More than a championship: Inside La Salle’s ‘super special’ boys’ lacrosse season
The Explorers have seven seniors committed to Division I schools. They led La Salle to its first state crown since 2019, which broke the program's longest drought since winning its first ever in 2004.
Two years ago, La Salle College High School fell to Radnor in the PIAA 3A boys’ lacrosse championship. Just last Saturday, the Explorers flipped the script.
La Salle earned its first state crown since 2019 and sixth overall title after defeating Radnor, 16–9. The Raptors were making their sixth consecutive championship appearance. The victory, however, was the culmination of a season that hardly began according to plan.
La Salle opened the year 1–2 after losses to St John’s College High School in Washington, D.C, and Malvern Prep. While head coach Jack Forster understood that his team was up against tough competition, he knew they were leaving a ton on the table, especially with a roster consisting of seven seniors who are committed to Division I schools.
“I remember Coach Forster in the locker room before the [next] game was like, ‘I’m sick of telling people that we almost had them. Let’s go out there and win, and put all those little things together,’” said senior long-stick midfielder Johnny Wachs, who will play at Jacksonville University.
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The Explorers went on go undefeated in Catholic League play and won 21 of 22 games en route to a state final victory.
“I think we kind of just took [the losses] as learning opportunities,” said senior attacker Will Trymbiski, who scored five goals in the championship game. “We saw the cracks in the sidewalk and knew how to fill them.”
Forster also believes that his team’s transformation occurred during their spring break trip to Bradenton, Fla. While there, the Explorers picked up a decisive 9-5 win over IMG Academy, but lacrosse was secondary to the relationships developed across the team.
“Just being around each other all week — and guys getting to know everybody and not just their class, and [upperclassmen] bringing the freshmen and sophomores along. … [The trip] was a big turning point for our team,” Wachs said.
“Some of the kids I talk to most are underclassmen. I feel like that made us a better team, because there was no separation between classes.”
This year’s senior class made sure to savor their last season playing together. Trymbiski and midfielder Dylan Malone, who’s heading to Duke in the fall, had played together since second grade, when the two were on the same club lacrosse team.
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“It was super special to finish off the season with him and finish off the season in that way with him,” Trymbiski said.
This year’s seniors are most proud of the legacy they’ll leave behind.
La Salle has consistently been a dominant program and hasn’t dropped a Catholic League game in four years.
Before last weekend, the Explorers last won a state title in 2019, which marked their longest drought since winning their first in 2004. After going the distance this season, the seniors believe that they’ve left behind a structure that will return La Salle to the championship, even without their presence.
“Leaving a blueprint behind for underclassmen to follow, having leadership where you’re not too strict and not too lenient is where we had a great balance, and we found equilibrium between the two,” said Malone.
Trymbiski added, “I’m most proud of how the senior leaders handled this team, and hopefully for years to come, we can have a huge [winning] streak for La Salle.”
