For the first time this decade, the Mercer Island boys lacrosse team did not play in the state finals last year. It is not good to poke a bear.

This time, the Islanders have reloaded and are ready to take back their rightful place among the state’s elite teams.

Leading the team will be a group of captains hungry for redemption. Islanders Graham Horgdal, Conner Beckwith and Stephen Caditz will attempt to put Mercer Island back on top.

“I think we will have good leadership from our captains,” said Mercer Island coach Ian O’Hearn. “They will be very vocal.”

All three captains are very different. Horgdal, who made it to state in wrestling without the use of one of his arms, has only been playing lacrosse for two years. But the senior has quickly become one of the best in the state.

“He is just a phenomenal athlete,” said O’Hearn.

Beckwith is in his second year as a captain, but is only a junior. Caditz is the consummate leader and leads the teams in ground balls.

The Islanders return three defensive players who have three years of starting experience in front of their new starting goalkeeper, Hap Giraud.

“Hap is very energetic and dynamic,” said O’Hearn. “He creates a lot of opportunities for us.”

On offense, the Islanders will be more well-rounded. Along with leading returning scorer Daniel Shields, the team will look to diversify its offensive threat.

“Every other team will be looking at Shields, but we have five other guys that can score,” said O’Hearn.

Among those other guys will be Conner Bernal. The freshman scored during the Northwest Invitational, including a hat trick against Timberline. Daniel Shields will welcome his younger brother, sophomore Matt Shields, to varsity.

“Having his brother on the field is nothing but an asset because they have been playing together their entire lives,” said O’Hearn.

Another offensive threat and sibling to follow in some big shoes is Doug Mahony. His older brothers led Mercer Island to state titles and currently play for Division I college programs. His older sister will lead the girls lacrosse team.

Mercer Island will take aim at Issaquah, which knocked the team out of the state playoffs last season, and archrival Bainbridge Island. And while Bellevue has improved and will give Mercer Island some stiff competition, O’Hearn isn’t ready to label them a rival just yet.

“Bellevue is one of the strongest teams, but Bainbridge is still our biggest rival,” said O’Hearn.

The rivalry between Mercer Island and Bainbridge Island was even mentioned in a preseason article of a national lacrosse magazine as one of the best high school rivalries in the United States.

“It is the ‘Island war,’” said O’Hearn. “We have been battling since 2000.”

The Islander schedule will feature six Friday night games with the Mercer Island band in attendance for a few. The team will also take a trip to New York for what could be one of the biggest games that the program has ever seen with West Genesee.

“I have been trying to get them on the schedule for five years,” said O’Hearn, about the perennial New York powerhouse. “They have the second most successful coach in the nation and have won 15 state titles.”