After their most successful season yet in 2013, the Leopard lacrosse team was ranked in the top 10 in the nation early in the season.

“I wasn’t entirely surprised,” lacrosse player Carson Buckner said. “After winning the state championship last year we brought back 8 starters, and we worked hard in the off season to get where we are now.”

However, after a few losses the team currently has a 7-5 record with wins against Shawnee, Prosper, Plano East, Lake Highlands, Tyler, Frisco, and Paschal.

While the team has struggled a bit recently, the team’s “big brother” program is still going strong as each player is assigned a youth Leopard lacrosse player that they have mentored throughout the season.

“[The team] basically just got a bunch of the younger [lacrosse players] paired up with the varsity players,” lacrosse player Garrett Northcutt said. “We go out to team dinners with them after games, sometimes we practice with them, and go to their games and things like that.”

Spending quality time with the younger athletes and watching them develop and grow as lacrosse players is important to the varsity players.

“We just hang out with them and get to know a little something about each other,” sophomore Grant Benno said. “It’s pretty fun getting to see the future of Lovejoy lacrosse develop right in front of you, and also getting to know them along the way.”

A win tonight against McKinney will advance the Leopards to the playoffs, while a loss will end the season.