by Aeden Alexander, Sports Editor

This week, Braves lacrosse finished the regular season strong with a win over Oak Park on senior day, leading them into Division 2 CIF Playoffs ranked third in the section.

On April 27th, wrapped up an impressive season that included many firsts for the program. The Braves’ 3-2 Trinity League record was good enough for third place, securing them a playoff spot. With the final CIF polls being released on April 25th, the Braves 11-4 overall record allowed for them to rank third in Division 2 lacrosse.

After such a great year for the Braves, they look to make a deep run into playoffs and end it all with a ring. 

“To win a title, it takes every player, freshmen and seniors, to handle adversity and conflict, trust each other, communicate with each other and appreciate each other in a positive way,” said Coach Tommy Johnson.

In the Braves’ final week of action, they faced off against Servite to start the week in one of the most important games of the year. Beating Servite for the first time in program history secured third place as well as a playoff spot.

Many of the players from this year’s roster are upperclassmen, with a majority being seniors. The roster size doubled from last year, and the team will look to its seniors to lead them into battle and come in clutch when they need it. 

“The main component of our success has been our high level of experience and grit as we have ten seniors,” said senior captain Noah Citek. 

Noah has been one of the key players for the Braves, as they had many dominant performances over their opponents this season. Also, in the few games they lost, it was by a matter of a few points.

Another senior, goalie Brennin Melton, is one of the top performers for the Braves. His impressive saves keep games close, making it a lot easier to win games for the rest of the team.

“Without Brennin Melton in goal and Noah Citek taking face-offs, we would be using an entirely new game plan. These two young men are at the very top of the high school level and should be attending any college they choose. I have seen a lot of lacrosse over the years, and these guys are the best at what we ask them to do” said Coach Johnson.

Bosco seniors shined all year long, as they were the bright spot of this year’s roster. They made up almost 30 percent of the team, and that showed in their matchups, as they always seemed bigger and stronger than their opponents.

One of the main components to this year’s team has been their chemistry on and off the field. From seniors all the way down to freshman the players always have had each other’s back and had full confidence in one another.

“Our teamwork is our biggest component; we struggle at times to play as a team, but when we do, we are unstoppable,” said senior George Bratton.

Before the end of the season, the Braves got hot and won eight of their last ten games which hopefully will continue to happen as they roll into playoffs looking to continue to stay on their hot streak. CIF will release the brackets and schedule for the playoff games early next week, which most likely will have the Braves ranked at a high seed, giving them home field advantage.