“All We Got All We Need”-A Resilient Heights (MD) Lacrosse Team

The 2024-25 Heights lacrosse team showed to be one of the best in program history, with talent producing on all levels. The pairing of experienced upperclassmen and talented younger guys was a working formula for head coach Boh Mitchell and his staff. Starting with the close defense, Owen James (Sr, D) was a menace on the field, taking on the assignment of facing off, man-up and locking down the best opposing player every game. Paul Anglade (Sr, D) was a physical force who did not not shy away from contact. JD DeLellis (Jr, D) was a player that did his job well with no complaints. Add Joe Mitchell (Jr, SSDM) and Mason Hemphill (Fr, LSM) up top and you had one of the better defenses in the WCAC. The offense was led by a mix of sophomores and seniors. Brendan James (So, A) is a player you have to watch for every game. Luke Chambers (Sr, M) is another player that welcomes contact while running over defenders and Grant Lanham (Sr, A) facilitates from the X spot. After a hot start, the team hit a rocky stretch in April, going 4-6 with tight losses to St. John’s, St. Albans, Gonzaga and Good Counsel during that period. 

When the Cavs have their offensive rhythm humming and their defense on lockdown, very few opponents stood a chance. However, when that was not the case, the results often did not fall in The Heights’ favor. On April 29th, the boys traveled to face a hot DeMatha squad on  their senior day who were riding a hot streak following a slow start to the season. The game was physical from the jump, with guys battling at the face off X and blowing up dodgers on the crease. After close calls and a few altercations, DeMatha went into half up 5-2. The Cavs came into the second half determined to change the tide, but playing a whole quarter of defense will cause any great defense to allow goals normally never given up. DeMatha gave up an early 4th quarter run but held on to win 11-6 to end the regular season.

The Cavs take the field for a big matchup against Good Counsel.

WCAC Playoffs. Heated rival Good Counsel led by a pessimistic head coach. That was all the Cavs could think of heading into a quarterfinal battle of evenly matched teams. The Falcons boasted a Yale and Maryland commit on offense, but James and Anglade held their ground when their team absolutely needed defensive stops the first go around. Defensive coordinator Rich Bartozzi implemented a hybrid man down look late in the season which stumped the opposing offenses. Good Counsel’s defense was largely porous in man coverage, forcing them into a zone look which could be hard to crack except with hard cuts to the crease resulting in defenders losing their attentiveness easily. The Heights looked to exploit this weakness, and with spirits riding high rolled into Good Counsel after a weather delay ready for a fight. The boosters showed out, and tensions were high from the opening face, and a tight 2-1 Falcons first quarter was followed by a 1 goal second quarter, bringing it to 3-1 at the half due to unlucky shots and turnovers. Nevertheless, the Cavs did not lose hope, and competed hard in the third, and almost closed it to a two goal game at the end with an Anglade shot from the parking lot that was off by 0.2 seconds. In the end, Good Counsel’s defense managed to get the better of the Cavs offense, and the Cavs defense folded towards the end of the fourth, prematurely ending what was thought to be a promising season in a 9-5 loss. 

Coach Mitchell stated multiple times this was the most talented team he has coached in years, maybe ever. You could go anywhere for a special highlight of the season, whether it was taking down top teams from different states, handing out new nicknames at practice, Owen James shattering The Heights’ all-time pole-goal record (27), a memorable Crescite week, or Anglade’s return to the field his senior year after many thought he would never play again due to an illness. This is a team that gained the respect and attention of other high caliber coaches and programs during the course of the season across the country. James brother highlight reels were being uploaded to popular networks like clockwork, allowing younger guys on the team to step into the spotlight as well. Chambers, Will Wright (Fr, M) and Nick Hill (So, M) elevated their offensive levels of production. Seamus Seaman (So, G) had one of the best goalie percentages in the conference (54.4%), and will lean on goalie coach Dave Diamond to continue to improve his game. The team looks to start off their 2025 campaign with NHSLS, the top high school recruiting tournament in the country, in June.