Playoff Time

We are in the midst of one of the most memorable and magical times that a lacrosse player encounters. The High School playoffs. Seasons end and memories that last a lifetime are formed. A friend of mine was lamenting to me the other day about a shot he took a decade ago. He pinged a shot off the post on a man up opportunity that he felt would have changed the outcome of the game. It sounded like he took the shot an hour ago. Listening to him talk about it brought back a string of memories about playing in the sectional tournament and how my High School career ended.

We got beat by a better team. Skaneateles (Pronounced Skanny Atlas) was just too much for our team. But that’s not what I remember.

I remember the wet field conditions. The infield dirt they put down to make the crease playable. I remember the first goal I let up. Their coach’s son beat me near side on a partial screen. I remember trying to make a save in the second quarter and losing my footing on the infield dirt. I can still feel my quad muscle tearing. I swear I heard the popping noise it made. I stood up and whispered to my best friend Craig, who was our teams best close defenseman (All- Central New York) “We have a problem”. So I played the rest of the game dropping to my knees on low shots because that’s all I could manage. I made some saves but my injury was obvious and it was an effort in vain. It was painful to go out like that. It was the hardest thing I had ever done on a lacrosse field. I showed everyone including myself how much the team meant to me. That was a great feeling. After helping me to the bus Craig turned and asked: “What’s the smile about?”

That is the point. Have fun. The playoffs are a big pressure cooker but enjoying the game and your teammates and just doing your best can be the steam release. I could smile after the game because I knew I gave it everything I had. I felt like I lost us the game and ended our season. It felt awful. But I knew I left every little bit on that field.

My quad still gets tight when I ride in a car for too long. It certainly gives me something to think about on the road. If you have had a similar experience (hopefully less painful) Please share it with us in the comments section.

Have fun with this season’s playoffs. Do your best because you will never forget them.