On Saturday, May 11, the boys’ varsity lacrosse team won their first state sanction title in Benjamin’s history. It was the second state championship brought back to Benjamin this school year. They defeated the Community School of Naples in an 11-10 thriller.
Alongside the team’s first state championship, they finished as the #1 boys lacrosse team in the nation according to Max Preps. Throughout the season the team was mostly at the #2 spot only peaking at the #1 spot for one week.
The boys started their state title journey with a win against Bolles, 19-7, on Thursday, May 9. The team traveled back and forth two times from Benjamin to the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in three days.
Head coach Peter Cordrey and many of the team expressed what it was like to win a state championship.
“It’s like a journey which requires you to make progress each day. To be there on that day that the game is played requires an incredible amount of hard work and preparation. To succeed on that day takes lots of guts. We were successful in our process. We want to get better each day. With 16 weeks of preparation our process worked for us.”
Cordrey also mentions the significance of everyone on the team. “All 27 on the roster were key. If we don’t work together and challenge each other and hold each other accountable each day, each player, then we never have a shot of getting to Naples. We need every one of our 27.”
Freshman Matthew Null feels amazing after winning the state championship. “It feels amazing and also very relieving. It shows all the hard work the team has put in is finally paying off,” said Null.
Just like Null, junior Alex Ponchock is so happy with the season he and his team had.“It’s an awesome feeling knowing how hard each of us worked over the season. Our coach calculated that we practiced for around 195 hours this year. It really shows that our hard work has paid off,” said Ponchock.
The players also talked about how they improved individually and as a team.
“Many players would stay after practice shooting or getting extra reps to help improve. Everybody on the team would keep each other in check and not let anybody get complacent or satisfied with previous results,” added Null.
“Individually I worked a lot on my speed and accuracy to improve my dodging and shooting. My teammates also played a large role in this because they were always willing to work extra with me whether that meant working out in the gym or doing 1v1s after practice,” added Ponchock.
Although the players had their individual goals, Coach Cordrey had a strategic conditioning program for them to get them in very good shape.
“We focus on strength and speed work. We work with the football strength coaches and Coach Barrett Saunders to develop speed. During the season, we practice for 2 hours each day and with as much intensity as we can. Practices combine fundamental skill work with competitive games and breakouts on our schemes,” mentioned Coach Cordrey.
Benjamin also organized a fan bus on Saturday, for the students who were interested in attending the game.
Our head athletic director, Ryan Smith speaks on how successful this year was for Benjamin athletics.
“At this point, we have won 2 state championships in boys golf and boys lacrosse, therefore anytime you win multiple state championships it is considered a very successful school year. This will definitely go down as one of the most successful years in Benjamin Athletics. Great credit to our student-athletes and coaches for their commitment and dedication.”
This boys’ lacrosse team is probably one of the best lacrosse teams to ever play for Benjamin and one of the best overall teams to play for Benjamin. The Pharcyde is very proud of the whole team on winning a state championship! Go Bucs!
