Boys’ lacrosse wins Ocean League, before falling short in CIF

Having tied for first place in Ocean League last year, boys’ lacrosse stepped onto the field determined to claim first place yet again, and to go further into playoffs this year. The boys’ last league game took place on April 13 against Beverly Hills High School resulting in a 17-2 victory. This win ended their league with a 5-1 record, placing first and earning their spot in CIF-SS Division 2 playoffs. Despite a few losses throughout the season, boys’ lacrosse has proved to be a force on the field, going into playoffs with a 13-6 overall record. Having worked hard to win first in Ocean League, the team takes pride in the accomplishment of claiming the title all to themselves. One of the three seniors and team captain, Bernard Van-Bilderbeek (’26), shared how he feels about claiming the Ocean League title.

“Honestly, I think it’s a huge accomplishment,” Bilderbeek said. “I think the boys have gotten a lot better from last season to now.”

With only three seniors this year, Van-Bilderbeek, Cameron Delavin (’26), and Christian Cormier (’26), the team is set up to have an experienced varsity team going into next season. Head coach James Phelan shared the team’s growth from the beginning of pre-season all the way until now.

“We had some players who’d never played the game before so we had to get them up to speed, and then this year in the spring we brought some JV guys up,” Phelan said. “It was a bright spot because you see that growth [from them] and then obviously [from] our starters [too], especially our offense, gelling and executing at a high level.”

Reflecting on the season overall, varsity team captain Trevor Havel (’27) shared his thoughts.

“I was pretty happy with the outcome for the regular season,” Havel said. “Unfortunately things didn’t turn out how we wanted them to go in playoffs, but we’re going to prepare for next season.”

Boys’ lacrosse had a competitive first round CIF playoff game against San Clemente High School on April 29, resulting in a 7-11 loss. This loss cut the teams playoff run short, with the Vikings closing out their season with a 13-7 overall record.

Dave Smith / Contributor

Bryce Schatzow (’27) runs up field against an opponent in a home game against Culver City High School.