It’s the lax life
Boys lacrosse advances to playoffs as number three seed
Photo: Carolyn Lane
Head varsity coach Mr. Kyle Slatery talks with the boys during their game on May 4. The team maintained their 9-7 record going into the playoffs.
If you ask any member of the varsity boys lacrosse team, they are bound to remember the bus ride home from an overtime win against Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, La. Senior Spencer Scofield expressed that it was the best experience he had during his four years playing lacrosse at St. George’s.
“We were all screaming, yelling, having fun and being excited that we just won a game in overtime,” Scofield said. “We were just having fun being idiots, really.”
In previous years, every independent school’s boys’ lacrosse team across the state of Tennessee has played in the same bracket, no matter the size of the school, which put schools with a smaller student enrollment at a disadvantage. Over the summer, varsity head coach Mr. Kyle Slatery worked to develop a two-division system based on high school enrollment, which was implemented this year.
Junior Dawson Smith is looking forward to the outcome of the dual-division system.
“We got moved down a division to Division II where we should be, and because of that, we are now the third seed in the state heading into the playoffs,” Smith said. “It is significantly better than we’ve ever been before.”
Though the season began with a loss against the Memphis University School Owls, the team recovered during their spring break trip to Baton Rouge, La., and carried that momentum through the first few games of the regular season. As the season drew to a close, the team secured their 8-7 record with a win against Arlington High School.
Mr. Slatery expressed his excitement about the results of the boys’ regular season.
“We’ve had fantastic success, all the while pushing ourselves to play the best teams out there,” Mr. Slatery said. “I’m really proud of where we’ve come, but I’m really excited about where we are going, too.”
Because the team was in the third seed going into the playoffs, they had a bye-week last week, which they used to prepare for their upcoming game. They will play Ensworth from Nashville. Mr. Slatery hopes the team finishes off the year knowing they worked their hardest during playoffs.
“I hope that we end the season with no regrets,” Mr. Slatery said. “I want us to know that we gave our best effort, and that we live from one day to the next getting better as a team to give ourselves the best chance at a state championship.”
