The Palo Alto High School boys’ lacrosse team (1-0-0) hopes to achieve greater success this season, after finishing 13-7-0 in consecutive seasons and being eliminated in the semifinals of the 2012 Santa Clara Valley Athletic League tournament .

The team got off to a good start this year, crushing Archbishop Mitty, 13-5, on Wednesday, Feb. 27, according to Max Preps.

Junior defenseman and co-captain James Harrison hopes to lead the team to a successful season and a SCVAL championship.

“Last year we made it to the semifinals, so we want to make it all the way this year,” Harrison said.

The loss of key players may make this goal more difficult to attain.  Several important players graduated, including Kris Hoglund, who tallied 42 goals and 24 assists last year, according to Max Preps.

“We did lose a few starters from last year,” Harrison said.  “The new guys should fill into the spots pretty well. We have some good freshmen out there and some depth in every position now.”

Junior midfielder Josh Stern said that the freshmen, including Matt Seligon and Cole Tierney, will play a big role in the team’s offense.

“They are already stepping up to the challenge,” Stern said.

With the help of these new additions, junior midfielder Fionn Ruder is confident in the team’s ability to put together a great season.

“We have been practicing hard the past few weeks,” Ruder said.  “As a team, we definitely have the potential to win the league championship.”

The Vikings’ next home game will be 7 p.m. on Monday, March 4, against Woodside (0-1-0).