Going from a Club lacrosse team to a varsity sport team is very different. And for a team to place fourth in state its first year of being a varsity sport is challenging. Eastview is currently ranked 2nd in state, with a team that has lost many seniors. Whether they play in state this year in the 2009 season or not, they have worked hard at becoming a better team.
It started in the 2007 lacrosse season; Lacrosse had become a varsity sport at eastview. With senior leaders Justin Peterson and Nick Gramsted the team was doing well. The team was composed of mainly juniors, a few sophomores and a surprising seven freshmen. But the team’s offensive “attack” line made the team better than most. It had senior leader Nick Gramsted, Junior Tim Rondorf and sophomore Andy Freeman, which were some of the most experienced players on the team. Andy Freeman, who started since sophomore year said “Our attack (offensive line) was better in the 2007 season, but our team was better in the 2008 season.” Andy believes the team has a promising season, because of their ability to work as a team and "Dominate the field."
This year the captains include Andy Freeman, Matt Garin and Rex Sanders. Rex made the varsity team as a freshman and has been a large part in eastview's success. The team has a lot of talent on it, because they have a lot of experienced players. Players like Andy and Rex have made the varsity team since sophomore and freshman year. With the exception of a few seniors leaving the team, most of the players have played with each other since the beginning of high school. This has added to their knowledge of their team and how they play.
The team has changed a lot since their first season. They have made several changes, including work out schedules and team strategies. The differences from the club team and the varsity team were the team effort and playing technique. Former Eastview Lacrosse player Scottie Grubber said "On the club team we did whatever we wanted. Everyone got to play even if they weren't that good, which is why we lost so many games." With the team as a varsity sport, there are more coaches and the team works together. The team has playing techniques which they didn't have when they were a club team. Also a former player, Tim Rondorf said "It was fun playing on the club team, but we really didn't get better at playing Lacrosse. We didn't have any plays, and the coach didn't really coach, we just played." This year the team also is preparing for their season differently. There are more captain’s practices and weightlifting sessions after school. During the season the team will work out under Ms. Egan's strength and conditioning program, which is another change made to the team’s schedule. In the last seasons the team was required to lift every day after school except on game days. This season, instead lifting, the team is doing core workouts everyday with Ms Egan. They are much harder and designed to push the team harder, making the team stronger and more conditioned. Ms Egan said “It is made to really kick their (the lacrosse players) butts. They will not be as tired in practices and games, because of this conditioning.”
The team had an exceptional season with 14 wins and 2 losses. The head lacrosse coach, Tim Roach said “We are defiantly getting better at working as a team. The players pass more and rely on teamwork more than talent.” Roach said that although the team has lost senior players from the previous seasons, the team is still strong. He also said “They work well together, most of the players have been on Eastview’s varsity team since 9th and 10th grade." After all of the changes that the coaches have made, the team is going to be more prepared than any other season. Roach said "The team this year is the best that Eastview has had, we are going to have a good season."
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