by Leslie Majkrzak ‘27

After a large turnout at tryouts this year, the Warriors are excited to build a competitive team this season, led by the leadership of five senior captains. The Warriors started the season out strong, blowing out WJ, Churchill, Springbrook, and Gaithersburg in their opening games. In four games, the team was only scored on a total of three times and recorded three shutouts, while scoring 57 goals against their opponents. The team remains undefeated with a current record of 7-0 and beat Magruder in their Morgan’s Message dedication game this week.  

The team took a hit after graduating star midfielder Avery Graham, who is now playing D1 at the University of South Florida. However, the Warriors intend to be stronger than ever this year with a skilled and experienced junior class. Currently, five juniors are committed to continuing to play lacrosse at the Division One level after high school. Not to mention, eight juniors total have been on the varsity squad since their freshman year. 

The team is hungry to grow and accomplish more this season after finishing in the state semi-finals last season, losing to Marriotts Ridge 16-6. They hope to win another county championship and keep their undefeated streak in the county for a fourth year in a row.

“We are working on our defense a lot. We need to be able to defend [Marriotts Ridge], the reigning state champions, and their powerhouse offensive players. We have plans to switch up defenses throughout the games to stay alert and exert pressure differently, but that takes a lot of time to perfect,” said Coach Kelly Hughes.

High-level players are ready to show what they can do on the field through their dedication and strong skill sets. Twins Melanie and Courtney Payne, along with Ashlyn Hambrecht, Emerson Philips, and Libby King, are DI-committed juniors who are phenomenal athletes and put in the work on and off the field to be successful. In the 2025 season, Courtney Payne broke the single-season draw control record at Sherwood with a total of 143 wins. In her third game this season, she recorded her 200th career draw control and is aiming to break her own single-season record this year.

The girls have been bonding this season through team dinners, allowing them to get to know each other better off the field and become a stronger team. They are also learning each other’s strengths on the field, playing cohesively as a single unit. The real test will come in the post-season when the Warriors face skilled teams outside of Montgomery County. “We’re preparing for the harder teams by working on all our skills, conditioning, and stick work, so when we do play better competition out of county, we can keep up with them,” said junior Melanie Payne.