Northwood HS boys lacrosse makes some noise in the playoffs
IRVINE, Calif. — The sports season for most high school athletes has looked different over the past year as we have navigated through the uncertain times of Covid-19. The season for Northwood High School Men’s Lacrosse team was no exception.
The team began practices in January to prepare for their upcoming season months before the season typically starts. Schools were not in person, which meant the athletes would participate in online school during the day and then afternoon practices at school. The players and coaches also had to deal with cold, wet weather and terrible field conditions. As the lacrosse team prepared to start their game season, there was a mandatory shutdown of the program for Covid-19 concerns.
After 14 days of no practices, the team was scheduled for their first game. They played a very good team with only a few practices under their belt and no time for preparation.聽 Despite this, they showed up strong but lost in a close game. The regular season continued in much the same manner: several cancelled games, bad weather, muddy fields and a mix of wins and losses. Throughout it all, this team that consisted of mostly seniors continued to improve and eventually made the playoffs.
Round 1 was a blowout win; Northwood played great and was revved up for the second-round game against a rival school they had beat by 11 goals in the regular season. However, everyone knew that in the playoffs, it would be a very competitive game.
In round 2, as expected, the lead changed several times back and forth the entire game. Both sidelines and stadium bleachers were fired up and making noise. Unfortunately for Northwood, they had 2 goals called back in the final 5 minutes of the game and subsequently lost by a final score of 11-10. Northwood’s seniors would take this as a life lesson learned in their final high school lacrosse game. Things aren’t always going to go your way in life, but you have to learn to roll with it and move forward with a positive attitude. Sometimes the difference between winning and losing comes down to the little things, so you have to give your best effort at everything you do in life.
The challenges of not having the season during the normal calendar months, battling Covid-19, six players missing time due to playing multiple sports, and a crazy ending that didn’t go their way didn’t stop this great group of seniors from training and playing hard, resulting in a successful final season in high school. The boys fought until the end, which speaks to the quality of their parents, the program and the coaches. Head Coach Randy Cox has really built a great Men’s Lacrosse program at Northwood High School.聽Don’t be surprised if they make noise in the state playoffs for many years to come.
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