Lacrosse season is upon us!
In their first matchup of the season, the varsity lacrosse team plays host to visiting Palos Verdes on Saturday, March 4, @ 2:30 pm, come out and cheer on your Eagles! The team will be seeking an early win, and after 4 weeks of early morning practices (which has also been early starts for the parents of those not yet driving!), the team is ready to show up, play well, and make a statement to start the season strong.
In the 2023 preseason rankings, the Eagles are ranked 5th in San Diego County. The team was ranked 5th at the start of the 2022 season and went on to have a very successful season, going 14-6 and finishing ranked 4th in San Diego County, the team’s highest end-of-season ranking ever. In 2022, the team shared the Coastal League title with Bishops for the second year in a row and hosted their first open division home playoff game where they were narrowly beaten in a nail-biting overtime game against La Costa Canyon (LCC). LCC has been bestowed the number one preseason ranking this year, ahead of rivals and 2022 open division champions, Torrey Pines. It looks like it’s going to be an exciting and hard fought season and playoff to determine the ultimate champion! Torrey Pines is seeking its fifth straight open division title; no program, in any division, has won five straight section titles.
The Top 10 pre-season rankings: 1. La Costa Canyon 2. Torrey Pines 3. Bishop’s 4. Cathedral Catholic 5. Santa Fe Christian 6. Poway 7. San Marcos 8. Patrick Henry 9. Coronado 10. Grossmont
Two SFC players were noted in the Prep Lacrosse Preview as “Players to Watch” this season: Brett Koopman (Senior; Defensive LSM) and Magnus Falkiewicz (Sophomore, Midfielder).
Head Coach Tomas Rodriguez enters his second year coaching and mentoring our boys through the season, along with Assistant Coaches Brendan Brunelle and Jordyn Williams. And while we have to acknowledge the loss of last year’s Seniors (11 Seniors on last year's roster, compared to 5 this year), we have some exciting talent to view! Entering their last High School lacrosse season we have five Seniors ready to lead the team this year: Brett Koopman, committed to the University of North Carolina and a 2023 Adrenaline All-American, returns after missing all of the 2022 season while recovering from a torn ACL. Brett (LSM/Defense) will be a key spark plug for the team and the man to watch, Matthew Briggs (Midfield) and Aaron Bolt (Defense) ready to guide the team with their experience, dedication, and leadership. Rex Maloni (Attack) and Logan McClurkin (Midfield) also return and bring leadership, chemistry, and strength to the team.
Juniors Trevion Adcox (Midfield), Joshua Armbruster (Midfield), plus new addition to the program Britain Kowalchek (Midfield), all strong Varsity football players, will be demonstrating their speed, strength and power.
We have 16 Sophomores (14 returning from last year) to add to the weight of the team and who will be expected to make a big contribution across all positions. Goalkeepers George Adams and Finlay Lenihan have been working hard at their game; we saw flashes of inspiration and speedy reactions during the Alumni game and we can’t wait for more Sam Cooper-like saves! Parker Guiltinan (Attack) and Magnus Falkiewicz (Midfield) made large scoring contributions last season (Parker-22 goals and 3 assists; Magnus-13 goals and 13 assists) and are no doubt hungry to increase these stats; Ben Wakeham (Defense) and Johnny Grimstand (Defence), started on defense for the majority of last season, with Ben having the second most caused turnovers last season (16). Dylan Kelleher and Lucas Sit have joined SFC this year, and both will make huge contributions at face-off and midfield. And we can’t wait to see what Alex Berg, Will McGuinness, Matthew McKewon, PJ Rogers, Joe Miles, Brandon Ng, Xander Dorn, and Mikey Adcox will add to the mix as they step up to Varsity. The Sophomore talent and depth is strong!
This year’s freshmen group is small but mighty. Colby Rosettie at Attack will be pivotal to the success of the team, with David Coyle, Beau Sudberry, Ben Dykes, Owen Baker, Robbin Anzodru, and Vedder Brandt also looking to develop and contribute to the score sheet.
We have a team who is eager and determined to prove themselves and we can’t wait for the season to start.
Let’s Go Eagles!