A modest 2-2 start to the season by the perennial boys lacrosse playoff power Yorktown Patriots is described as a “work in progress,” mostly on offense, by longtime head coach Greg Beer.
In those four high-school matches, Yorktown lost in overtime, 7-6, to defending Class 6 state champion Madison and to the always strong Robinson Rams, 8-5, and defeated Centreville, 14-1, and Oakton, 9-5.
Yorktown won the 2021 Class 6 state title and region crowns in 2021 and 2022, then was second in the region last spring to earn a state-tourney berth.
“We graduated seven of our top players on offense, so we are still trying to find our identity on offense this season,” Beer said. “We are still tinkering with our lineups. We have a lot of talent, so it will take some time on offense to figure out the right mix and have the right consistency.”
In the meantime, Yorktown’s best offensively player continues to be senior attack Hudson Greene, who will play lacrosse at Bowdoin College in Maine. Through four matches he had a team-high 12 goals with six assists.
In addition, Greene is now the all-time career team leader in points with 212, breaking Charlie Tiene’s mark of 210. He’s currently third in career goals with 121 and assists with 91, and could become No. 1 in each category by season’s end. The marks he’s chasing are 143 for goals and 106 for assists.
“Since Hudson’s sophomore season when he became a starter, he has been putting up big point totals each season,” Beer said.
Other top scorers for Yorktown through four games have been freshman Nate Randles (six goals, two assists), sophomore Eli Pilich (five goals, team-high seven assists)and Grant Stafford, Mason Wing and Roger Allenbaugh with two goals each.
Green and four goals and three assists and Pilich two goals in the win over Oakton. Green became the all-time points leader in that victory.
Allenbaugh, Stafford and Gray MacAulay netted goals in that win and Aidan Kalten had an assist and gathered four ground balls. Dylan Lefton had five ground balls.
Yorktown’s defense returns a number of key players and is led by senior goalie Hayden Whittington and senior defenseman Harry Larbalestier, who will play at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
Other senior defenders are Jackson Freeman-Moore, Addison Dana, Bryce Luncher, Max Myers and Aidan Kroon.
Whittington made 10 saves against Oakton.
“Our defense has been leading us,” Beer said.
Yorktown did not play any matches during spring break, then has a busy week with games April 2, 4 and 5.
The Patriots have a non-district match against an always strong Broadneck High team of Annapolis scheduled for April 20 at Stevenson University in Owings Mills, Md.
• The Wakefield Warriors have started the boys lacrosse season with a 4-3 record through spring-break invitational-tournament week of action. All have been non-district matches.
Wakefield’s Victories have been over Lewis, 16-1, Annandale, 10-3, Mount Vernon, 14-2, and Potomac, 11-1. The Warriors suffered a one-goal 7-6 loss against Alexandria City and lost to Falls Church and Meridian in other action.
