By Bruce Karnick

[email protected]

The Hastings girl’s lacrosse team opened the season against a co-op team of Henry Sibley and Gentry Academy. The two schools combined because, alone, they do not have enough players to field a team. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Gentry Academy is a private school that focuses on sports development along with leadership, and academics. Gentry academy has roughly 200 students fifth through twelfth grade and they focus on four sports, hockey, golf, dance, and, you guessed it, lacrosse.

This specialization by players from the Warriors gave them a 1-0 lead 29 seconds into the start of the game. By the time the first five minutes had clicked off the clock, the Warriors had scored five times and they held a 15-0 lead at the half.

Hastings had a few offensive opportunities, but the Warriors stifling defense quickly stopped the Raiders attack.

“We start the season with three really tough opponents,” Raider Head Coach, Corwyn Berg said after the game.

“I’m just proud of these girls, they never quit, and they kept a positive attitude the whole game,” added Berg.

The positive attitude was obvious watching the girls walk off the field. None of them looked down even though the final score was 24-0.

The game may have ended in a way no one on the blue and gold wanted, but the night ended with an off the field act that was super cute and made the girls smile even more. Player Breck Newman was walking off with teammates when fellow Raider athlete Sam O’Connor was walking on. Newman knew something was up because classmates were filming, and a newspaper reporter was taking pictures. For the record, the kids asked, and I was 1000% down to support them with this.

O’Connor had the biggest, cheesiest grin on his face as he opened his sign to ask Newman to prom. Of course, she said yes. The friends and teammates all cheered and the two hugged. Good job Sam! Have fun at prom you two!

The Warriors may have scored 24 times in 40 minutes, but the students earned a victory where it counts. Instead of arguing with each other and pointing fingers, the Raider ladies held each other up and said, ‘we’ll get better because of each other’ and young adults were able to still be young adults and do cute things to earn a date for prom surrounded by friends. That is a win if there ever was one.