In their final game before a series of three consecutive Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) Bay Division matchups, boys’ lacrosse put together a strong performance, defeating Woodside High School handily 10-2 on Thursday, March 20.
The Panthers’ offense shined throughout the game, with several impressive goals from key performers like seniors Henry Bradley and Anders Gauthier, juniors Jack Clarke and Rowan Maher, and sophomore Jason Jajeh.
The Panthers got off to a strong start to the game and never looked back, piling on five goals in the first half, before adding another five in the second. Junior goalie Miles Reeth, who began the season as a backup but has started in recent games, played strong defense against the Wildcats.
“Our defense was stellar, only letting in two goals,” Clarke said. “Having Miles in as a backup, to only concede one or two, it’s crazy.”
Coming off a difficult 2024 campaign, the Panthers promoted assistant coach Duncan Grenier to the head coaching job and brought back multiple other staff members, including assistants Prax Ramirez, Kartik Krishnan, John Emig, and Luis Amya-Franco. While the odds may have been stacked against them at the start of the season, Burlingame has excelled this year, owning a 4-1 record so far.
“[We’re playing] way better than last season,” Ramirez said. “Better defense, better attack, better midfield, everything’s looking up.
Despite their impressive performances this season, boys’ lacrosse still believes they have room to improve in order to get to play their best come the playoffs.
“We need to get more touches on the ball, more familiarity and cohesion,” Bradley said. “We’re a newer team, most of the guys were on [junior varsity] last year and we pulled them up. I think we got to work better as a unit.”
While the team has numerous goals this season, they are focused on avenging their only loss of the season against rival Palo Alto High School in a rematch on April 22. But until then, the Panthers are working to stack wins, develop younger players, and qualify for the playoffs.
“For the rest of the season, I think we could definitely win out,” Clarke said. “Get back at [Palo Alto] at home, win senior night, and get to the playoffs.”
