Last year was good and this year will be even better.
That’s what girls? lacrosse Coaches Bill and Debbie Booth are predicting for the upcoming season. This will be the third year for Lake Orion High School’s lacrosse program, and the second that it’s under the athletic program.
In the first year, 39 girls tried out. Last year, 43. And this year, 52.
‘It’s pretty exciting,? said Bill of the 30 returning players, many of whom are coming up from the junior varsity team (14-2-1 last season). ‘All of our returning players worked really hard conditioning in the off-season.?
‘We finally have some experience.?
The Booths? expectation is to be ‘very competitive? in their division against teams like Clarkston, Rochester United, Rochester High School and North Farmington. They’ll also face four Oakland Activities Association Division One teams who are ‘very experienced?: Troy, Troy Athens, Bloomfield and Farmington.
‘Our first goal is for the girls to keep learning, be competitive and have a lot of fun,? Bill said. ‘Secondarily, we want to win more than we lose.?
Last year varsity was 6-10. This year, the coaches plan to reverse those numbers and finish with a 10-6 record. The Booths are looking to see big things come from returning players like Lindsay Butterfield, the team’s three-year starting goalie. Parker is the team’s two-year top scorer and Booth was selected for the OAA’s all-league team.
The program’s already produced four college-level players, like Chelsey Booth, who’s a starting freshman for Oakland University and will return to LOHS to coach the JV lacrosse team.
In looking to the future, the Bill and Debbie hope the program will continue to grow stronger with more and more players coming to varsity with experience.
‘We have 22 girls on JV team and 13 are freshmen. That’s very good for our program in the future ? we’re working toward classes of kids who will play four years,? said Bill. ‘It’s really encouraging getting that many young kids to come play. It’s very exciting for the program to have this many freshmen who have athletic ability.?
He says another reason to expect better teams is because the coaching staff is double what it was last year, Chelsey Booth and Reanna Douglas taking over the JV team.
This year’s season is already underway, as the girls took on Bloomfield United Friday, March 26. Lady Dragons were looking to take their first win until Bloomfield’s top scorer stole two goals in the last minute of the game, turning the final score, 12-11, in Bloomfield’s favor.
‘They stole the victory from the jaws of defeat,? said Bill, noting that he’s proud of the team’s performance. ‘We lost to Bloomfield United last year by 10 goals. This time, we played well and we played hard.?
Lake Orion point-getters included junior Ronnie Booth with four, senior and Captain Sarah Cech, junior Jessica Smude and junior Paige Hammerl, each with two, and senior Jodie Parker with one goal and one assist.