A year ago, Homestead introduced lacrosse as a new sport for its students. This spring, the coaches and players are returning for another season on the field and another opportunity to continue building the foundation of the lacrosse program.

Mike LaValle, head coach of the boys team, has high hopes for this season. Beyond simply wanting to win, he aspires to “help build the character and disciplines of our young men that they will, hopefully, one day benefit from outside of sports,” and “to continue building the lacrosse program at Homestead where we can be perennial winners.”

As lacrosse is a relatively new sport at Homestead, the formation of a strong program may seem to be a difficult task. Conversely, LaValle reassures that “the largest obstacles we face are earning the respect of our opponents and the support of our school and community.” A large number of the team has played in local co-op team Ozaukee Lacrosse and has carried what they learned there over to Homestead’s turf.

The boys are preparing for their first game on March 23. Both the JV and varsity teams will be playing in this doubleheader at Waukesha West High School. Owen Robbins, junior, notes that they “have a fast offense, strong defense, and hopes for a state title.”

The girls team is also gearing up for the journey ahead. Rather than creating the traditional varsity and junior varsity teams, the coaching staff decided to create two JV teams, JV I and JV II. Head coach Heidi Koeger said this decision was made “in order to encourage success in game situations as well as encourage the growth of the players.”

On March 29, the girls JV II team plays their first game at home against Arrowhead High School. The following week on April 4, the JV I team will also play Arrowhead at home. Rachel Writz, junior, expresses her excitement “to come back years into the future and see how the program has progressed after being a part of it at the start.”

Koeger sees the lacrosse program’s relative newness as an amazing opportunity. “It allows those who may have never played a sport before to learn the game and build a strong skill set compared to an established sport where that opportunity may not be there,” Koeger said.