YOUNG LACROSSE TEAM GAINS EXPERIENCE AND HONES SKILLS FOR FUTURE SUCCESS

Heading into the final contests of its season, the Greenhills varsity lacrosse team looks to build on the incremental successes achieved this season.

While victories were tough to come by, the young team has remained focused on the positive, including the strides in skills development made this spring and the foundation being built for the future.

“With a lot of new players, we’ve really been working hard on the fundamentals,” said co-captain and defender Mike Lucas ’24. “Our coaches (led by head coach Jim Miller) have also focused on teaching us that how we practice is how we’ll play; that means to be serious, but also to have fun. When we do that, we have success.”

In addition to winning more games this year than either of the previous two years, Lucas and fellow d-pole and co-captain Charles Branch ’24, are happy with the momentum that’s been built this season, including the growing interest in the team and the game. That includes adding four new players to the roster since the start of the season.

“We are really proud of our recruiting,” Branch said. “We started the year with just 12 guys. It’s tough to compete with small numbers, but we’ve gotten more guys to come out. The culture has really changed. The locker room environment is great, and our team has really come together.”

Lucas and Branch credit that optimism to the positivity instilled by the coaches, the fun the team is having, and the overall youth of the team. Co-captain and attack/midfielder Jacob Resnick ‘24 and co-captain and goalie Ben Formicola ’24 are the only other seniors on the team. With only one junior, midfielder Miles Knox ’25, eleven players are freshmen and sophomores, many of whom saw significant playing time this season, sharpening their skills and gaining game-speed experience. Add to that a robust middle school program, and the lacrosse future for Greenhills looks “very bright,” Lucas said.

The Gryphons close out the season with Catholic League tournament play on May 11, followed by a home game against St. Mary Catholic Central on May 13, and away against Belleville on May 15.