Boys lacrosse enters the box

After conditioning during the fall and winter sports season, boys lacrosse is back in action, playing in their first tournament on Saturday Jan. 20 and their first game on Saturday Feb. 24 against St. John Bosco High School.  “In the fall we were in a box league in El Segundo which prepares us offensively for the basis of our offensive, which is a pick and re-pick, two man game. They were really good. There were six teams in the league and we were the champions of it. I think we lost one game,” Coach Benjamin Keiser said.  During their offseason, the team conditioned by spending time running around campus, lifting weights and scrimaging in the hopes of strengthening the team to combat the loss of last year’s seniors, and to be ready to compete against higher level teams.   “In the winter we did a lot of weight training and stuff on the field, like individual training. From the start, the way that I do our offseason is to have a map of it. When we first start out in the fall we stress the individual skills, and as we get closer to the regular season we gradually get more and more into the team aspect of the game. It’s kind of like fine tuning in the offseason,” Keiser said. In their first game against St. John Bosco, the team lost 8-9, but learned a lot through watching film and came back the next week working hard at practice.  “Against Bosco, I think we were a little unprepared, just mentally. The skills were there, but just mentally it took us a little [while] to get out of the funk, and by the time we did it was a little too late. They got a 0-5 lead on us and we went up and tied it, but they ended up shooting on us with just a couple of seconds in the game,” Keiser said.  That week, they played in their second game of the season against Redondo Union High School on Wednesday Feb. 28, losing 7-8. “Going into league our goal every year is to win league. I think last year we were co-champions in league, and this year our goal is to be outright champions,” Keiser said.  Since then, the team has played against Pacific Palisades Charter High School at home on March 2, losing 7-18, Brentwood High School at Brentwood on March 6, winning 9-4, San Marcos High School at home on March 8, losing 7-10, Culver City High School at home on March 14, winning 13-4, El Segundo High School at home on March 16, winning 13-4 and Hamilton High School at home on March 19, winning.