On Saturday, Feb. 24th, the boys’ varsity lacrosse team played their opening match at home to kick off a highly anticipated season. The Giants faced the Granite Bay Grizzlies, who made the long trip from the Sacramento region. The game began at noon, but the early start time did not seem to disrupt the Giants’ focus, as they dominated the Grizzlies on both sides of the ball. From the first face-off, Redwood controlled the pace offensively, preventing Granite Bay from spending much time on the attack. An early goal was scored just under two minutes in by senior Aidan Hackett, which kickstarted a scoring frenzy for Redwood; four more goals followed the opening goal, while Granite Bay was only able to put one in the back of the net. With 30 seconds left in the first period, the Giants somehow scored three more swift goals, one by senior Harrison Curtiss and two by senior Nolan Ewing, extending an early 8-1 lead for Redwood. During the rest of the game, Redwood seemingly dropped off their aggressive play style and went for more of a controlled, defensive way of playing. However, they still scored three goals in the second period, two shot by senior Jake Vasquez, and scored five more in the final period. The Giants finished the game with a 16-7 victory over the Grizzlies and showed why they can compete with the best of the best in the state. Redwood’s next game is at home on Monday, Feb. 26 against the Bellarmine College Prep Bells.
