With spring starting, lacrosse is right around the corner. Seniors are ready to pour it all out for their last season in high school, juniors are ready to step up, and underclassmen are taking big steps to make a difference.

As practice began last week, captains junior Drew Wilson, senior Ryan McCarthy, junior Aidan Peterson, and senior Sam Cioffi are taking charge of the field. Westford Academy will be looking to take on the DCL in their guaranteed 16 games. WA did not perform to par last season and is looking to make great strides this year.

“Our biggest goal is to have a better record than last year and to go further into the playoffs than we ever have in my previous years playing,” Cioffi said.

For McCarthy and Cioffi, this will be their last chance to make it past the first round. They made the postseason in their freshman and junior year, as they did not get to play sophomore year.

Earning the honor of captain isn’t something these four guys take lightly. It means becoming a leader on and off the field as well as being able to make a positive impact on the team.

“Being a captain [acting as] is an example for the younger guys and showing the respect that comes with coming from WA,” McCarthy said.

For Cioffi, Wilson, and McCarthy, this will be their ninth or 10th year playing lacrosse. With these seasoned veterans backing up the team, they are hoping to have a good backbone to propel the team forward.

Many high school athletes dream to go play their sport in college. In high school lacrosse, 12.8 percent of athletes will go on to play at the collegiate level, making it the most common sport to play in college. Many juniors like Luke Fremault and other underclassmen are looking to play at the next level.

“Playing college lacrosse has always been a dream for me and I hope I can gain a lot of college attention in my next two seasons at WA,” Fremault said.

Even though they may be young, freshmen and sophomores can make enormous impacts on teams at the varsity level.

“Eric Palmer, Fin Mckeon, Jack Donovan, and Nick Burns look like some stellar freshman that I’m excited to play with along with. They’re going to be some great additions on the field. Luke Fremault has been working all off-season to make a big impact on the field too,” Wilson said.

Like many sports last year, COVID-19 had an impact on the spring lacrosse season. In 2020, the team did not have the opportunity to compete, and in 2021, players had to wear masks and were not allowed to travel together. The loss of a sense of camaraderie when traveling together can really diminish a team’s chemistry. COVID-19 took away team dinners, bus rides, locker room excitement, and overall enjoyment.

“I can’t wait to have a normal season; one of the most impactful things that was really affected was the bus rides, which kind of degraded the team atmosphere,” Wilson said.

The Ghosts will be playing at Chelmsford on Saturday, April 2 at 11 a.m., to begin the season.

View the 2022 boys lacrosse game schedule here.