The regular season has officially wrapped up for the HSE Boys Lacrosse team, and the road to another state title begins May 24 with their first tournament matchup against Westfield. As four-time champions and the reigning state titleholders, the Royals are determined to secure back-to-back championships and their seventh overall appearance.
Head Coach Scott Beesley is preparing his team with a new mindset going into the postseason.
“A dangerous mentality” Coach Beesley said. “We believe that we can compete with anybody in the state, but we just need to be consistently dangerous”.
After previous years of flying under the radar and being slept on by other teams, winning the 2024 championship launched them as one of the top dogs in the state. High level practices featuring offense in white and defense in blue drills causes friction in practice, fostering the intensity needed to thrive under pressure of game day.
“We should be our stiffest competition” Coach Beesley added. “So, if we are playing at our best in practice then games should be really fun because of how competitive our practices are”.
That internal culture has become the team’s cornerstone.
“When it comes to game time it’s just easy” varsity player David Gould said. “We have adapted this culture throughout the years and that’s been pretty much the catalyst of why we win so many state championships”.
Heading into the tournament, HSE is preparing for a tactical battle with Westfield. Known for their methodical, zone-heavy approach, Westfield tends to slow the game down, a vast contrast to HSE’s fast-paced style. The Royals know patience and ball security will be key.
“We haven’t played against that at all during the season” Gould stated. “Just practicing against it during practice has thrown a wrinkle into our offense, but we will be good”.
With their eyes set on reclaiming their state title, the Royals are focused and confident heading into the quarterfinals.
“It’s never about the game that they’re playing, their goal is always to get to state” Katherine Wright, a girls lacrosse player and sibling of an HSE Boys Lacrosse alumnus said. “They’re going to show up and show out for every game they can.”
