Boys’ Lax Slams Brewster and Tabor

The boys’ varsity lacrosse team played and won in two away games this week. The first was on Wednesday, and was against Brewster Academy. Big Red defeated Brewster with 13-7. Its second game was on Saturday, and was against Tabor Academy. Exeter triumphed over Tabor with a score of 14-4.

In both games, the team worked well together. Its their close bond that likely helped them to win the past two games and has contributed to the team’s strong record overall. Upper Jon DeBonis said, “There is a great team atmosphere and it’s awesome to be a part of such a talented group.” He added that this week’s games were “great team efforts, where we all played well and worked hard.”

Upper Seth Bowman said that senior Will Ayscue has “stood out as a leader on the bench.” He added, “His ability to energize and motivate the bench is unparalleled, and he is one of the loudest and most spirited voices from the sidelines.” Bowman said that lower Matt Hawke has distinguished himself with strong play on the field. Bowman said that Hawke has “been playing better and better each game.” He added that since adjusting to a new position, Hawke has “become a steadfast member of the defensive unit.”

DeBonis added that in the midst of the strong plays, the team has still faced challenges. He said the biggest challenge of the week for the team was to maintain its stellar record. The team currently has a season record of 9-1. DeBonis said that it was hardest for the team to “keep up the level of play we have been competing at for the entire season.” This standard of play has led Exeter to victory over some of the most skilled teams in the league, and has solidified itself as a formidable force on the field.

Bowman said that looking ahead for the rest of the season, the team is already preparing to play Deerfield Academy. The game will be played on Deerfield’s campus, and, recognizing this setback, Bowman said that “After a long bus-ride down to Deerfield, the team will have to be ready to face arguably the best team on our schedule.”

Although the team has triumphed in all but one of its games, it was reminded this week that it cannot become complacent. In the coming week it will play two more games on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, Big Red will take on Milton Academy in an away game, and on Saturday the team will play the Northfield Mount Hermon School at home.

DeBonis said that a lesson learned from this week’s games is that the team “needs to keep playing hard for the rest of the long season.” Bowman agreed that the week ahead would be challenging for Big Red to take on. He said that the team has never before in the season played back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. He said, “Being in the right mindset and ready to play both days is going to prove difficult, but the team will be up to the challenge.”