The Forest Lake boys lacrosse team is eager to build back its program and turn some heads this year following a tough outing in the season prior, where the squad went 2-12 on the season and finished last in the tough Suburban East Conference.
First-year head coach Noah Fleming, who was an offensive assistant for the Rangers last season, will look to establish a consistent culture amongst his key returnees. In doing so, Fleming notes that the defense is the “strong suit” of the squad and is a “powerhouse” in terms of the talent they have in that specific skill group.
“I’m excited about the squad we have coming up,” Fleming said. “A lot of us were still pretty young last year, and I think the players developed over the offseason and developed chemistry with one another.”
Returners include a pair of attackers in sophomore Levi Hageman and junior Ethan Coleman, along with junior captain Preston Waage, on top of two key senior goaltenders in Wyatt Mate and Derek Dahnke. A defensive duo consisting of seniors Colby Christensen and Zack Wuotila are also athletes who can make a positive impact for Forest Lake this spring.
“We’ve got a lot of players who have grown a bunch since last year and hopefully this year, we put them into spots where they see even more success – so I’m beyond pumped,” Fleming said.
The biggest emphasis that Fleming is focused on now as head coach is the overall growth and building a positive team culture.
“Focusing on supporting each other and understanding that we are all playing together as one and having fun on the field – I’m a firm believer in if that takes place, then it’s going to equal more engagement at practices, and it’s going to help add some more wins in that column, which is important and huge,” Fleming said. “So, to get the team to grow together and play together, as well as to start capitalizing on the players we have to put them in the best positions possible – it’s going to equate to more success.”
In terms of how Fleming goes about his business as a new first-year head coach and what else he wants to establish: “One of the biggest things I’ve been preaching about to the guys this year is to be intentional with everything we do. That starts with the structure of our practice. We meet as a team before every practice, we watch film, we’ll talk about the plan and how we want to address certain things – everything we practice for is made with the intention of getting better in those areas.”
The biggest challenge for the Rangers, according to Fleming, is the first stretch of the season: “They need that challenge early on to showcase their true colors, and I’m excited because there’s a lot of games that I want back from last year, and the boys are excited too.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0