By Samantha Rich

Putting the tough “preseason” games behind them, the Highland lacrosse team looks ahead at its future competitors with a positive outlook. Highland has 0 wins and 6 losses, but has played all Division I teams. After Spring Break, Highland will face 5 Division II opponents including 3 conference games.

The Rams were supposed to play West on April 1, but excessive snow on the field forced the game to be postponed until after Spring Break. West is a difficult opponent, having scored 36 goals already this season. This is a big number compared to Highland’s 17 goals so far. Although the difference in goals seems scary, West has only won one game and hasn’t played any Division I teams. Highland will have to watch out for Benny Quinonez, West’s biggest scorer.

The next game is on April 14 against Mountain View. Mountain View has not won a game in the 2010 season and this should excite Highland. Granted, they’ve only played two games this year, but Highland can use that to their advantage. Perhaps their lack of experience will help the Rams gain a win.

The Rams will play conference foe Oakley on April 21. Although they have a higher number of goals than Highland does, they have only won one out of the four games they have played. Their goalie, Ricky Wilson has a save percentage of .375, which is a lower percentage than Highland’s goalie, Mitch Harned’s percentage of .473. Hopefully Highland’s line of attack will land a few more goals than normal.

On April 30, Highland goes up against Murray. Murray is also in our conference, so this game is important. Similar to Highland, Murray has lost all the games in the 2010 season. The match up should be in our favor though because our experience level is a little higher. We have played one more game this season than they have.

For the last game in April, the Rams will play Highland’s rival East High. This will be Highland’s most difficult game of the month. East has already notched two wins and their goal count is high. Their highest scorer is Brent Poulson and their varsity goalie has a higher save percentage than Highland’s. Although it will be difficult, Highland can still pull it off. This game will likely determine seeding for playoffs, so it is a must win.

This month should be the month that the Rams get their first win and gain much needed momentum for the playoffs in May.

The game today against Lone Peak has been canceled due to poor weather. It is unknown if the game will be re-scheduled.

By Samantha Rich

Although the Highland lacrosse team is expected to do quite well in their region, their preseason games are not going as well as they hoped. Highland lost 10-0 to Judge Memorial on Tuesday afternoon at Granite High School.

Again, the Rams are dealing with injuries and it is affecting their game-play negatively. Malcom Peck and Jordan Strong were both unable to play in the game against Judge for various injuries. Matt De La Mare and Steven Jacobson were also sidelined due to injury forcing younger players to step up and fill their roles. However, the inexperience cost Highland as the younger players couldn’t perform like the older players.

Highland is still switching around the positions trying to utilize each individual’s skills to the best of their ability. Players that are accustomed to playing attack are being tried in the midfield position while middies are being tried on attack.

Granted, all of the teams that Highland has played against this year have had a little bit more experience—all of them played in a six-game tournament a few weeks ago. With a little bit more game time and experience, the team will continue to pull together and continue to improve.

Alex Farrell said, “We need to improve; learning from each game and learning from our mistakes.”

Hopefully the team’s positive attitude, the Rams will finally gain a win. Highland’s next game is at Lone Peak High School at 4:30 on Friday, March 26. Although it is a little ways away, just a few supporters can make all the difference.

By Samantha Rich

Losing 10-12, the Highland lacrosse team put up a good fight against Skyline on Saturday afternoon at Highland Park Elementary, but could not quite seal the deal.

With every game, Highland is getting better. Both the midfielders and the offense stepped it up and got ten goals past the Skyline goalie. Tyler Murphy and Porter Moffitt both had two goals, Alex Farrell had four and Austin Stevens and Maclean Piper both had one.

“I think that we are playing as more of a team, and finally learning how to play with each other. If we keep getting better every game, come April we will be unstoppable,” senior Maclean Piper said.

Although Highland finally started playing as a team and the offense picked up their scoring game, somehow Skyline snuck 12 goals past Highland’s goalie Mitch Harned.

At almost any point during the game, Highland had someone in the penalty box. The referee was calling penalties left and right, and the penalties ultimately cost Highland the game.

“We need to stay out of the penalty box. You can’t win a game with a man down the whole time,” Piper said.

Highland’s next game is on Tuesday at Granite High School against Judge Memorial. Highland has the ability to reach their first victory, but this will be a tough game. Come support, Highland High students!