Steamboat Springs boys lacrosse had one objective on Thursday, April 13. The only thing the boys cared about was winning.

The team had suffered its second loss of the season and first league loss on Tuesday, April 11, against Vail Mountain but bounced back convincingly with a 13-1 victory over Summit on Thursday. 

“That loss on Tuesday was tough for all of us,” Steamboat freshman Lyle Henninger said. “We were going into the game with high hopes, we knew it was going to be a battle but it did not go our way.”

Henninger said the team emphasized having an aggressive start to Thursday night’s game and the Sailors were able to muster eight goals in the first quarter while blanking the visiting Tigers. Henninger had two of those goals.

The lead gave head coach Brian Rodgers the opportunity to cycle more of his players into the game. Some of his veterans have been sidelined with sickness and injury.

“We had to really make sure that we’re making the most of our time, focusing on being productive and being mindful that we have to heal, too,” Rodgers said. “Our entire starting attack is out right now and we have to get healthy again.”

Getting more players on the field for valuable minutes was big for Rodgers and the team. Everyone was able to work on some in-game fundamentals while gaining experience for a playoff push. 

Through 10 games, the Sailors have a +64 point differential, meaning the team averages a win by 6.4 points per game. 

Steamboat now sits 8-2 on the year with a 6-1 league record. It will maintain its top seeding in the 4A Western league heading into spring break. The team will host optional practices all week long as it prepares for the second half of the season. 

First up out of the break will be a road game against Glenwood Springs on April 25. 

“We knew we were going to have a tough week of games between Glenwood, Vail Mountain school and finish up with Summit,” Rodgers said. “Now we have 10 days off for spring break and then we come back and line it back up with Glenwood, Vail Mountain school and Aspen.”

Steamboat Springs 13, Summit 1
SS 8 3 1 1
S  0 0 1 0