On April 29, the Homestead Boys Lacrosse Team and the University School of Milwaukee Boys Lacrosse Team played each other. This game was significant for each team due to the intense rivalry between the two schools and the traditions surrounding it.
Each year, on the day of the game, players come to Homestead with cut-up, painted, or ripped jorts. Jackson Strzelczyk, senior, participated in the team’s tradition of wearing funky jorts the day of the match. Strzelczyk believes that this tradition helps to display the culture and brotherhood the team has.
“I love wearing jorts because it’s fun and you get to mess with the lower classmen with funky designs. It’s similar to an initiation for lower classmen who are new to the team,” Strzelczyk said.
Similar to Strzelczyk, Charlie Read, sophomore, enjoys the dress-up tradition and the culture it promotes.
“It was fun. It was a little awkward at times, but overall it was a fun time,” Read said.
Leading up to the game, the team had high spirits along with trust in their abilities and skills. Nate Urban, sophomore, was confident in the team’s and individual athletes’ abilities before the game.
“I’m excited for it. I think we are going to win tonight,” Urban explained in the hours before the match up.
The boys team had confidence in their ability to win and play well against University School of Milwaukee. Jack Weiss, junior, further demonstrated the team’s confidence in their skills and ability to defeat the University School of Milwaukee in his attitude before the game.
“The team spirit seems good today. They got us dressed up for today, in preparation for tonight, so it’s going to be a good game,” Weiss said.
The team’s confidence and preparation paid off as the team beat University School of Milwaukee with a final score of nine to six after an intense game. Homestead secured its position as the leading scorer early in the game and maintained this position for the rest of the match.
Strzelczyk took pride in how the team worked together to win the game and how their team culture played a role in leading the team to victory.
“I’m pretty stoked that we got the win. I feel like our energy [was] a lot better compared to the past… because it’s such a high-intense rivalry game,” Strzelczyk said.
