Boys lacrosse concludes their best season so far
On May 2, five days after being crowned Ocean league champions, boy’s lacrosse went into the first round of CIFs against Harvard-Westlake High School and lost. This season, which featured a 14-3 record, represented a continued growth of the program, celebrating its first Ocean League title.“We have really grown as a team from a subpar program in my freshman year to league champions this year,” Parker Furlong (’17) said. “We had a couple disappointing close losses this year, but we still finished with the winningest season in the program history. It has been so much fun to play with these guys and develop such a close camaraderie.”The team had a great start to the season; before league began, the team was undefeated in the first four games: 15-4 vs Brentwood High School, 18-3 vs Birmingham High School, 19-6 vs Redondo High School and 16-1 against Hamilton High School. The team was on a roll going into league and propelled their momentum with this. They began with easy wins against Mira Costa High School and Culver City High School and even upset league favorites El Segundo High School (9-8) in a tough match away from home. Samo was looking stronger than ever in blowout wins against Culver City, Downey High School and Birmingham that gave them an incredible 11-0 season record and a 6-0 league record. In a heated match with mixed emotions, Samo defeated Beverly Hills High School at home on senior night--a win that undoubtedly guaranteed them the Ocean League title. Unfortunately, Samo’s memorable winning record was broken in a home loss to El Segundo. Finally, focusing on the playoffs, the team ended league with an 8-2 record and were crowned Ocean league champions on April 28.“This year was one for the books. Improving from last year’s record of 10-8 to a record of 14-3 is something to be proud of,” Collin Ferrara (’17) said. “This season was extremely special as it was us seniors’ last season after being with the program for four years. I wouldn’t want to have gone out any other way.” With the season over the incoming varsity players, just days after losing in CIF, are back in practice in hopes to match the elevated standards that this year’s team provided. More than ever, the team is motivated to win another Ocean League title and to get their revenge in CIF.“We are preparing for next season by doing some intense conditioning, weight lifting, and fine tuning our stick skills,” incoming varsity player Shayan Noorani (’18) said. “I expect to come back next season ready to work hard and earn first place in Ocean League once again.” While seniors are celebrating a memorable season, the rest of the varsity team is already focused on their next season, hoping to surpass their predecessors.