Written by Roberto McGowan
Even though the Harding Lacrosse team is relatively new, it has grown accustomed to winning; but this season has been different.
In the 2005, 2007 and 2008 seasons the lacrosse team won the Great Rivers Lacrosse Conference championship. The Bisons started the 2009 season ranked number one in the GRLC by the coaches in the annual pre-season poll held at the conference meeting in St. Louis. Unfortunately for the Bisons, the pre-season rankings were not indicative of things to come.
In the 2009 season, the Lacrosse team lost six All-Conference seniors, including Branden Riley. Riley played Lacrosse at Harding for four years and was a two-time All-American and an All-Conference honoree. Riley said there were 25 members on the team in his freshman season.
“There wasn’t a lot of talent, but we still won conference,” Riley said. “Now there are only 13 members on the team, and everybody has to play the whole game.”
Riley is now the assistant coach and said, “It’s very difficult to watch the team struggle knowing you can’t suit up and help.”
Riley said that the team had very high expectations and were not used to losing, and because of that that this year has been a big shock.
The team goals coming into this season were to make the playoffs, but the team has since had to re-evaluate and just wants to make it through the season.The team went from being pre-season number one to a 3-3 record with a couple of games left and already eliminated from the GRLC championship. Riley said the lacrosse team has accepted its fate for this season and is now looking forward to finishing the season strong and returning to its winning ways next season. He said since there was a shortage of players, the team was forced to start players with no previous lacrosse experience.
Starting players with no experience can be disastrous, but Riley said he thinks it may have worked out just fine. Junior Nick Peirce has scored 10 goals this season, and junior Scott Foster caught on fast.
“Foster may not be the best shooter, but he faces-off well and is very intelligent,” Riley said.
Riley said once they realized this team would not be as good as previous teams, they decided to use the rest of the season to improve. Sophomore Andrew Boyd said he will be returning next season.
“Our team is the size of most team’s bench,” Boyd said, “but we still make it happen. It’s funny to see how sometimes we are still out running other teams in the fourth quarter.”
Boyd said he feels like all of his teammates care about the game and want to win, especially since each player has to pay a $500 fee just to be on the team.
“Everybody asks what social club I’m in, and I say the lacrosse club,” Boyd said
There will be some big changes to the Lacrosse team after this season. Head Coach Mark Bates will step down and turn over his duties to Riley. Seniors Ryan Boyd and Chris Hamilton will be leaving the team. Hamilton will rejoin the team as a coach. Hamilton said he has enjoyed playing at Harding, and he had some of his best memories on the bus rides and sleeping in church pews.
“I have always wanted to coach,” Hamilton said, “and I think the transition will be natural.”
Riley said he hopes that having two coaches with high levels of experience will have a huge pay off next season.
