“Don’t ever let go babe.”
Stephen Lese grabbed me and squeezed harder than he throws most checks. He was my third hug after Gleebs sent our crowd into a frenzy and onto the field and 3 time defending champion Hackley back home on the bus. My second hug went out to a glassy eyed Brett “Mad Dog” Madarasz, our fiery, new assistant coach and recently graduated D1 stud who still picks corners on Jakey in practice and scraps it up with me on ground balls and face-offs every once in a while too. My first embrace was with Coach Wright, who certainly isn’t much for hugging but smiled as he pointed out that I had turned the ball over on an invert moments before Charlie stole the game; Coach Wright who ran alongside us for every sprint he dished out; Coach Wright who spent hours outside of practice studying film, putting together our fall clinics and our Florida trip and our extra practices and our summer camp; Coach Wright who got us pumped on Hopkins drill and high on exercise. It was with Coach Wright that we learned the power of routine, the privilege of being a teammate. And for that we were champions, even after we got licked by Rye Country Day in the NYSAIS final 2 days later. We were champions for our hours of wall ball and stick tricks. We were champions for sweeping the Ivy League. We were champions for pushing through injuries and suspensions and for learning to battle through suffering. We were champions for our parents and for our school and for a game that only a few of us loved and the rest devoted themselves to anyway. Above all, , we were champions for each other. Thanks to everyone who made this lacrosse season so special.
