Sometimes in life we don’t always get what we want. State playoffs were a big goal for boy’s lacrosse, but sadly they fell just short. Despite this, the players and coaches are looking on the bright side of things. Wilsonville is a top seed in the cascade cup, a consolation bracket of sorts. They get the benefits of an extended season, the opportunity to play games they otherwise wouldn’t have had. While this may not have been the outcome they wanted, the Wildcats are determined to make the most of it.

After just barely missing state playoffs, Wilsonville’s thoughts immediately turned to winning the cascade cup. “Based on our competition and the skill level of our team, we definitely see ourselves in the championship game” Coach Neal Bateman said to us at a practice.

The Wildcat’s game 1 opponent was Marist from Eugene, a small private school. Wilsonville handled them with ease, 9 different players scored in a 16-3 rout. Junior Gavin Waddell had 4 goals and 3 assists, Junior Kellen Rapp put in 3 goals as well, and Junior Eli Nelson was unstoppable despite playing with a 100+ degree fever.

The Wildcats move on to the second round, where they will play either Century High School. Senior LSM Tyler Rayburn said to us in a statement that he’s looking forward to the upcoming games. “I’m glad we’re in the cascade cup because it means we get to play longer than we would if we were in state,” Tyler said. “It’s my last year playing lacrosse, I want to make these last weeks count.” 

Defensive Assistant Coach Joel Quintana reflected Tyler’s attitude, saying that “based on our seeding, we would get crushed in the state tournament. I’d rather be in the cascade cup and win the whole thing.” 

Not everyone on the team shares this opinion however. Notably, Kellen Rapp was very disappointed when the team didn’t qualify for state playoffs. Most of the seniors are happy to get a few more weeks with the team, Asher Buchanan told us at practice he was “happy for the extended season.” While missing the state playoffs is definitely a bummer, the Cats are looking on the bright side of life.