After finishing last season 9-10 overall, 4-3 in the Mid-Atlantic Conference and appearing in the inaugural DCSAA Lacrosse Championship Game, Sidwell Boys’ Lacrosse was looking forward to carrying momentum from last year into the 2023 season.

At the beginning of this season, however, all five team members from the Class of 2023 quit the team.

The seniors who decided to not play for their final spring season cited the time commitment as a deciding factor in their decisions.

With practices ending as late as 6:30 pm and almost 20 total regular and postseason games on the calendar, the commitment appeared to be overwhelming for the seniors who were already questioning whether or not to play this year.

Much of the team’s success last season was due to efforts from members of the graduating Class of 2022, two of whom went on to play Division III lacrosse at Hamilton College. Many members of the Class of 2023 who played for the team last year would have filled significant roles both on and off the field as captains.

Now, the captains are all juniors, with Bryce Griffith, Lucas Lopez-Forester, Kevyn Orr and Richard Greenberg leading the team.

At the start of the season, the team set many goals for themselves, particularly regarding the betterment of the team culture. They are looking to improve the social aspects of the team and to create a healthy environment for new players to grow.

Despite the roster changing dramatically, Head Coach Chris Cummings wants the team to continue bonding and striving for success. He believes that this year’s squad will be able to achieve the same successes as last year’s team by working hard and creating good team chemistry.

“Morale is actually very good after our first games,” sophomore Peppin Thomas said. By winning their first game of the season against Bishop McNamara, much of the doubt associated with the lack of senior leadership has been eliminated.

Thomas also spoke on the role of the juniors on the team: “Success really falls on the shoulders of the juniors now … [they] have really stepped into the captain roles and are doing a great job,” he said.

Sophomore Luke Borkowski agreed with Thomas.

“The morale is still surprisingly very high because we still have great positive leadership from all the juniors,” Borkowski said.