Wakefield High School’s men’s varsity lacrosse team started practicing for this season back in February, working diligently for a strong season this year. Made up of mainly juniors and a new coach, Jamie Riedel, the team has been having close games for the beginning of the season, putting their win-to-loss ratio at 4 to 8. 

Spencer Gaddis is a senior and co-captain, although this is only the second year he’s been on the team, taking a break due to COVID-19 in his sophomore and junior year. Gaddis has a few different positions, including run midfield, faceoff and, occasionally, attack.

“It was definitely a slow start to the season as we [adjusted to] our new coach, but as the season has progressed a lot of the guys have been able to come together and really play as a team, which has created a lot of hope and a positive outlook for everyone,” Gaddis said. “It’s also been exciting to see how the younger players develop and contribute to the team in such a short period of time.” 

There is one major difference between this year’s and last year’s teams: the age range. Last season, the team was made up of mainly seniors. Now, a majority of the team is juniors, like Owen McDaniel.

“Last year, we had a lot of seniors with experience who made it easier for the younger guys and we’re a young team this year,” McDaniel said. “A lot of inexperienced players trying to get better hasn’t benefited us as much as another team with kids that travel and play year-round.”

This year’s team is made up of new members and a new coach, which leads to inexperience in the core of the team, and returning players still feel the repercussions of the more experienced players leaving. Getting time on the field can feel daunting, especially to newer players, including sophomore member Ben Romano.

“I was a freshman last year and I got no playtime with all the seniors,” Romano said. “Having to get used to the speed of everything has definitely been my biggest challenge.”

The problem of inexperience is most prevalent in the frequent injuries that have been cropping up this season. 

“I unfortunately was injured during the Heritage game,” Gaddis said. “I had taken multiple hits in the back which caused my leg to rotate internally while stretching and pulling away resulting in a partial tear in the muscle fibers.”

Luckily, Gaddis is still able to play and is seeing strong results from his training as well as additional conditioning to strengthen his leg. However, not every injured player is lucky enough to keep playing, causing substitutions to occur.  

The substitution in the team can lead to inexperienced players mainly being on the field in lieu of older, more experienced players. These injuries and substitutions are felt by everyone on the team, as expressed by junior Luke Dawson. 

 “It’s definitely frustrating but you [have to] be there for your teammates. But, being injured, they are definitely feeling it more than we are,” Dawson said. “They want to be in the game and you can see them on the sidelines cheering us on. It has taken a toll on the team and we are trying to be there for them. We need them and we can’t wait for them to get back in.”