The Lakes lacrosse team is off to one of its best starts in program history with a fantastic record of 7-2. Most of the team’s main players are made up of this year’s senior class: Nick Waterman, Brayden Rank, Kellen Hardy, Lucas Smart, Owen Smart, Owen Bennett, and Feliciano Qattawi. Many of them have been playing together since U8 lacrosse.
That experience and chemistry have shown up on the field, especially within the offense. The ball movement has been quick, and the offense seems to know where each other will be without hesitation, allowing them to create more scoring opportunities for each other. In his senior season, Feliciano Qattawi is having the most productive season of his career because of how well the offense moves. He is averaging over 5 points per game and scored his 100th career goal.
“The offense’s spacing and movement is perfect, and because of this I’m scoring more than ever,” Qattawi said. “The offense we have allows me to play to my strengths like outside shooting and I’m having my best season ever.”
In tight games, that team chemistry has really shown, and helped the team stay composed. The boys have already won two shootout games against big opponents like Grayslake (11-10) and Deerfield (15-14). They rely on what they have built over the years and trust each other to make the right decisions.
“Most of this team has played together since they were little. I have never been a part of an offense that moves the way we move,” senior Brayden Rank said. “We know where each other is going to be, and this is the best the offense has been in years.”
Defensively, the communication has been a key factor, and it has almost been entirely led by goalie Nick Waterman. Waterman keeps the defense together, and when they fall apart, he is the last line of defense. He has come in clutch and has made some of the biggest saves of his high school career, including a game changing save with a minute left against Deerfield.
”I love the pressure, I have been making big saves since freshman year and to continue that throughout my whole lacrosse career and help lead this team to one of its best records of all time means a lot,” Waterman said.
The seniors also continue to set the tone in practices. With four of the seven seniors being defensive players, they approach drills with a certain level of physicality. Kellen Hardy, Owen Smart, and Owen Bennett have helped raise the level of play across the entire team with the way they practice.
“In practice, you don’t get ready for our defense, you try your best to survive it,” Hardy said.
With the seniors’ final season continuing to move forward, the focus remains the same: continuing their strong start, winning the conference, and ending with one of the best records in program history.
