Sailors boys lacrosse makes strides in second season

After the Sarasota High boys lacrosse team’s season-ending 16-8 loss to Palm Harbor University High on Monday night in the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A District 11 tournament, there were no tears. 

There were not even any frowns. Despite their campaign coming to a close, the Sailors were smiling and cracking jokes. They huddled together while first-year head Coach Kendall Gay told them how proud he was of them. Then the team’s seniors spoke, each referencing various moments of the season and giving advice for the future. The general idea was that the seniors were thrilled to be a part of the program and could not wait to come back and watch it grow. 

It was not the usual reaction high school athletes have to a crushing loss, especially seniors whom have seen their high school careers come to an end.

The Sailors do not run a usual program. 

Sarasota started their boys and girls lacrosse programs in 2020. Since then, the teams have gone through a lot of turmoil, not least of all the COVID-19 pandemic, which was hard on all programs but especially ones trying to establish a culture and rhythm. The Sailors went 1-11 in 2021 and then had to deal with a coaching change, as former coach Christian Dombovari left for Lakewood Ranch High. Enter Gay, who had been an assistant with the program since its inception and had specific ideas on how to get the team going once he took the reins.

That included an emphasis on positive reinforcement and the "growth mindset" as defined by psychologist Carol Dweck, which posits that a person's intelligence  — as well as other talents and abilities — are not fixed but can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. Gay said he tells his team that anything is possible and he means it. The Sailors like to use the word "yet" at the end of critiques as a reminder that, even though a player may not be capable of something right now, they can be capable of it in the future with enough practice.

Through one season with this mindset, it appears to be working. The Sailors jumped from 1-11 last year to 11-7 in 2022. 

"The thing I was most concerned about was getting the guys to come back and see that things can be good and fun here," Gay said. "I knew we could be competitive this season. I was not expecting this performance, though. These guys were fantastic this year. We beat teams that we were not supposed to beat. They kept it going all year while smiling and being upbeat and happy."

Gay took a moment to thank his seniors, the group that kickstarted the team's turnaround with a high level of play, especially around the midseason mark. 

"They're not big talkers," Gay said. "They don't have big egos. But they made it clear to the underclassmen that they needed to perform. They set a high bar. They led the way."

The group includes the program's first-ever NCAA-bound player in Aubrey Oriol, a defenseman, who will play for Transylvania University (Lexington, Kentucky) next season. But the Sailors return its top-four goal scorers and junior goaltender Jacob Lunde, which means another leap could be waiting for the team in 2023. Sarasota reached the postseason for the first time this year; next year could be its first postseason win — or even its first few postseason wins. 

"We are still building," Gay said. "The kids will be playing over the summer with different clubs. The big thing is we have got kids who are excited and want to be playing for us. The athletic department and the school administration are behind us and that sets the table for this program to be around for a while." 

The Sailors' season is finished, but other area lacrosse teams are still alive. Here's a look at the rest of the playoffs:

• The Cardinal Mooney High boys team will face Saint Stephen's Episcopal at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Class 1A District 11 championship. The game will be played at St. Petersburg High. The Cougars (9-6) have a worse record than the Falcons (11-2) but have faced a more difficult schedule and are ranked higher by MaxPreps (16th in Class 1A to 22nd). The two teams have not played this season but Mooney is 4-0 against common opponents while St. Stephen's is 3-1. The winner will advance to the Class 1A regional tournament stage. 
   
• The Riverview High boys team will face Fort Myers High at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Ram Bowl in the Class 2A District 12 semifinals. If the Rams (9-7) win, they will face either Gulf Coast High or Venice High in the district championship game on Thursday at 7 p.m. That game would also be at Riverview if the Rams qualify. Before then, they have to beat the Green Wave (6-6). The Rams beat Gulf Coast 15-2 on Feb. 23 and are ranked 23rd in the class while Fort Myers is ranked 67th. 
   
• The Riverview girls team will face Manatee High at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Class 2A District 11 championship game. The Rams (11-6) will host the Hurricanes (10-3) as the tournament's top seed. The game promises to be competitive; the Rams are ranked 17th in the class while Manatee is ranked 18th. The Hurricanes beat Riverview 16-11 on March 29, but that game was played at Manatee. The winner will advance to the regional tournament stage.