Get your cleats out, mouthguard in, and headgear on! Lacrosse season has begun! Tryouts for both boys and girls lacrosse started Monday, Jan. 24. The boys’ tryouts happened on the field next to the pool and the girls’ tryouts occurred on the field near the ninth-grade center. Though both teams have been decided, the team would love to welcome new members if you are interested in possibly joining the team next year in the fall.

Tryouts are over, and the rosters of both teams have been decided. Practices are scheduled to occur regularly every Monday through Friday. Practices normally consist of gameplay drills, simple catching and passing practice, shooting practice, and specific drills suited for offense, defense, and midfield positions.

The first preseason game falls on Feb. 11 at 6:30 in the evening. Both of the team’s powderpuff games occur on this day. Powderpuff is when the girls and boys switch playing gear, playing a lacrosse game with a comedic twist. Both teams face off in a friendly head-to-head competition. Powderpuff is a fan-favorite to watch. Both teams participate against one another, and the girl’s junior varsity team teaches the boys junior varsity team a cheer to perform at halftime. This is definitely a game you don’t want to miss! All profits made are used to support the teams.

The first game of the season  for the girls team falls on Feb. 15th, at 6 in the evening. This is a varsity only game, and occurs at home against Wekiva High School. The first game for the girls junior varsity is an at-home game on Feb. 22, at 5:30pm against Hagerty High School with the varsity game following it at 7:00pm. The team will begin practicing every day starting Thursday, Feb. 27, training for a strong start to the season. 

SHS freshman Jasmine Kennedy states, “I am a new member to the girl’s lacrosse team this year. I played with the team in the fall, but I am very excited to begin playing this season and start gaining new skills to apply to…my future games.”

The first season game for the boys team is an at-home game that occurs on Feb. 14, at 6:00pm. They are facing off against Winter Springs High School, one of our neighboring schools. They will have the chance to take down the Winter Springs Bears!

A misconception about lacrosse is that boys lacrosse and girls lacrosse function the same way, with the same rules and regulations. However, the rules for each game are completely different, and each gender’s version is viewed as completely different with the main similarity being scoring on the goal. Another similarity is the positioning structure of both teams; the positions are offense, defense, and midfield. Besides that, the rules are totally different. One such difference is the face off.For the girls, a face off is on the center with the players gathering around the middle circle. For the boys, a face off is on the center, but midfield players are placed right on the sideline hash. 

SHS student-athlete Sarah Edmiston says “I had the opportunity of playing on the boy’s team in fall as I like a sport with a lot of physical contact, however, this spring I am joining the girl’s team and I can definitely say it feels like a completely different sport besides the general basics and I will have to adapt to the different rules.”

Lacrosse is a very competitive sport that features plenty of physical content and sportsmanship. If you are interested, consider joining the fall of next year! The lacrosse teams will definitely welcome you!