Mercer Island boys lacrosse | Spring sports previews

Published 2:59 pm Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Coach: Ian O’Hearn

Number of athletes: 70

Last season: The Islanders advanced to the state semifinals, but lost to Bellevue. The team won their conference and finished the year with a 14-6 overall record.

Strengths: “Senior leadership and depth at every position,” said head coach Ian O’Hearn. “We are very strong on both the defensive and offensive sides of the field.”

Focus: “Preparing for our annual spring trip to the East Coast,” said O’Hearn. The team will play some of the top teams on the Eastern seaboard over spring break. “This year we are playing nationally ranked and defending Massachusetts state champion, Duxbury High School, as well as defending Maine state champion, Scarborough High School.”

Duxbury was ranked as the No. 20 team in the U.S. in preseason rankings.

Captains: Seniors Hayden Reisman and Zach Taylor and junior Chase York.

Game to watch: Bainbridge Island.

“They are always the biggest game of the year, and we are the oldest lacrosse rivalry on the West Coast,” said O’Hearn.

This year’s Island War will take place on Saturday, April 27, at MIHS at 8 p.m.