Sports
VIDEO: Boys' Lacrosse Team Armed and Ready for 2011 Season
Headers hope to finish the regular season strong and erase the sting of last year's playoff loss to Walpole in the state tournament.
boys’ lacrosse team has started out 2011 with two wins out of their first three matches and players are looking to get back into the state tournament this year.
It was a crushing defeat to Walpole in the playoffs that ended the Headers season in 2010.
“We beat Wellesley in the first round,” senior co-captain Hunter Whitmore said. “Then we got crushed by Walpole, it was very disappointing.”
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Liam Giliand joins Senior Hunter Whitmore and his twin brother Alex as co-captains on the 2011 squad. Giliand was also a football captain last season.
The Headers opened up the season with a 10-2 pasting of Pentucket, a 7-1 loss to North Andover and a 16-3 romp over Saugus.
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“We lost 15 seniors from last season, we were very strong on defense last year,” head coach John Wilkens said. “14 and 6 was a good year for us last season, and we’re hoping to build on that this year.”
“It’s a good, enthusiastic bunch we’ve got out this year, and they’re getting better and better as the weeks go by,” Wilkens said before a recent practice.
“The kids want to put in the work and improve, and as a coach, that’s what you look for,” Wilkins said. “We beat Saugus and Pentucket, but that loss to North Andover is not indicative of the team we have, our offense did not show up that game.”
“The youth league in town has been phenomenal, there are over 300 kids in the program, and the sport itself is growing like wildfire all over the country,” Wilkens said.
The action of lacrosse appeals to potential players, the scoring, the hitting and the fast action. Anyone can pick up a stick and play, no matter what size, there’s a spot for everybody on the lacrosse field.
Wilkens had his largest freshman turnout this season, 23 ninth-graders came out for the team this spring. Close to 60 players make up this year’s varsity and junior varsity squads.
“Those a great numbers for our program,” Wilkins said.
The Headers are in Danvers this afternoon at 4 p.m., and host Triton next Tuesday morning at 10 a.m.
