The boy’s lacrosse season at Wadsworth High School has begun, and the team has already started off strong with a 6-5 win against Wooster High School, with contributions from players such as Cogan Wilson, Owen Anderson, Preston Davis and Braydan Todd.
The schedule for the team this year spans from mid March through early May, with games lined up against regional opponents like Medina, Highland, Brunswick and Copley. There are also some games lined up against private academies like Archbishop Hoban and Cuyahoga Christian Academy. Regular season games have started as of the 13th of March, with the team’s win against Wooster being the opening game of their 2026 spring season.
For some background on how lacrosse is played since it is a relatively newer sport, for mens game there is 10 players on the field at once for each team, and body checking and stick checking, which is not really in womens lacrosse, as stick skills and little contact overall are encouraged.
Common things players can get fouled for are slashing, where a player hits another player anywhere that is not their stick or a gloved hand. There is also the foul of cross checking, where a player uses the shaft of their stick to hit their opponent when their hands are separated, which is also not allowed. A common skill required in lacrosse would be the concept of cradling the ball with the lacrosse stick, as it keeps the ball secure while they move across the field.
The team is headed by coach Nick Hassinger, whose main focus for the season and the team is positivity and energy.
“Being positive is key, because no one wants to play for or work for someone who is negative all the time,” said Hassinger. “Being negative and dwelling on the past only gets in the way of your progress moving forward. So being a coach, it’s a difficult balance because a large part of my job is to correct players when they are doing something wrong, which is inherently a negative conversation.”
That philosophy seems to have worked, with the Grizzlies now being 3-0 with recent wins against Cuyahoga Christian Academy and Brunswick, with the scores being 18-5 and 12-8 respectively.
For the season, the boys team aims to win the suburban league, and they are anticipating making a deep run in the tournament this year. Coach Hassinger is focused on developing each and every player on his team, hoping for the best results from everyone, taking a group minded approach to coaching.
“My personal goals as a coach is to develop every player on the roster, where they leave the season both a better lacrosse player on the field and a better man off the field,” said Hassinger.
“I make an effort to work with every player from the top varsity players, to the brand new JV players. We have had many players who come in their freshman/sophomore year a very unrefined or even brand new player, and by their junior/senior year, they are contributing significantly to the varsity team.”
