On the men’s varsity lacrosse senior night on May 1, the team dominated Park School with a final score of 16-8.
Before the start of the game, after each team warmed up, the JC seniors’ names were announced and they walked to center of field for pictures with their parents. After the small ceremony, the game began.
According to Assistant Coach Matthew Blair, the team started out strong in the beginning with a three point lead to Park’s nothing.
In the second quarter, the play began to slip and Park began to capitalize on their mistakes. However, JC was able to keep the same distance in points, 7-4.
In the second half, it was back to JC dominating the game. According to Blair, the secret to their success was in their complete control over face-offs and ground balls. Blair noted that there were exceptional plays coming from senior Pat McGuirk accompanied by a “solid defensive effort” led by team captain senior Luke Steibe.
After the game, the seniors and their parents celebrated the senior night victory with a dinner in the cafeteria.
“For whatever reason, we are usually slow to get started on Senior Day, but this year we came out ready to play. There was a lull in the second quarter, but we regrouped at halftime and dominated the second half. On the varsity level, you can only go as far as your seniors will take you, so they deserve a lot of the credit for this,” Blair said.
Team captains seniors Jack Hinder and Steibe agree with Blair on their successful senior night game.
“I think the game went pretty well for me and the team as a whole. It felt great to score a goal in front of possibly my last home crowd and it is a memory I will not forget. I am proud of the way I played and I am proud of the way the team rallied after a sloppy second quarter to put on a show,” Hinder said.
“We played great on senior night, it was a big day for the seven seniors, [it was] possibly our last home game. It was really bittersweet. We came out fired up and we left it all on the field,” Steibe said.
With this success behind them, Blair acknowledges that there is still unfinished business.
“Our team has progressed steadily since the beginning of the season, particularly on the offense, which continues to be a work in progress. However, as we approach the final week of the season, I feel that we are where we need to be in order to have success in the postseason,” Blair said.
Steibe also feels that the season has been good so far, but the team needs to prepare for what is to come.
“So far, the biggest accomplishment of the team is beating Friends [School]…We lost 2 times to them last year and it was great to get some payback. We are going into play offs very soon and I’m confident that we will play our best in the post season. We have a great team this year and we can make it all the way if we play our game,” Steibe said.
Despite the road ahead, Blair and Hinder both hold onto fond memories of their lacrosse experiences.
“I love my team and it is an honor to be the captain of a great group of guys. We have a good time, but when it’s time to step up I am always impressed by the team, even the younger guys. I think our senior game was a great display of our talent, especially in the second half,” Hinder said.
“For the seniors who were on the team as sophomores, my favorite memory was winning the championship in 2010. For the seniors as a whole, I’d have to say my favorite memories are their daily comedy routines,” Blair said. “I’d just like to say that it’s an honor and a privilege to be involved with boys’ varsity lacrosse at John Carroll. My time as a coach has been so rewarding. It has given me so many special relationships and moments to remember.”
Grace Kim is the Online Chief of The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.