The Kinnelon Colts will be returning to the field for this year’s lacrosse season in no time. The boys and girls seasons begin in March. However, this has not stopped the student-athletes from gearing up for the Spring season ahead.

This year, both the boys’ and girls’ teams have already put a considerable amount of work into their training. After school, many students utilize the field to practice and run drills to help them prepare for the games ahead. 

Senior captain Sam Mortimer explained what exactly some of this training looks like for the team. “During the winter, we had a winter league through LSP where a bunch of the girls on the team played,” she said. “Through this league, the girls got back into the swing of things.”

Mortimer’s father also worked with the team on these skills and helped coach them. “We had speed and agility training on Tuesdays and Thursdays to condition, ” she said. 

In addition to these after-school training practices, Mortimer and fellow senior captain Kate Donaldson have been putting in the extra effort to build the strength of their team. They have dedicated time to captain’s practices where they worked on their stick skills and drills involving catching and throwing. The girls also worked on their shooting and dodging, which included a wall ball test, to get ready for the upcoming season. The wall ball test specifically consists of throwing the ball against a wall multiple times and catching it to work on control skills. 

Similarly, the boys have also shown dedication and worked on similar skill practices after school to get ready for this upcoming season.

Last year, the boys had a great season with their 15-3 record. Senior captains Jake Piccola and Ben Papendick have displayed initiative and dedication when organizing drills and practices for the team to help improve their skills overall. They are excited to step back onto the field this upcoming season.

The girls also played a good season last year, with their record being 13-7. The team played in the first round of the Morris County Tournament and also made it to the semifinals of the NJSIAA Tournament where they lost to Verona 13-5. This year, morale is high and the excitement is kicking in. The team can’t wait for the season to start. 

In terms of this being Mortimer’s last season with the Colts, she said, “The team is excited for the season, especially because we have a new coach.