The Orion Online

Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Elysse Bonner Alex Kalajakis of the white team attempts to catch the ball as red team member Jeffrey Smith battles for position during the first half of the scrimmage. It was the third annual Red/White Scrimmage Game for the lacrosse team. The white team won 9-8. [Click to enlarge]

Amid hot weather and slight breeze, the sweat-soaked Chico State men's lacrosse team suited up Saturday afternoon for its long-awaited matchup against, well, Chico State men's lacrosse.

It was the third annual Red/White Scrimmage Game, the first official practice for the upcoming season, made into a full-speed competition.

"It's a great way to start," said head coach Paul Rocchio. "The players get excited about it. The coaches get excited about it. Everybody always looks forward to this day."

Many of the players were still learning each other's names and no plays were set in place yet. However, the players made due, keeping the intensity as high as the midday temperatures while still managing to have fun.

The main difference between this game and any other, besides the overall light-hearted mood and interteam joking, is that both sides came together in the same semicircle for the postgame meeting.

White won in overtime 9-8, but the score was of little concern to coaching staff and players. More interest was in the high-intensity game, giving perspective to what the Wildcats, 22nd in the poll rankings, will bring to the 2009 season.

"This was our very first look at what we have, so I'd say I'm pleased with today," Rocchio said. "The ball was in the air, the players were moving around, communicating well. We'll just start Monday, teaching them the game from the ground up - putting in the offense and defense."

Some of the players including sophomore defenseman Alex Elson, have been participating in Friday night pickup games to stay fresh and compete against teammates.

However, the full scrimmage was preferred.

"We've been looking forward to this since the end of last year," Elson said. "It really sparked up when we started playing pickup games, and we saw how much talent we had coming in."

The incoming recruiting class, including defenseman Francis Cuneo and attacker Keith Jayne, has brought an air of excitement to the team.

"This scrimmage was monumentally better than last year's," Elson said. "We've got a great recruiting class coming in and the whole attitude of the team is a lot better. We had so many games last year that were really close, and I think we'll be able to overcome that more this season."

The coaching staff was also pleased with the incoming players' abilities.

"I think we're a little deeper and better than we were last year," Rocchio said. "I hope that we'll have a good showing this season."

Newcomer Jayne, from Novato, is in his ninth year playing lacrosse. He was turned on to the sport by his father, the coach at San Marin High School.

"This was 10 times better than high school," Jayne said. "It's faster, everyone can handle the ball, you're always facing a good defenseman - it's a lot different."

He was also excited to get into actual game play after a few weeks of more relaxed pickup games, he said.

"Getting into game scenarios was actually really nice," Jayne said. "We played a lot better than I figured we would, on both sides of the ball. I think this was a big step, and it was also a little fun, getting to know the guys better."

With the official season starting Feb. 6, the Wildcats still have several months to fine-tune their game plan and get ready to face the competition ahead. However, for Elson, it can't come soon enough.

"The closer it gets, the more motivated you get," Elson said. "It pushes you to see how good you can be, and then you realize that to actually make it happen."

Julian Williamson can be reached at
jwilliamson@theorion.com

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