Mustangs stick to their lacrosse goals

Lots of history was made at Lakewood Ranch High on Feb. 20.

That's not to say it will be remembered as pleasant history.

The team had its first stick check. The girls stood together for the National Anthem, clad in green and white, sticks by their sides, for the first time. Then it was time for the game, the first-ever Lakewood Ranch girls lacrosse game, to begin.

A few hours later, the boys team would experience the same firsts. Both teams played Riverview High, and both teams lost (the girls 18-0, the boys 15-4).

But results didn’t matter on this day. The day was about the end of two journeys and the start of two more.

Last year, Lakewood Ranch High became one of the first two Manatee County high schools (Manatee High is the other) to offer lacrosse programs starting this spring. Jason Morales, the coach of the boys team, has wanted the school to start a lacrosse program since he moved here in 2004 from New York. He could only do so much as a coach of Monsters Lacrosse Academy, a travel team based in Lakewood Ranch.

“It’s another avenue for kids who didn’t have a place to play,” he said. “Starting in eighth grade (previously), they would have to go to private school to play. You have a certain pride about playing for your high school.”

None of this was easy. Hearing Morales talk about the fundraising the programs needed — approximately $50,000 — made me exhausted, and he said it was more challenging than even he thought it would be.

Sammy Stoltz, the girls head coach, said all the fundraising became worth it on the first day of tryouts. Seeing the girls excited to play lacrosse was invaluable. Only five girls players have prior experience, but Stoltz isn’t concerned with such things. She wants to develop a program.

“They play with such tenacity,” Stoltz said. “They are ready to learn and get better. That’s the most rewarding part of this for me.”

When I say players were inexperienced, I mean it. Stoltz had to instruct the team on what to do during introductions (stick tap your teammates, shake the opposing coach’s hand) five minutes before they began.

Stoltz, who also coaches with Monsters Lacrosse Academy, noted she was proud watching her team suit up for its first game, and she was happy to see fans in the stands for the occasion. Not just family members, either, but community members and people from others schools supporting the cause.

The girls team will have to wait to celebrate its first-ever goal, but the boys team checked that off the list. Sophomore Owen Ingham scored twice in the first half, and would add another goal in the second. He's one of six boys players with lacrosse experience, having played since third grade. For Ingham, the moment was surreal.

“It feels great,” Ingham said. “I'm happy about it. It was the first game and I knew I had to make something happen.

“I'm even more happy we were able to create a team here. We have been talking about it for so long. We have a bunch of first-year kids, but they're picking it up quickly.”

Those aren't false sentiments. The thing that struck me most about both programs was their positivity. This isn't something kids joined on a lark to have fun with their friends -- or not just that, anyway. The kids and coaches want this to be the start of something huge. The girls team’s motto is “brick by brick,” because that's how you build a foundation.

The programs are aware that this year’s results will be, in all likelihood, disappointing. That shouldn’t discourage fans from attending the games or students from trying out next year. It’s still lacrosse in Manatee County, it’s still thrilling to watch, and someday, with Morales and Stoltz at the helm, the results will be thrilling, too.