A new year, new players, and a new region. The Juan Diego Catholic High School boys lacrosse team will have to adjust to many new performance factors this coming season.

But mostly, they hope to have fun on the field.  “This season I’m looking forward to getting out and playing some lacrosse with all my friends,” said JD junior Nick Grogg, who has been playing for eight years. “We have a really talented team this season with great chemistry, so we are looking to take it all.”

The team is hoping to redeem itself after ending with a 6-7 loss to Judge Memorial Catholic High School in double overtime for the semi-final game of the 2011 season.

Each year, the high school gets a new class of freshmen who can contribute to the team. But that requires upperclassmen to adjust to the new players and their style of play. “My goals are to help get the freshmen involved the best I can,” said JD varsity player Mark Murphy. Murphy, a junior, has been playing lacrosse for seven years.

High school lacrosse is divided into regions, but not like the 3A or 4A categories for other teams. Only about 40 high schools in Utah have established lacrosse programs, so the state groups them into divisions. “Division one is your top tier of lacrosse,” said William Trentman, varsity assistant head coach who is also a theology teacher at JD. “Those are the established programs that have been around for while.”

This year, the boys have new teams coming into their division. On Mar. 8, JD has a big season opener against Bonneville, and the team will face Judge Memorial on Mar. 17.

Players have high hopes for a successful season. ”I think this season will be pretty smooth,” said Murphy. “There will be a few tough games, but we’re going to prepare ourselves mentally and physically for those games pretty well.”

With tryouts out of the way, they are now focusing on their season and opponents.  The coaches did not have enough players to cut anyone, but not everyone made varsity. “We left a few varsity spots open for kids to battle it out in JV and try and move up during the season,” Trentman said.

Many players have set season goals. Senior and team captain Eric Gronseth said he wants to work harder and improve himself and strengthen the team. “I think we will be one of the top teams in the state and hopefully compete for the state title,” said Gronseth. “I am just looking forward to being a captain and leading the team to a successful season.”

Building on what they call great team chemistry, the players look to each other in times of failure or stress. “Me and my teammates are all friends, so I look up to all of them and I know I can count on every single one of them for support,” said Grogg.

The players say they will have a good opportunity to bond as a team when they go to Colorado in March for a tournament, playing teams from around Fort Collins and Denver before returning to Utah to resume their season.

    Against new opponents, their eyes are on the prize as they hope to get even further in the state tournament than last year.