Ending on a high note

After a rough series of games, Oasis Academy’s boys’ lacrosse team closed the 2017 season with a win, ending their record 2-14.

Oasis coach John Keitz said he was happy they ended on a win; the Bighorns’ final game was against Reed at Wooster High School, 8-4. The coach said his team played well, though it was a challenge in the first half.

The half ended with a tie. Oasis pulled ahead in the second though and fought back Reed for the win. They brought out a strong defense after halftime and nailed groundballs and stops.

“By the second half they were playing how they used to,” Keitz said.

Brenden Leary was goalie for the game. Trey Brooks was lead scorer for Oasis with three goals. Josh Carter and Trent Thorn each scored two and Trevor Wuth added one.

Josh Carter was one of the Oasis MVPs for the season; Keitz said he played outstanding. Brooks was offensive MVP with five hat tricks and Leary was defensive MVP with 53 percent saves on over 400 shots on the net.

Keitz said there was big improvement from the returning players; Benny Otuafi and Connor Keitz played strong defense, which improved each game. Their offense also became more aggressive as the year progressed, with the players’ abilities giving them more options on plays.

“Despite the record, each and every one of these players had more growth in their lacrosse skills than in any other season past,” Keitz said. “It was tough, but it was worth it. They will be a force to be reckoned with in the coming seasons.”

Keitz said he is sad the season is ending; he said the players have tons of fun and always want the season to go longer. The rest is welcome though and the coach added they were sore from the year with several injuries to recover from.

Two seniors will be graduating from the Bighorns, Wuth and Devyn Frederick. Keitz said Frederick has been with the program for years and has been a big help as a youth coach as well as a player. While Wuth has only played for two seasons, the coach said he has been a huge positive influence on the other players.

“His constant upbeat attitude will be sorely missed,” Keitz said.

The coach said he has high hopes for next year. He noted they have a number of juniors and sophomores this year who have expressed interest in playing again. Several players plan to go to camps over the summer to improve their skills. Keitz added he would be working to raise more interest in the program; and hopefully have a bigger team next season to field a junior varsity team.

“Not having a JV team definitely hurt us this year,” he said.