“Our goals are to win DCL small, qualify for the state tournament, and to be more disciplined than the other team,” said boys lacrosse new head coach, Brian Ronayne. Coach Ronayne was previously the JV coach for several years.
Assisting Coach Ronayne is Coach Thorlander of North Andover. The JV team is coached by Mr. Casey Finnegan.
The new coaching staff has “brought a new image” to the team. They push the kids to have good character and discipline both on the field and in the classrooms. If a player is late for school, the whole team must run.
“He (Ronayne) is a great coach,” said junior middie Ian Arabadjis. “He really knows the game.”
Coach Thorlander has also made an impact on the team. He played for Billerica High School and started a lacrosse program at North Andover several years ago. He feels strongly about discipline and conditioning.
“Without question, the conditioning has made an impact,” the captains agreed. This year’s captains are seniors Matt Polak and Greg Keohane, and junior Zach Foley.
“They’re going to lead us to states,” said Arabadjis.
The team’s goal is to qualify for the state tournament and become the DCL small champions. To qualify, they must finish the regular season with at least a .500 overall record.
On March 28, the Tigers played in a jamboree, winning 2 of 3 games. Goals were scored by Brad O’Brien, Justin Gaudino, and Timmy LaPointe.
“We’re going to take the season one game at a time,” said Matt Polak.
The regular season started on Tuesday, March 31 vs. Arlington High School. The Tigers lost 8-7 in the last 40 seconds.
As of May 3, the Tigers have a record of 4-6.
Freshman Garret Glavin, Mitchell McCarthy, Nate Howe, Peter Latuilippe and James Devlin have all made varsity.
The team also has high hopes for goalie Peter Latuilippe.