As spring sports begin at SHS, multiple teams will be in the spotlight. There are high expectations for performance for most teams at Solon, but they try to balance it all out with having fun as well. Two high performing teams at SHS are boys track and boys lacrosse, and both teams are focused on making an impact this year.

Boys Track

Boys track has a lot to look forward to in the upcoming season. With high talent comes high competition and tough goals they set out to meet.

“As a team, we want to win our conference,” head coach Dan Iwan said. “It will be tough because there are some good teams in it.”

Solon has a competitive team with state qualifiers every year, and this year is no different. Iwan said has a lot to look forward to with his athletes, especially the cross country runners that were state champs in the fall.

The distance crew; Danny Cohen, Joe Riordan, Mark Shannon , Chantz Visse and Logan Esper are all expected to have strong years. In the sprints Darryl Sinclair, Devon Brown, Logan Barr, Thomas Wilks, and Chance Culp are some of the leaders. Isaiah Dillard and Pierre Woods are standouts in the jumps, and Jacob Gross in the throwing events.

But while winning is vital to Iwan, he has said it is not the only thing that serves as an exciting and rewarding measure to those who run track.

“The most rewarding aspect of the season is to see improvements across the board,” Iwan said. “Whether you are talking about the No. 1 runner on the team or the No. 100, it’s very exciting to see these kids better their marks from week to week. The conference meet and the state tournament is the most exciting part of the season because it’s really fun to compete against the best from around the area.”

In the end, it looks like a combination of doing what has worked, and mixing in small improvements has lead to success for the track team each year.

“We have had a very successful program for a long time, so we won’t change much,” Iwan said. “That being said, I am always looking for ways to improve athlete performance. Specifically, in the sprints, I am going to really emphasize power, burst and acceleration through weight training and plyometrics.”

The first meet of the season is Saturday, March 25 at Strongsville.

Boys Lacrosse

“We are striving for greatness, I tell them that lots of people can be good, but it takes great effort and commitment to be great.”

The coach of Solon Lacrosse, Donald Gries, has a very focused mindset entering this season.

“My goals for the season are to create great memories that will last a lifetime,” Gries said. “After that, we would like to win our conference and go as far as we can in the inaugural year of OHSAA high school lacrosse playoffs.”

Often referred to as Solon “LAX,” the lacrosse squad is a group of hard-working guys that are aiming to go far this year. The strong leadership among the senior class is expected to provide a big boost to the team’s success in the GCC.

“On defense, we have four seniors in Matt Brown, Jordan Sigal, Jeremy Previte and Justin Singerman,” Gries said. “They have all shown they can play solid defense and put fear in opposing players when they are defending them…On the offensive side, we have great speed in both Jalen Brown and Garrett Hamm.  You should see them carry the ball from the defensive end and at times go coast to coast to either get off their own shot or assist another player.  Our four other seniors, Justin Schneider, Jake Morris, Justin Fischer and Jacob Hoberman are more of the quick and sneaky type and they will use their skills to lull defensemen to sleep and then beat them with quick burst to the cage.”

The team will really lean on the upperclassmen leadership as they try to make a big impact in their important games in this season. Gries said some of the more important games include Hudson, Ignatius, Olentangy Liberty and Dublin Coffman. Winning games against those teams will prove that Solon LAX has what it takes to compete widely across the state.

But most important of all, according to Gries, is that this season comes with a learning experience for all the young men in the program: “the most rewarding part of the season to me is just the growth of the boys and the lessons they learn with respect to commitment and responsibility.  I don’t ask them to answer to me all the time, but rather to their fellow teammates.  It is a lot harder to let down a whole team than just a coach or two.”

As a whole, the LAX program will look to have a successful season that balances improvement, winning and growth for each player on and off the field. That mission is one that both players and coaches embrace.
To start off the season on March 21, the Comets faced Kenston at Solon and lost 10-3.