One name was notably absent from this year’s finalized boys varsity lacrosse roster at Bainbridge High School, that of former Spartan Co-Head Coach Cody Bludorn.
The younger half of the team’s ruling one-two coaching combo accepted an assistant position at Concordia University in Chicago last year, leaving longtime leader Jack Visco and his support staff to guide the burgeoning Bainbridge boys squad into the latest season.
This year will mark Visco’s 16th season as Spartan head coach, and an impressive season it is already shaping up to be.
In their first two non-league outings of the year, the Spartans earned wins against Tahoma and North Kitsap, 14-12 and 11-9, respectively.
Bainbridge then hosted the Lakeside Lions for the first conference contest of the year on Friday, March 18, and scored a decisive 15-3 win — earning a 3-0 overall season record so far, their best start since the 2011 season.
Visco stoically said that he was pleased with the way the team was shaping up thus far, though achieving the squad’s full potential would be “a slow process.”
Against the Lions, the Spartans jumped to an early advantage and enjoyed a sizable lead throughout.
They were led by Merrit McMahon, Sal Iaria and Jack Frickleton, who each scored three goals throughout the game. Ben Biggers and Nate Marx each put up two goals during the runaway win, and primary BHS goalie Charlie Shrout managed four saves for seven shots.
The Spartans together managed an aggressive 29 shots at the Lions’ net.
Bainbridge is ranked in second place in the Metro standings, tied with Eastside Catholic and Seattle Prep. O’Dea is the top team (2-1 overall) so far this season.
Spartan offensive coach Jacob Hayashi, a 2002 BHS graduate himself, said that though the team was off to a good start, everyone was taking it one game at a time and trying not to read too much into the early wins as the opposition would get exponentially harder as the season progressed.
“This year they’ve come out really fired up and determined, which is great,” Hayashi said. “There’s a pretty determined senior class.”
The island team lost five senior players to graduation, Hayashi said, and gained about as many new junior players this year.
The current senior roster includes the three co-captains, Frickleton, Ian Mackin and Nate Marx, and also Biggers, Aidan Carlisle, Aaron Jumpa, Devon Turner and Sam Wysong.
“They’re very cohesive,” Hayashi said of the upperclassmen. “They fight for each other; it’s a tough group.”
Freshman additions to the team include Cole Emerson, Mercario Foster, Max McLeod and McMahon.
