BE girls' lacrosse team seeks to defend state championship title

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, the Bishop England girls’ lacrosse team held tryouts for the 2017 season. On Wednesday, the Bishops held their first practice.

It will be time to get down to business on Feb. 23 when the Bishops officially begin their season - and defense of their first ever state championship with a match against Hilton Head.

Coach Jeff Weiner will make his team well aware that last year the Bishops were the hunters. This year, they will be the hunted.

“We know people will be on the lookout for us this year,” the veteran coach said. “They know who our weapons are. They know our strengths, our weaknesses. They started realizing that late last season.”

No one could truly figure the Bishops out last spring. They topped longtime nemesis Wando in the Lower State championship and edged Nations’ Ford 6-5 for the big prize.

It was the Bishops’ first title in the sport, which was sanctioned by the High School League in 2010.

So, just what does 2017 hold?

“Defensively, we have some issues to solve,” Weiner said. “Last year, we had the best defense in the state, and that’s why we won the state championship. But we lost some key players to graduation.”

Among the departed were Ellie Petyak, who scooped 37 ground balls with 34 takeaways to earn Lower State Defensive Player of the Year. Teammate Rachel Banton was also a force on defense and earned all-state honors.

The good news?

Emma Pizzo heads up a talented cast after being selected the state Player of the Year after leading the state with 98 goals and 58 assists to lead the Bishops to their first state championship.

Ellie Long also was named all-state first team while and Beatrice Navarro also received all-state honors. There is talent and youth. In the state championship match, Weiner had eight freshmen and sophomores on the field for the last 20 minutes against Nation Ford.

That experience will come in handy this spring as the Bishops navigate a somewhat different journey to the state playoffs and beyond.

For the first time, the High School League will crown two state champs. In past years, all teams competed at the Class AAAA level. This year, there will be Class AAAAA and AAAA. The Bishops will compete in Class AAAA.

“The good news is that we don’t have to go through Wando to win the state championship,” Weiner said. “That’s fine, but it always was the biggest game of the year. We will still play them (in the regular season), but the stakes won’t be as high.”

The two classifications are a barometer of how much lacrosse is growing in the Palmetto State. The Hilton Head and the Grand Strand areas both have five teams for 2017. But, in the Lowcountry only three schools will have High School League entries: Bishop England, Wando and Academic Magnet. Weiner said West Ashley will not field a team this season.

The Bishops must stay healthy and stay in shape to compete for the crown in ’17.

“We also have to have teamwork,” Weiner said. “Teamwork is what makes us win.”