Spotlight on Varsity Boys Lacrosse

Though they already had a few games under their belts, varsity boys lacrosse was expecting great things to unfold for them this season. Showing their dominance on the playing field, the boys team overcame both Viera High School and Vero Beach High School by a significant margin during the preseason jamboree. Thanks to a highly effective defensive end and an impressive display of teamwork, the varsity boys team finished with a 4-3 record. In what would be their final game of the season, the Pirates completely shut down Ransom-Everglades High School at home, winning 16-0.

Head Coach Doug Bailey rallied the varsity boys lacrosse team to victory on the field this season. Coach Bailey and his assistant coaches wish to share their thoughts on the season with their team.

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Reviewing this year's achievements, Coach Bailey reflects: "Wow!  Never was I more excited about a team than the one we had coming back off of Spring Break. Our injury situation was literally dissolved, and during the course of working through our injury situation, our young guns had developed incredibly. Our depth was becoming a true strength in practice, and we were ready to burst open as a force, and our resolve as a team was set on using the second half of the season to put it all together, and be ready for 'April Matters!'

"I cannot look back and say what could have been, because in life it really is what you do when you have the opportunity. What I do miss is the time we had to work together toward a common goal, and all the interactions with you, your parents, coaches, and the folks in the lacrosse community. I do miss planning practices, figuring out how to make each one of you more successful, and how to help us be most successful in our endeavors. I miss the competitions, and I miss seeing our boys put their best efforts in competition. I think I miss most the learning that comes with all the above.  I love the learning that comes from interactions, both cooperative and competitive. I miss asking you, 'Are You Hungry?'  And I miss hearing your response to getting geared up to take on our opponent!

"And if I had three wishes, the first wish would be that we all learn from this situation, never taking our opportunities for granted. Our 2020 Boys Lacrosse team won a 16-0 victory over Ransom Everglades on the now former Pirate Stadium Field on March 9, 2020. It was the last game ever played on Pirate Stadium Field. From this point forward, the Stadium has a new name, dedicated to our Head of School, Michael J. Mersky. My second wish would have been this team finish the 2020 Season with our Class 1A, District 8 Playoff Tournament on our newly named field. And my third wish is that you leave your senior year with this in mind:  My best to you, your family and our lacrosse families past, present and future, and that we 'Go forth with the work that God has given us to do!'"
 
Bill Keating, one of the assistant coaches stated, "It saddens all of us that we had the end of this season taken away from us. After our loss last year in the playoffs to Jupiter, I was convinced that we were just not ready at that time, but that experience would be the driver that would propel us to the top this year. In spite of the injuries that we struggled through in the beginning of the season, the last game we played was an indication of the direction we were establishing for ourselves. New, inexperienced players had been given the opportunity to play and carry us until the injured players were ready to return and take their place to give us the leadership necessary to succeed, but now we had experienced depth as well. The future was ours...and then...sometimes life just isn't fair."

Assistant coach Sandy Walcott added, "As I go over the list of [players] and think about our season, one very large thought comes to mind. If they were all healthy, WHAT A POWERFUL TEAM. When you think about it, at the beginning of the season, we only had four defensemen, one of those had not played at all and another one, very little.  We did what we could with what we had and the team and coaches should feel very proud of how each and every player improved even in that short period of time.

"I wish I had had the luxury of having to know and coach [the players] longer, but I can say that it was a real pleasure to know and coach them even for that short time. I would tell my wife when coaching both the spring and fall travel teams, that the St. Ed's boys stood out in both attitude and work ethic."

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