On Tuesday, March 23, the RM Boys varsity lacrosse team won their season opener against Gaithersburg High School with a score of 11-6. The team’s hard work over the off-season, solid teamwork, and stellar execution gave RM a decisive edge over Gaithersburg, which enabled them to bury their opponents 8-1 in the first half, and to stifle Gaithersburg’s attempted comeback in the second half.

In the words of one varsity player, the team started preparing for the 2016 season “pretty much since the last one ended”. These off-season workouts, led by the RM head coach Steve Puhl and Thomas Fonseca, the father of one of the players, consisted of technical skills and situational awareness, and were one of the reasons that the RM rockets were able to hit the ground running this year.

“We all worked together as a team to beat Gaithersburg,”  said senior captain Noah Ventimiglia. The strong brotherhood of the Rockets is one of their biggest assets, and this showed up on the field. “I felt like I could depend on everyone on the team to do what they needed to do and when someone needed help there was someone there to help out,” Ventimiglia added. It goes without saying that teamwork is the essential component in team sports, and the Rockets showed that in spades on Tuesday.

By far, the largest aspect of the Rocket’s victory was their execution on the field. Ventimiglia scored 5 goals of the 11 goals. Senior captain Ben Rosenberg and sophomore midfielder Noah Lee were also major producers on offense. Junior goalie Bowen Ren was also a key member of the team, making some spectacular saves to hold the Trojan’s defense to just six goals.

The defense also put up a phenomenal show. Led by senior captain Nathan Serway and junior captain Josiah Belfon-Valentine, the members managed to foil most of the Trojan’s set plays, easing the burden on the goalie.

The game was perhaps best summarized by junior midfielder Jacob Mayl: “I believe that we played very well as a team, that we came out strong, and that we just wanted it more.” It is Coach Puhl’s stated goal to enter spring break undefeated, and the Rockets are halfway there. The team’s next game will be at Paint Branch, on March 24 at 7:15.