Flint Hill Boys Lacrosse Seek to Reclaim MAC title

Graduating only two from last year's roster, the Flint Hill boys lacrosse program boasts an experienced varsity team hungry to regain the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference title. 

"We had won four straight league championsihps and then placed second last year, so one of our goals this year is to try to get the MAC championship again," said Coach Adam Rice, who added the Huskies have also set a goal of qualifying for the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament. "The field of teams going for a state title is one of the most competitive I've seen. There are easily 14 quality teams who will be competing for eight spots in the state tournament, so we're working like crazy just to qualify."

The Huskies' roster boasts a healthy balance of youth and experience — with 10 seniors, 12 juniors, four sophomores and one freshman — many of whom have worked hard in the offseason to lead their team to victory.

Rice believes the boys already have the talent, but the trick will be to gel into a more cohesive unit.

"I think sometimes we still have to think about what we're doing instead of just knowing it, so we're working toward that," Rice said. "I think it's just a matter of more work, and each week we are getting better. That comfort level with the offense and defense is slowly but surely coming."

The team follows the concept that if each person does their job well, the entire team will benefit as one — a philosophy that is already yielding good results, especially among the defense, Rice said.

"As a result some of our parts are better than the individuals defensively," he said. "Offensively, we're really starting to share the ball. We've been struggling shooting a little bit where we've been getting a lot of good shots, but just not scoring. We feel that that's just a matter of time and work, though."

The team is led by co-captains Pat Farrell, a goalkeeper who will play for Salisbury University, and Andy Rehberger. 

"[Farrell]'s been kind of the heart and soul of our defense the last couple years, and Andy has been an important leader for our team, as well," Rice said. "I could keep going on about the standouts on this team. Basically, we've got a bunch of talented guys on offense where we're really balanced."

The Huskies are 4-5 so far this season, a record Rice anticipates will end as a solid winning record.

"We got off to a little bit of a rough start. We had some injuries in preseason, so it took us a while to get going," he said. "We haven't come close to where we can be, but we have a really good attitude when it comes to our practices and games."

The Huskies will host the notoriously tough St. Stephen's/St. Agnes squad at 4:15 p.m. Friday.