Boys’ lacrosse nets points in thrilling matches
Aili Forster, Staff Writer
On Feb. 25, Samo’s boys’ lacrosse team kicked off their season with a non-league game against Palisades Charter High School. While Samo lost, they were able to fight through the tough game and finished with a close ending score of 7:9.
As this is the team’s first season since 2020, there was some uncertainty about how the season would turn out, but after training for all of the fall semester, Samo definitely has a good chance of winning. Their motivation and excellent teamwork can be seen from the face-off until the last whistle.
MidFielder and defender Luca De Lorenzo (’23) feels optimistic about the season, despite a few losses.
“I would easily say that with each game we’re improving and getting more and more into our rhythm so that we can beat more and more teams and just continue to improve,” De Lorenzo said.
On Feb. 28 Samo boys’ varsity lacrosse won 16:2 against El Camino, after their loss against Palisades charter high school on Feb.25. Their second league game was extremely successful as the team became more aggressive and had even better team work.
While the team had impressive offenseiveplay, they also had notable defense, especially from Ford. The team was in the lead throughout the whole game, and scored eight more points by the end of the game.
This game, along with the others, showed the team’s perseverance as the team never gave up throughout the game.
On March 7, Samo boys’ lacrosse played their last non-league game against El Dorado High School, ending in a triumphant win with a score of 17-8. With their consistency and good teamwork, the team stayed in the lead throughout the entire game.
The game started with a goal, and Samo was already at 13-5 by halftime. Though the team was set back by a few fouls, their continuous energy brought them multiple impressive goals.
Coach Phelan also praises the team’s defense in the past two games against El Dorado and El Camino.
“Our defense only allowed 10 goals in the two games which is exceptional. The defense is anchored by Captain Luck Helmacy (’25) and is playing lock down defense and scoring two goals,” Phelan said.
On March 9, the Samo boys’ lacrosse team went against Culver City High School in their first league game which, unfortunately, ended in a loss of 3-14. The game was very fast paced, but despite the challenging competition, Samo pushed through and was able to showcase their determination and energy.
Samo showed their good teamwork in the first quarter of the game where Thomas Nevell (’23) scored a beautiful goal. Although the opposing team had tough defense, Samo was able to score two points by the first quarter.
The team’s goalie, Jasper Ford (’24), was also continuously focused and concentrated, even with the constant attacks from Culver City’s team. Ryan Schatzow (’24) also had many notable plays throughout the game and was very persistent.
Varsity coach James Phelan praises the team for their effort against the tough competition.
“Our boys played hard and gave great effort. However, we came up short and their goalie played strong. We will see them later on in the season and will look to avenge the loss,” Phelan said.
On March 11, the Samo boys lacrosse team went against Peninsula high school in a challenging non-league game against one of the top teams in the league. The game ended in a score of 3:12, one of the tougher losses for Samo so far this season. Regardless of the grueling competition, the team pushed through and is sure to do better in the next game, which will be against Beverly Hills high school on March 16.
James Dean (’25) cradles the ball as he battles his way through a match against El Camino High School on Feb. 28, which Samo won 16-2.