Falcons lacrosse forges ahead
By Hector Trujillo
It only took 11 games this season for the Scripps Ranch High School mens varsity lacrosse team to reach the seven win mark, which was a dramatic improvement from the 2021 campaign when they finished with that same win total but needed the entire 18-game regular season to do it.
“As a team, we are much more receptive to adversity, much more so than in years past,” said head coach Anderson Caldwell.
“I feel that the mental side of the game is neglected, and much focus is given to the physical side of the game. … Our approach this year as a staff has shifted. We are focusing largely on the mental aspects of the game,” Caldwell said.
The Falcons started off the season on the right foot thanks to a gritty 8-5 win at Granite Hills High School in the opener on March 2. However, they would fall to Valley Center High School the following week 8-6. The team bounced right back and got on a three-game winning streak by defeating Mt. Carmel, Del Norte and Mission Hills High School, all at home.
“We are setting goals constantly,” Caldwell said. “If you don’t have a good foundation with the whole program buying in, failure will abound. I commend the boys this season so far for rising to tough challenges.”
The team did suffer a step back in its next two games which were road losses to La Jolla Country Day and Bishop’s before bouncing back with a dominant 9-4 victory over Canyon Crest Academy on March 29.
SRHS then suffered its worst loss of the season to that point, a 16-1 defeat at the hands of Poway High School, but picked up the pieces in the next match versus Westview High School, winning in dramatic fashion 8-7 before defeating Rancho Bernardo 14-5 on April 11. The Falcons then dropped a game 13-9 against Carlsbad High on April 13.
Among the most noteworthy standout players this season are senior attacker Mason Bowen, senior long stick middle Trevor Bowen, senior defender David Daluz and junior attacker Brady Durkin.
The team has four remaining matches before postseason competition begins, first against Saint Augustine on April 25, followed by a match against Coronado High School on April 27, closing the season versus Patrick Henry on May 2 and La Jolla High School on May 4 at home.
“Our goal ultimately as a program is to use the mechanism of lacrosse and the individual and group challenges of sport to educate these young men for future endeavors,” Caldwell said.