Following a season in which the Pirates went 3-13, boy’s lacrosse is revitalized for the 2016 spring campaign that begins this morning against Lower Cape May.
After starting 2-0 last year the Pirates lost a handful of starters to injury and never recovered, losing the next 10 games before winning for the first time on senior night.
This season marks the fifth year for the program at the varsity level and it could be shaping up to be the best yet.
Head coach Craig Angelini has his biggest roster yet and is excited to see what all the new players can bring to the program.
“It is very nice to have a group of young guys that self-identify as lacrosse players. It’s nice to have that enthusiasm in the younger grades.”
Angelini offered his thoughts on how the program has been able to add players over the past two seasons.
“Lacrosse is growing in the area and has been for a decade, maybe two decades now. I’ve been putting on some clinics for the young guys after the season, which has been helping,” Angelini said.
“I’ve been getting some of our alumni playing in college to come back. Having older guys attend the younger practices helps. We have a very close relationship with the in-town club. That’s been helpful.”
Despite the 3-13 record, the Pirates were in every game except for a few. Cinnaminson played in two overtime games, losing both.
“We played scrappy last year. From a manpower standpoint, we were undermanned. We got into injury trouble early in the season. That was largely the difference between hanging in the game and being able to win the game,” Angelini explained.
“We went down four starters last year by the second or third game and we didn’t have the depth to hang after that in terms of scoring goals. This is definitely revitalizing having more numbers. If we lose some guys we have other guys who can fill the spots.”
Angelini believes that the attitude surrounding the program and within the program has reached a new level.
“I think the strong part has been the attitude. Everybody’s been working towards the same goal. This was the first season where I had people show up for the winter lifts. The entire team showed up.”
“I was able to get kids to play in a fall league. I was able to get kids to play in winter ball. From an attitude standpoint, the team has been hungry and working hard. I couldn’t be more happy with that aspect of things.”
Angelini knows how hard the program has worked each year to build itself up and hopes this year’s seniors lead by example for the younger players.
“I want the seniors to keep a positive attitude; to convey a solid work ethic with these guys and a winning attitude. Our mantra has been ‘hard work pays off.’ If things don’t go our way, we’re going to work harder. Keep our noses down and work hard.”
Cinnaminson plays a very tough schedule from opening day to the final regular season game and Angelini likes it that way.
“You have to play the competition. We’ve never tried to schedule just for wins. We’ve always tried to schedule to see the level of play, to grow to that level,” Angelini said.
“Ultimately, the goal is not to be a big fish in a small pond, but to teach these kids how to play at the highest levels of the high school game and compete at the highest levels of the high school game. When I started playing I was thrown into the fire and that’s the way I learned. That’s what I’m trying to emulate here with these kids.”
The boy’s lacrosse team begins its 2016 campaign this morning at home against Lower Cape May at 11am. Follow Cinn City Sports on Twitter for live updates throughout the game.
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