The Phoenix boys lacrosse team has been in a tight spot since the pandemic, facing a string of losses in this spring season. Their April 22 game also had a rough start, with Tuscarora scoring again and again through the first two quarters, ultimately ending with a 14 point lead in the first half of the game. The half-time break marked a turnaround in team morale, if not the score, as lacrosse head coach (first name)  Wrenn told his players, “there’s no reason this game should be fourteen to nothing,” Wrenn said,  encouraging the team to turn the game around.

In the third quarter, the Phoenix managed to gain a brief turnaround, with sophomore Tyler Valdov (18) and senior Connor Henderson (11) scoring two points within the span of a single minute, and slowing down the rapid scoring of the Huskies. The rest of the game experienced a change in tempo, though not fully in Rock Ridge’s favor, with Tuscarora scoring at a slower rate, each goal earned through a rough back-and-forth against Rock Ridge. Ultimately, although the Phoenix lost 19-2, not  all hope was lost. 

Players were unwilling to be brought down by this defeat. “We know what it’s like to learn from the mistakes we made today,” senior Humza Uddin (30) said. 

Team captain Henderson also had confidence and knows what the team needs going forward.  “It all starts with the prep, and when someone’s new to lacrosse, they don’t really know how to prepare for the games, so they get in all nervous,” Henderson said. “So you [got to] give them the pep talk before the game, and once they’re in the game, you’ve got to keep their heads up.”

Gallery • 6 Photos

Jackson Mitchell

Junior Arun Karthikeyan (12) plays defense as the Tuscarora offense pushes towards the goal. “I need to move faster and play faster in general,” Karthikeyan said.