By: Joshua Muller

A new season brings new players to the Tustin High Lacrosse team. This year, there are many incoming freshman who want to play lacrosse. Many have never played the sport but are willing to give it a shot and tryout for the team. Players begin offseason practice with simple drills, conditioning, and serious weight lifting to get them in shape. This year, the team will only accept 30 players, which means players must go through tryouts before the season begins. Returning players are not guaranteed a spot, so all players will have to fight to earn that jersey and that new Tiller helmet.

With a successful season last year, students are now noticing the Tustin High lacrosse team. This brings in students interested in playing and incoming freshmen who want to try out for the team. Returning player and former freshman Ryan Curly expects to make the team this year. “I expect to start this year and expect the team do good again like last year.” Coming in as a freshman last year, Curly heard that the Tustin lacrosse team was not a very good team. Now a sophomore, he  realizes that the team is not what he had expected–good.  

The Tustin High lacrosse team has improved greatly in the past three years. In the years of 2013-2014, the team acted more like a club sport that did not get any attention from the school. That year the team only won three games. Getting a new coach and new principal for the year 2014-2015 gave the team an opportunity to prove that the athletes could play lacrosse. New principal Christine Matos saw that the team had potential and hired a new coach and gave the team more privileges. New coach Derek Johnson pushed the team to run and lift more to prepare for the season. In 2014-15 the Tillers won seven games beating the Tustin lacrosse record of six games. The team proved to the school, and more importantly themselves, that they can play lacrosse at a competitive level.