, and from there, they snapped their slide with 3 dominant wins to finish the season against Lick-Wilmerding, Sacred Heart Cathedral, and Latino College Preparatory.
In addition, lacrosse is rising in interest within the student body, garnering nearly enough players to bring a junior varsity team to Riordan.
“I definitely think that if we have enough students that are interested in the sport, we can have a junior varsity team in the future,” said midfielder Jonathan Jeffers ’25. “I personally recommend that we include a junior varsity program for lacrosse because it will give new players more exposure to the game.”
Players seem to believe the team’s needs stem from the development and improvement of the individual players, and another team could influence future results, giving more playing time for newer players to develop and learn from.
“The underclassmen are in a rough position. Some are still learning and trying the sport, being their first year in,” said Mander. “Our team needs more development. Players play a part in that, but we need more support from the school.”