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 Take the speed of hockey and mix it with the stamina of soccer and the agility of basketball and you’ve got lacrosse. It’s a fast-paced, action-packed game that requires coordination, agility, quickness and speed. Played with a stick, otherwise known as the crosse, players must master the throw, the catch and the scoop of the lacrosse ball, ultimately working to shoot the ball into the opponent’s goal. The game of lacrosse is one of the fastest growing team sports in the U.S., and West Ranch High School was the first in the William S. Hart School District to adopt the sport and become CIF-sanctioned. “Due to the efforts of Tony Palma and the West Ranch Lacrosse Board, we became a CIF sanctioned sport,” states Coach Paul Gordon.
The Wildcats, in their navy and gold, faired well during their inaugural season. “Our season was incredible,” states Coach Gordon. “It was filled with failure, success, growth and foresight into future development. I saw the players grow as an elite unit, ready for anything the game might throw at them.”
The team won their first game against Simi Valley on March 13, and also made history as West Ranch brought the first CIF sanctioned lacrosse game to the Santa Clarita Valley, ultimately bringing home a win as well. The team ended their inaugural season with an 8-7 victory after Wildcat sophomore, Garret Clark, scored the winning goal in the last seven seconds in triple overtime against Saint Francis. “That game embodied the quote I gave the guys early on from Winston Churchill’s speech Never Give In,” states Coach Gordon.
With a 6-9 record, the Wildcats finished eighth best among 12 teams in the league. “I think the recipe for success is the same in all you do,” states Coach Gordon. “Work hard, love humility, never give in, and trust the Lord with the rest…Coaching these boys is an honor and a blessing.”
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