BLAX sharpen defensive focus

Finishing 19-3 and earning a share of the KingCo league crown would seem to indicate a successful season for Mercer Island boys lacrosse.

But after missing the state tournament’s semifinal round for the first time in 15 years, coach Ian O’Hearn and his players don’t quite see last year’s finish that way.

“It was a disappointment. Absolutely 100 percent, no gray areas, a disappointment,” O’Hearn said.

“We broke the state record last year for goals in a season, so we had the highest scoring offense in state history, and we didn’t make it past the quarterfinals. We were pretty upset.”

Looking for a more balanced effort on both sides of the ball, the Islanders aim to not only make it back to the state semis this spring, but seek the team’s first state title since 2011.

They plan to do so returning half of last year’s starting roster, and while graduating 12 seniors last year, O’Hearn believes this year’s squad boasts a deeper lineup than last season, citing stronger team chemistry.

“Our units are pretty special in that we don’t play on any other club teams,” senior Brett Bottomley said. “Whenever we go to a tournament or play in the summer, we’re getting better, but our team is also getting better because we’re always playing together all year round.”

Among those returning are senior captains Bottomley, Kiernan Coles and Evan Condon. Both Coles and Condon are committed to play Divison I lacrosse next year, while Bottomley is committed to play Division III lacrosse.

Acknowledging a state championship is the team’s goal every year, the Mercer Island captains know the team must improve defensively if the Islanders hope to contend for a state title.

“Something we all talk about a lot is defense, and it’s just a fact defense wins championships in every sport,” Coles said. “The main focus now is to get our defense to the top tier and just play to the best of our abilities.”

Standing in the way will be reigning champion Bellevue, coming off its third-straight championship but also graduating some of last year’s talent, and last year’s runner-up Issaquah. Mercer Island, Bellevue and Issaquah all tied for last season’s league title.

“We’re not looking past Bellevue, but we definitely see Issaquah as our main opponent,” Condon said. “We know they lost in the finals last year and we know that they’re going to want [a state championship] just as much as we do.”

Girls lacrosse captains Holly Waggoner and Hannah Paborsky (Joseph Livarchik/Staff Photo).

GLAX sees growth in numbers, ambition

Last season, Mercer Island girls lacrosse didn’t have to worry about getting into the game; they had to worry about subbing out. Due to a low turnout, the Islanders were often without replacement players. This year, they’re reaping the benefits of a large freshman class.

“We’re definitely in better shape than we were last year,” coach Liz Shields said. “We lost four seniors, but we only had 13 kids on varsity. Now we have 19 on varsity and 25 on JV.

With a full roster, the Islanders are aiming for a top five finish at the state tournament.

“I’d be really happy if we could get fourth place at state,” captain Hannah Paborsky said.

The Islanders will have their work cut out for them right off the bat: two of their first three games are away, opening against powerhouse Bainbridge Island at Bainbridge and traveling to Seattle to take on Lakeside. But the senior captains don’t plan on shying away from the competition.

“I’m hoping to dominate,” captain Holly Waggoner said. “I think the first game, we’ll see where we need to build on, but I want to come off the first game capable of beating the next two teams.”

The Mercer Island captains said the team struggled in the midfield last season due to lacking a true center, and with a young team, the Islanders will have to continually work on their lacrosse IQ, like when to push the tempo and when to run time off the clock.

“I think throughout the course of the season last year, we improved a lot,” Paborsky said. “Hopefully we can continue building on that this season.”

“We definitely have a strong team chemistry from girls playing together in middle school all the way up to senior year in high school,” Waggoner said.