The Palo Alto High School boys’ lacrosse team is adjusting to recent changes in coaching and the loss of last year’s seniors in order to come out strong for the 2014 season.
The team lost key starters from last year but is confident it can fill in the lost spots, according to senior midfielder Tully McCalister.
“We lost a lot of seniors but we have a lot of returning juniors, seniors now, so we should be decent,” McCalister said.
Senior defensive midfielder Zach Rizk echoed McCalister’s feelings going into the season.
“I for one am really excited for this season to start,” Rizk said. “I know we will have a solid team coming into the season.”
Aside from adjusting to new roles for senior leaders, the team has had to adapt to the ways of their new coach, DJ Shelton, according to senior defender Josh Stern.
“I think my goals as well as the teams goals are to come out strong and definitely capitalize on what we had going last year,” Stern said. “We lost our head coach, but I think that Shelton has a lot in store for this season.”
Energy is one of the main things that Shelton brings to the team, according to McCalister.
“He’s a nice guy, he’s young and he has a lot of energy,” McCalister said. “He brings good energy to the field.”
The Vikings are feeling confident going into the De Anza League season, according to Rizk.
“We are looking pretty stacked up against the league and it looks like it will be us against Sacred Heart in the final,” Rizk said.
The team is looking to go far into the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League tournament, improving on last year’s overall record of 15-6, according to Rizk.
“I expect a good run to SCVAL championship games this season,” Rizk said. “We’ve lost in the semis the last couple of years and we are hoping to change that this season.”
The Vikings begin their season Saturday at the Los Altos High School Jamboree. The first home game of the season is at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4 against Woodside High School.
“I think that we have enough depth on our team to get the job done,” Stern said.