Hawk Talk: Ep. 1
Okay, so the start of the high school season has overtaken me a bit. I always seem to forget how ensconced I become with my own team’s success while simultaneously tracking a seemingly endless barrage of other high school teams in New England. It’s a lot, but it is manageable to a point.
For those of you that are new, this is my third year as the head JV and assistant Varsity coach at Hopkinton High School in Hopkinton, New Hampshire. It’s a program that I grew up hating from one town away (as my family loves to remind me every time I get on a soapbox to speak about my boys) in Henniker. It’s one of the smallest schools in the state - this year’s graduating class is in the low 60s, but somehow we have convinced 31 young men to play lacrosse.
Last year we advanced to the N.H. state title game thanks to a solid core of upperclassmen, most of whom have graduated. We lost that game 12-10, but it was an incredible journey and I’m thankful to have gone on it with everyone.
This year’s team is not that team.
Most of our defense is back, but we return one starter on offense. The midfield is comprised of players that did not see a ton of action last year, either. We have two brand-new goalies. Our JV team is mostly comprised of converted baseball players.
We are known for a fast and free style of play on both sides of the ball. Doubles and traps for the D; one-pass and two-Pass shots for the O. We tried to play that style in our first game and lost 10-9 in overtime. Truth be told, we were lucky it even got to the extra frame.
After a long phone call with the head coach that night, we both decided to switch things up. We decided to play with less freedom - especially on offense. More restrictions. More rules. More discipline.
That may sound bad, but it’s actually exactly the right move for this team. Even though we have a lot of seniors, we are inexperienced. We have to slow down.
We won our next game 16-0.
But.
We are anxious. We are hyper. We are goofy.
I…hate that last one.
But I don’t hate them. I love this team more than I thought possible. It’s a real opportunity to teach the game in a different way. I’m excited and terrified because we don’t know what we don’t know. New players require new drills, new sets and new attention.
It’s a big week.
#GoHawks