Lax Bro Quartet

The boys’ varsity lacrosse team is truly one big family. For the first time in Exeter’s history, there are four sets of brothers out of the thirty-four athletes. Upper David Ayscue and senior Christian Ayscue, prep Jason Corcoran and senior Forrest Corcoran, senior Jack Russ and prep Charlie Russ, and senior Stefan Soucy and prep Bryce Soucy make up the four historic pairs.Having a brother on the team can make the athletes stronger, either by being a role model to a newer member or being able to accept tips from an older sibling. Jack Russ uses his younger brother as a motivation to do his best, in order to show his brother what he can do.“I’d say having a younger brother helps my performance, due to the fact that I want to set a good example,” Jack Russ said. “I want him to see me putting in effort and doing the right things. It’s definitely a hope that I’m a role model to my younger brother.”Charlie Russ also enjoys having his brother on the team with him. He maintains, however, that there are some drawbacks to the family connection, especially with having a talented older brother, who has been on the team for a long time before Charlie joined.“Having a brother on the team can be great, but hard,” he said. “Everyone on the team instantly knew me because of Jack, and I had some expectations to live up to. An advantage of having a bro is that he will help you out with technique and form, and I learn from his mistakes.”Charlie also thought that the sibling aspect of the team helped the athletes.“Having brothers in the team gives a great new dynamic to the team,” he said.The coaches also notice the special element that having a brother on the team adds for the athletes, noticing the similarities between the siblings, and what it adds to the team overall.When describing Forrest Corcoran as a captain and an athlete, head coach Eric Bergofsky said that, “He’s the kind of guy who’s the first on the field and the last off the field. He’s been that way since he was a ninth grader. He has the additional pleasure of having his younger brother as a brand new prep on the team, and his brother is showing the same kind of traits that Forrest did.”Jason Corcoran appreciates the connections to his teammates that he has been able to forge due to having Forrest on the team, a senior and captain who has spent four years as a part of Big Red varsity lacrosse.“Having a brother on the team is great because all of my brothers’ friends, who I kind of knew, are on the team and are really helpful,” he said. “Before lacrosse started, I knew Chris Keating, and it made him all that much more approachable.“Having Forrest on the team really bridges the gap between the grades,” he continued. “Forrest and his friends joke around with me, and his friends do too, and they joke around with my friends, and we all have a lot of fun with each other.”The Corcorans grew up playing lacrosse together, and Jason watched Forrest develop as a player on Exeter’s team, picking up tips and tricks when he went to cheer the team on at games. Being a part of the Big Red team with each other was the next step in their relationship as athletes and as brothers.“I would play with my brother and try to guard him as a kid, so I would get a lot of great practice and learn a lot of great things from him,” Jason said. “Also, seeing my brother’s games, I would try to emulate the things that the Exeter defensemen did successfully.”The Ayscues are not only on the varsity lacrosse team together, but are also both members of Exeter’s boys’ varsity football team. In lacrosse, the two both play different positions and have limited time together in practice; on the football team, however, they are both primarily defensive players, and spend a lot of time practicing and playing with each other.David Ayscue appreciates the familial feeling of the team, especially when parents, with two sons on the team and double the reason to attend the games, come to watch, cheer on Big Red, and supply much deserved after-game treats to the athletes.“It gives it a nice community feel,” David said. “The parents with two kids on the team will come up and tailgate. The brother to brother support is good.”These four sets of brothers have led the team to a 10-4 record so far this season, and they all look to continue their success in their final few weeks together.