Teacher of drivers education, health, and physical education as well as coach of football and lacrosse, Matthew Larsen, is a staff member who is very involved with the school. Lacrosse has been an emerging sport in the district of 117. It has been only two years since lacrosse was introduced to the district, and the sport is continuing to grow with a lot of young talent.

“I see this program flourishing with our young talent,” Larsen said.

Larsen is excited about the young recruits that this new sport is fostering and cannot wait to capitalize on utilizing this talent in the upcoming season. He sees this rather young lacrosse program as an advantage, being able to work with the same athletes for multiple years, which makes it easier to improve their skill sets and their understanding of the game.

“Our defense is young and very athletic, but I think our main strength is that we are returning 90 percent of the team, allowing us to only improve faster,” Larsen said.

Having the luxury to work with the same athletes for two, three, or even all four years in high school can greatly improve the players and coaches relationship. These relationships between players and coaches help the coaches understand certain athletes’ strengths and capabilities. This helps coaches use their athletes’ skills to their fullest potential and focus on improvement in areas that need it. Larsen also has high expectations for his players and team heading into the season.

“I expect more wins and more improvements,” Larsen said. “Our team had 14 freshman last year at a varsity level and still won four games. To put it in perspective, most new teams in the past had to forfeit seasons because they were getting blown out, we never experienced that. I expect to get better and not regress.”

Larsen’s expectations of not only improving the players skill set, but also improving their previous year’s record seems like a very manageable task for the players; many of which have great respect for Larsen as a coach.

“Larsen is a very determined coach,” senior Dylan Lampert said. “He wants our team to succeed and can find a strong attribute in every player. He loves the game of lacrosse and it shows how much passion he puts into his coaching.”

Larsen’s coaching style and abilities are respected by the players that he coaches, as well as his love for the game. Even off the field, Larsen is a person who is always carrying a positive and cheerful attitude around with him.

“Besides being a mentor he also knows how to make everyone smile.; he is a great leader and impacts the team on and off the field,” senior captain Gino Riforgiato said.