St. X lacrosse has made some big changes since last year.
Creating a name for themselves in the sport of lacrosse over the past two decades, the Tigers have won five straight state championships and is easily the most dominant high school lacrosse program in the state. Even with these accolades, the Tigers first-year head coach Kevin Doherty has elevated the program by joining the Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Association (MSLA), along with making other changes in the program.
The MSLA hosts a tournament every year at Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio. The MSLA features twelve of the best lacrosse programs from the midwestern region of the United States. In the preseason rankings, St. Xavier is placed at #7. The Tiger’s tough schedule and matchups against top ranked teams in the country such as Culver Military Academy (9) and Western Reserve Academy (21), gives a huge opportunity to impress the nation and prove the Tigers’ strength outside of the state.
Along with changes to the schedule, Coach Doherty emphasizes the importance of the team. In order to meet the standards of the competition, the Tigers know what it takes to be one of the top athletic lacrosse teams in the nation. Competing in numerous out of state games and tournaments, the opportunity for the Tigers to showcase their talents nationally and promote the brand of St. X Lacrosse is now.
(Photo used with permission of Michael C. Wells)
Experienced senior varsity player and three-time state champion, Bryce Heitmann, plans to keep the winning streak alive while competing at a high level in this new league.
“Winning state and 6-peating is definitely a goal of ours,” Heitmann said. “However, as we have joined this highly competitive league, we now have a more challenging goal of winning the B division of the MSLA tournament.”
In this new era of St. X lacrosse, the underclassmen are going to be heavily relied on while the upperclassmen are tasked with leading them.
“For the first time in my career, a majority of our talent is incredibly young,” Heitmann said. “It is important now more than ever that we have good leadership from our seniors.”
Despite being easily the most dominant high school team in the history of Kentucky Lacrosse, the Tigers are taking on an even bigger task: an MSLA Championship.
