The seniors walked through the tunnel of cheerleaders, arm in arm with the families who had supported them throughout their whole lives – but the night was only just beginning. After the senior night celebration, boys lacrosse faced off against Crean Lutheran in their last game of the season, and the last game for the eight seniors, including midfielder Marc Maden. Despite a loss of 13-4, the team cherished the significance of the night.
“It was the last time I ever played for Redondo […] and Senior Night was definitely [great],” Maden said. “It was fun to play with all my teammates, and be with the younger guys and my seniors one last time.”
Going into the game on Thursday, the team didn’t feel optimistic considering Crean Lutheran’s 15-3 winning record, compared to Redondo’s record of 3-10. According to senior attacker Tyson McEveety, they were determined to give it their all nonetheless, even despite an injury.
“I have a sprained ankle right now, but I was playing because I want to give it my all and just leave it all out on the field. Nothing to lose. No regrets after the game,” McEveety said. “Knowing Crean is top 30 in the state, there was a good chance we weren’t going to win this game. So we kind of just [gave] it our all, play[ed] to land goals and play[ed] to the final whistle. Crean is a good team. They were respectful guys.”
Crean Lutheran’s dominance established itself right out the gate in the first quarter, scoring 6 goals against Redondo, an early lead that Crean was able to maintain throughout the rest of the game. Redondo missed several shots, missing a chance to catch up.
“We could have been a lot closer if we made those shots and showed them off. It would have been a close game, and then I think it kind of fell out of our hands to the second quarter,” Maden said. “It’s definitely harder to play when you’re down like that. We just couldn’t really get the momentum back ever.”
In the second quarter, the boys managed to get back in the game with a goal scored by McEveety thanks to an assist by Maden that took place with just seconds left in the first half, ending with Crean in the lead 8-1.
“It was the first goal. It definitely felt good to get on the board because Marc got to assist. It felt good to know that I wasn’t gonna finish the game with no points. That was great, especially to get the crowd going a little bit,” McEveety said.
Redondo used this new energy in the second half of the game, scoring one goal in the third quarter while Crean scored three to make the score 11-2. Early in the fourth quarter, Maden scored another goal.
“In the third quarter, it was back and forth. We scored one more time and got a few more points on the board. We were starting to play more loose,” McEveety said. “The fourth quarter was really just play for your seniors. Don’t give up, even though you’re probably not winning the game.”
With just about 40 seconds left in the game, junior Jack Pressey scored the final goal, a play McEveety deemed a stand out moment.
“For the goal at the end of the game, he put his body on the line,” McEveety said. “He got crushed on the crease, but still showed out one minute left in the game, showing up for the seniors.”
Reflecting on the season, both McEveety and Maden felt “pride” for their team and the effort they put in, as well as gratitude for the bonds formed throughout years of playing together.
“We’ve had a fun season, even though we haven’t done great. I think we’re just happy to have one more chance to go play together,” Maden said. “Record-wise, I think [this year] is the same record we’ve had the last two years. It’s all different, but this year was definitely special to be a senior and to play with the guys that I came in with.”
