Overcoming A Challenge

With a final record of 3-15, the Malden High School’s boys lacrosse team has demonstrated nothing but stability, courage, and perseverance throughout this season. Being one of the most challenging sports that MHS offers, and one of the few sports without a youth team, they have grown dramatically since the beginning of the year, until the end of May, improving with every practice and every game.

Coach Brendan Maney admits how “they came together and they knew each other’s strengths and weaknesses. They learned to support each other. [They] had a lot of losses for anyone to endure but they showed tremendous grace in very difficult situations.

He also adds that “they never lost their cool, they never lost their temper, they demonstrated a great deal of maturity in a great deal of those difficult situations. This was their major accomplishment.”

Dedicated and team-reliant, working together and playing as a team has always been a passion for them. Because, as any sport requires dependence on others, trust and learning new techniques is a huge part of lacrosse. Sophomore Joseph Costa acknowledges how “It’s actually great learning from the juniors and seniors who have been a part of the program for a couple of years and learning from their past experiences. It teaches [him] a lot as a person and as a player, being an underclassmen on a varsity team.” Junior Captain Andy Tham says that “almost all [his] relationships are built off this sport. [He has] made friends with the entire lacrosse program.” Junior Brenno De Oliveira admits that this season has “definitely humbled some of [them]. [He] noticed a lot more modesty among [his] teammates.”

Compared to last year, the amount of underclassmen on the team has called for more growth and improvement through the team as a whole. “There [was] enough underclassmen. It may drive them to work harder between now and next March. That’s where [he] feel like it’s a little bit different, as soon as the season was over, a large number were already looking forward to next season” mentions Maney. As they are already thinking about next year, the boys will plan and set up for success.

As the seniors move forward from the high school sport, they have left behind their studied talent and advice with the team of juniors and sophomores. Senior Marino Dipietrantonio says how “[his] favorite memory has probably got to be the bus rides back home from away games, because no matter if [they] win or lose, [they] always have a good time on the way home.” Senior Ralf Jean claims his favorite was during “[his] sophomore year against Lynn, [their] only win of the season and [he] won every single face off. That was the best game of [his] life.”

Jean turns over some advice to the underclassmen and boys interested in joining the program in the future. “Never be discouraged,” says Jean. “No matter how hard it gets, just continue to push through. Out of all, that’s the most important, that’s the way to get better.” Maney has learned and experienced some things himseIf from the overall season and from the athletes themselves. “[He doesn’t] always see how much it means to them until it’s over, then [he] can see how much they’ll miss it, especially the seniors. In some ways [he guesses] they remind [him] that it does all matter to them very much, even though it doesn’t always appear to be that way” says Maney.