In Mount Vernon, a small community where the local high school doesn’t have a lacrosse team, freshmen Jakob DeLany, Jake Shady, and Daxton Recker learned to play the game that they so love. They are on the Kingfisher Lacrosse team, a team composed of players from other schools. Although they lack a school lacrosse team, they are a part of their own tight family who play four times a week in Cedar Rapids, only 15 minutes from home. Lacrosse is not the most popular sport where they are from, but their Kingfisher team came to be known after winning two consecutive state championships. Their work and practice for the game are the reason for such success.
The Kingfisher Lacrosse team is not just a group of boys who are teammates. It’s a group of friends who look out for each other. “We all attended different schools, and some of us had never even met each other until coming here,” said DeLany, a midfielder. “But once we’re on the field, we’re like family. We’ve really come together over the past few years.” The team practices in Cedar Rapids, and even though it’s a little bit of a drive, the boys look forward to getting together, learning the game, and becoming better players.
“Lacrosse is a fast paced sport, and it’s not just about individual talent,” said Shady, also a midfielder. “It’s all about working together. We need one another to be able to win games.”
Even though they have four weekly training rounds, the players realize it is crucial to continue improving themselves to keep up their legacy. One of the players, Daxton, an attacker said, “Practicing this much definitely makes us better, but also makes us understand how much better we can get and how much we can do when we all play as a team. The more we play, the better we are.” It has gotten a lot better in a very short period of time. They learned to talk to one another, understand their capabilities, and encourage one another on the field.
For these players, lacrosse is more than just a sport. It’s about building relationships and learning how to work hard toward a common goal. “It’s awesome to see how far we’ve come,” Daxton said. “At first, we had no idea how to play together whatsoever, but now we’re learning everyone‘s strengths. We’re definitely a team now.” Since the team was back-to-back state champions, it is easy to see that they’ve been working together. There are eight clubs in Iowa that are competitors to Kingfisher lacrosse. The only club near Mount Vernon is Kingfisher so all the Mount Vernon boys play there. Since the season is in the spring it often leads to those multi-sport athletes to go from their school sport practice directly to lacrosse practice.The boys aren’t only improving on the lacrosse field but learning life lessons of dedication and perseverance as well.
One of Kingfisher Lacrosse’s biggest challenges is the fight for consistency. The teammates go to different schools, so they don’t necessarily get to spend time together away from practice. While winning is important, the Kingfisher Lacrosse team focuses on growth, both on the field and off. “We’ve come a long way in the past few years,” Jakob said. “It’s not just about winning; it’s about how we’ve come together as a team. We’ve learned how to trust each other and help each other grow.” Their coaches emphasize the importance of hard work and being a good teammate, and it’s clear that the team has taken those lessons to heart.
Looking ahead, the Kingfisher Lacrosse team is excited about what the future holds. “We’re still really young and already we can’t wait to play even better,” Jakob said. “We’ve done some great things like our two State Championships and we know that there is a lot more in store.” The Kingfisher team has started something great, and off they go, to handle whatever comes their way.
