The Socastee Braves Varsity Boy鈥檚 lacrosse team has members from all sorts of backgrounds.
With three freshmen and a half-dozen seniors, the team fields players with years of experience and very little experience 鈥 but even the less experienced members show promise.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e all pretty athletic kids,鈥 said Coach Matthew Fox, referring to his three freshmen. 鈥淭hey work hard at learning the game.鈥
According to Fox, freshman Thomas Haynes has experience from playing on last year鈥檚 Junior Varsity team, and freshman Griffin Byers, whose older brother played for Fox several years ago, has obviously handled a stick.
Freshman Hunter Hathaway, however, had never played the game. His sport of choice was ice hockey, where he excels as a defensive player.
鈥淎ll three of these guys are scrappy,鈥 said Fox. 鈥淵ou can get far being scrappy in this game.鈥
Hathaway鈥檚 hockey experience has translated well into lacrosse, according to Fox, and Hathaway enjoys his new sport especially because of the camaraderie.
鈥淢y favorite part would probably have to be that I get six days to be around my friends,鈥 he noted. 鈥淚n hockey I only get to see them two or three days a week鈥 it鈥檚 a different experience.鈥
Hathaway, who plays defense and midfield, says that the endurance and teamwork he learned on the ice has helped him play harder on the field.
But the practice he鈥檚 gotten while playing ice hockey has especially prepared him for the hard-hitting nature of lacrosse. And he loves that part of the game.
鈥淎ll my friends said I should play because I鈥檓 pretty fast, and I played hockey and I like to hit people,鈥 Hathaway said.
Senior Nick Robles has been playing since his freshman year, and plays goalie for the team. He sees a lot of promise for the team this year.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a good team bond, because a lot of the guys have played together for a long time,鈥 Robles said. 鈥淲e like to play as a team.鈥
Athletically, Robles points to the team鈥檚 speed and work ethic as major strengths.
Stephen Sperbeck, a junior on the team, also says the team鈥檚 speed is key to their game, and the team鈥檚 depth helps, too.
鈥淲e鈥檙e resetting, starting a new legacy coming up, but we鈥檝e got speed this year and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e going to take advantage of,鈥 Sperbeck said.
Sperbeck, who plays midfield and attack and has been playing since his freshman year as well, says that he especially enjoys playing against his friends.
鈥淢y favorite part of the game is actually coming out here and playing with your friends,鈥 he noted. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a fun day out here, you get to play the game with the guys you love and have a fun time on the field.鈥
But it鈥檚 totally different when it鈥檚 time for the game to start.
鈥淚t鈥檚 two different attitudes,鈥 Sperbeck said. 鈥淥utside the field you can be friends with anybody, you come on the field you鈥檙e out for blood, nothing else.鈥
According to Fox, the senior leadership on the team, coupled with the young faces, is making for a good combination.
鈥淲e have a lot of young kids that are working hard,鈥 he said. 鈥淭here are a lot of brand-new faces learning the game quickly.鈥
To Fox, lacrosse is a great game because of how just about any athlete can perform.
鈥淚鈥檝e always loved the sport, and I tell kids you can be any kind of athlete and we can find a place for you because there鈥檚 so many specialized positions,鈥 he noted.
And while the team has had a rough handful of games to start the season off, Fox says the upcoming games should be good.
鈥淭he first couple of games we played some good teams,鈥 he said. 鈥淐arolina Forest is pretty solid鈥 they鈥檝e improved a lot in the last three or four years.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited for the rest of the season,鈥 Fox noted. 鈥淲e鈥檒l have a lot of growth, but a lot of potential as well.鈥
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