The Oak Park River Forest High School varsity boys lacrosse team opens their regular season at home on Monday, March 16 against Saint Ignatius College Prep. This is their first of five games in the month of March. Will the Huskies take the next step this year? They finished with a 7-11 record last year and would like to jump up into the rankings. 

English teacher Daniel Ganschow will lead the team again for his second year as head coach and his 20th year coaching overall. “This is the first time in Huskie lacrosse history that we have four NCAA commits,” Ganschow said. Those students are seniors Dylan Clark and Nick Coligan, and juniors Arlo Hungerford and Connor Ganschow, the coach’s son.

Connor Ganschow plays attack for the Huskies and is “stoked to play another year for the Huskies. We have a lot to look forward to this year,” he said. Ganschow is looking to take the next step in his third year on the Huskies varsity squad.

 A newcomer this year, sophomore James Mattiace, feels the “intensity in practices is great, and the overall chemistry that we’ve built early on will set us up for success.” He also loves the “competition that the guys bring that makes us all better.” Seems like the Huskies are on the same page early in the season, which will really play a factor later into the year.

Some of the returning seniors are Clark, Raj Mitra and Connor Barr, who have experience playing Huskie lacrosse. These seniors are likely to make key contributions to the team’s achievements this year. The three players have been on the varsity team for three years, and have the most experience on the team.

Goaltending in lacrosse also plays a vital role in a team’s success. Junior Charlie Dawson and Coligan will be minding the net this year for the Huskies. Last year, Dawson was the starting goalie on varsity and will have a lot of experience playing his junior year. Coligan had the starting role for the junior varsity team last year and looks to make an impact on varsity in his final year on the team. 

Mattiace further reflected that the “confidence we have going into the year is looking great. We are determined and are ready for this season.”