Shaven Heads and A Head Coaching Debut

The 2022 Heights Lacrosse Crescite was memorable in a lot of ways. The team took a road trip to Durham, North Carolina after they decided to go there instead of Florida. The team left on Sunday, February 28th. It started off by freshmen getting their heads shaved that night by seniors and juniors. Seamus Walsh particularly had a blast violating kids so bad they did not want to be seen by anyone. Suddenly there were a lot of hats and hoodies being worn a lot. There were some freshmen, especially “The Friar” Luke Chambers, who owned it the whole week. Others locked themselves in their rooms during free time. The haircuts were on Instagram Live. It was demoralizing to the freshmen. Monday-Friday consisted of 7 practices, Ash Wednesday Mass, a scrimmage-practice against Durham Academy, and a game vs. STAB. On Monday, there were two practices. The first was 10-11:30 am., and the second was 3:30-5 pm. On Monday, after the second practice, the team invaded Walmart on the way back. Shelves were cleared of Nerf guns, protein and energy drinks, and candy. There was also a chalk talk at 8pm. On Tuesday, they had the first practice as scheduled. The second practice was at Durham Academy, where the team practiced and scrimmaged with one of the top teams in the area. After that, they headed to High Point University, where High Point took on Duke. It was a great game until the last whistle, where a little scuffle broke out. Duke won 18-14. A few of our players were getting sprints in while they tried to get High Point T-shirts from a guy in the stands. They ended up getting the shirts. Dinner proved to be an issue, because fast food restaurants were not allowing people in, presumably because of COVID-19 regulations. Therefore most of the team did not eat anything that night, although some tried to make the Kraft mac & cheese at the hotel, which most failed miserably at. Wednesday consisted of two normal practices and a mini-weight room session led by junior captain Jack Hermes. It also included Ash Wednesday Mass, which was led by kindergarteners. The 8th graders in attendance could not stop laughing at the freshmen’s haircuts. Thursday had one practice from 10-11:30 am., and then the team went to Frankie’s Fun Park at 2:15. Coach Dave Diamond took on seniors Seamus Walsh and Tommy Gross in go-karting, along with others. The team completely raided one game for about an hour and fifteen minutes, with kids checking in and out to help out. Coach Diamond spent $200 on this game alone, which resulted in at least 20,000 tickets. The man who had to carry all of these tokens, cards, and tickets was junior Graham Staedler. The team ended up selecting a LED sign that says Gameroom and a huge stuffed unicorn named Pegasus at the end of the day. On Friday, the team had a walk-through practice from 10-11:30 am., and then they had a game at 6:45 pm vs. St. Anne’s-Belfield School, which is located near Charlottesville, VA. It was a very close and chilly game, but the Cavs pulled through, especially Tommy Gross with several clutch saves late in the 4th, to win it 8-7. There were celebrations in the vans and at the hotel. Some suggested going to a next-door restaurant to celebrate, but that idea was quickly put to rest. The freshmen also got the chance for the rest of their hair to get shaved off. Most accepted. The Friar was not one of them. It was a big win for new Head coach Boh Mitchell in his debut. The defense is something to be proud of, and they are expected to produce big this season, with a D1 goalie in command. The offense has

been one of the best second-half offenses in the WCAC this season so far. The next day, the team headed back to The Heights, and got back around 4:45 pm. It was memorable start to the season. Just a daily reminder that there is a MANDATORY ATTENDANCE WARNING on TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH VS DEMATHA and former head coach and Heights graduate Dave Mitchell. Brother vs brother. BE THERE. Cancel any plans you have. No homework excuses.