On Feb. 26, the Bonita Vista High (BVH) Barons boys’ varsity lacrosse team faced the Monte Vista High (MVH) Monarchs. The Barons would sweep the Monarchs in an 18-1 beatdown, getting their first victory of the season.
In the previous week, the team lost their home opener to the San Diego High (SDH) Cavers in a close 9-10 match. Head coach Peter Locke explains how the team’s initial loss was a result of missing key components in their play structure, and how he believed that the team would find success once those components were put back into place.
“[In our previous game] we were five starters down. So to lose a game that close with all of the players that we had missing, I wasn’t really too mad about it,” Locke said. “But this week, since we have our guys back from [low] grades and injuries, the team played really well and the game went how it went.”
The first quarter had a slow back-and-fourth start that was quickly interrupted by BVH as they earned two consecutive goals. The Barons would only pile onto their lead as midfielder, attacker, team captain and senior Caden Ada-Tannehill (3) steals the ball from an unaware Monarch, then trudging downfield and passing to attacker and junior Adam Garcia (5) for a quick goal in motion. Garcia’s score would set a precedent for how the Barons’ defensive dominance over the middle of the field would result in quick scores and offensive prowess.
“Our defense has been great and is definitely loaded with talent,” attacker and freshman AJ Gomez (34) said. “They have been great at clearing the ball and passing to other defenders and letting them transition to offense,”
A key aspect of the Barons’ fluidity on the field was their constant communication with each other and Locke. There was never a quiet moment on the turf, with every player making sure to call “man” or “ball” to ensure clean plays and to avoid haphazard mistakes throughout the whole game.
“Communication is the main thing in lacrosse because we always need to be talking and have an understanding of where everyone is on the field. If we didn’t talk then we would be lost and not know what to do, so having good communication is key in keeping the game going,” defender and senior Robert Pike (13) said.
The first quarter would come to an end with long stick midfielder and senior Xavier Apodaca (24) scooping a ground ball and throwing to Gomez, who explodes through a group of MVH defenders before slamming the ball into their goal. Gomez goes on to share how his prior experiences as a football player helped him easily adapt to the rough nature of lacrosse.
“Football was my first sport, and when I stopped playing for a brief period, my dad found [out about] lacrosse and had me start. I felt like I could use my whole body with lacrosse because the contact-heavy gameplay from football transferred into lacrosse pretty easily,” Gomez said.
BVH would not rest going into the second quarter, quickly putting two points onto the board before returning to a slower back-and-forth pace with the Monarchs. The pace would peak once again when midfielder and defender Damien Nunes (11) threads the needle through the opposing defense and throws a high-speed bullet past the MVH goalie. Nunes’ goal, as well as the team’s performance as a whole, would leave MVH shaken, resulting in the Monarchs calling for a time out.
“In beatdown games like this, we use this time as an opportunity to focus on what we need to work on. Games where we start with so much fuel can often devolve into shootouts that don’t improve us as a team, and we really focused on avoiding that trap,” Locke said.
MVH would gain hope towards the end of the quarter when one of their attackers slips through the Barons’ midfielders. Looking for an open shot, the Monarch would be surprised with an enclosing wall of Barons who suffocate the player like the lid of a pan to a bewildering grease fire. With offensive and defensive units of the team playing in full form, BVH would end the half with an eleven point advantage over their adversaries.
“Defense was really good at clearing the ball, we never had any issues with that tonight. We always cleared the ball from the other team’s offense and gave it back to our team, and I feel like that was a really big factor in today’s game,” Pike said.
Early in the second half, MVH is still unable to find a solution to BVH’s scheme. The Barons’ consistent system of a highly productive offense and formidable defense allows for them to score four more times in the twelve minute period. Pike states his appreciation of the offense’s efficiency whenever the defense would hand them the ball.
“Offense really brings our team together because although our defense prevents scoring, our offense is what produces the scores that we need to win. The way our offense moves the ball around and shoots so well is amazing, especially tonight,” Pike said.
With only a quarter to go before the end of the game, BVH would slip and allow for MVH to get one point on the board, eliminating the hopes of a shutout. Despite this incredibly minor setback, the Barons would still get three more points out of the game, ultimately concluding the match with an 18-1 victory.
“This is a really good team that we have this year. Although we lost some key players from last year, I still have high hopes for how we can perform this year. We are doing really well right now, and I’m looking forward to and hoping to go to CIF and win Metros again this season,” Pike said.
