The Winchester Thurston Lacrosse team has had plenty of victories in previous seasons – most notably, a Western PA Boys Lacrosse Championship title (2007), not to mention a few years of consistent victories over local rival Allderdice. But after the departures of many key upperclassmen and coaching staff at the end of the 2023 season, the team had a lot of difficulties to overcome in their 2024 season. This year, captains Cavin Lee (‘24) and Aiden Piemme (‘26) led the team along with returning coach Jason Snyder. And, when the team was faced with injuries, Evan Burns (‘26) stepped up as a captain as well.

When asked about the future of the team, midfielder captain Evan Burns said: “[The team] is very young, with a lot of potential.” The team truly is very young – they have no juniors and only one senior, but several new freshmen and a handful of talented sophomores. This season, a few players had never even played lacrosse before, but grew to become important factors on the field. There has been lots of excitement about the incoming class of ‘28, too, who will add valuable depth and skill to the already-promising roster.

The schedule this year was particularly challenging, and although the team was not the most dominant in-game, they have a very bright future ahead of them. On challenges during the season, defender John Koeppl (‘26) said, “It wasn’t always easy, but it was always fun. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.” Defender Itai Tuti (‘27) said: “No matter how much we lose, we stay strong.” 

When asked about his favorite memory with the team, attacker Xander Kope (‘26) said: “Probably scoring my first goal against Plum this year.” The team’s leadership is building a good culture and excellent chemistry between players, and they are sure to see many victories in the coming seasons.