Lacrosse

12- Practice and Tactics

Josh

"What'd you do?" Andrew asks when I enter the locker room. It took until the very end of the school day, but Kendall and I finally finished fixing the hole. Now, we have to test it out during practice and pray we didn't screw it up.

"We had to fill the hole in with dirt and cover it with new turf," I reply. I pull off my dirt stained shirt and apply a new coat of deodorant before pulling my dri-fit Under Armor tank top on.

"I figured that out but why are you covered in dirt?" Andrew looks at the discarded shirt in my hands and at my face, laughing slightly.

"We had a little fun with it," I say with a chuckle. I drop my shorts to the ground and kick off my shoes. I grab the pair of gym shorts out of my locker and pull them on over my filthy legs. I plop down on the wooden bench in the center of the aisle of metal lockers, lifting one foot on to the bench beside me to tie my cleat, and then the other.

"Sure looks like it," Andrew says, smirking.

"Come on Brownie," I sigh. "Let's go."

I grab my equipment bag out of the locker and shove the clothes that are sure to get me in to trouble with my mother when she goes to wash them inside. Slinging the bag on to my shoulder and twisting the stick in my hands, I walk out in to the bright springtime sunlight and on to the soft, green field. The rest of our team is streaming out of the locker room, and the girls are already jogging around the perimeter of the field.

"Get running boys!" Coach Scott yells. "Don't bother with your equipment, you won't need anything today."

After finishing our lap, my team joins the girls in the center of the field with the coaches. I step cautiously on the newly placed turf, nervous that it will collapse. It doesn't and I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that Kendall and I didn't mess it up.

"We're going to talk about our game plan for tomorrow's game tonight. It probably won't take up the full two hours so we'll do team bonding once we finish," Amanda explains. "You can go ahead and sit down."

I walk around to the other side of the circle, setting myself down on a patch of grass behind Kendall. I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her backwards so she is leaning against my chest, her legs stretched out on top of mine. I lean forward slightly and kiss her softly where her next meets her shoulders, our special place since the day in Freshman year I went to kiss her cheek and she turned her head to look at someone, leaving my face to fall forward in to her shoulder.

"The scrimmages are tomorrow," Coach Scott begins. "We need to set up a game plan to make sure that we walk off this field with no injuries and no losses."

"Defend yourselves. Pittsburgh Hills is filled with the rich snobs of society who think they can get away with anything. We all know that. They will play dirty and expect you all to let them walk all over you. Don't let them," Amanda explains. "Defend yourselves, defend your teammates, boys defend the girls, girls defend the boys, defend this school, and defend the fans."

"But do not offend. I don't want to see any of you guys starting fights. Feel free to finish them, but do not start them. Play clean lacrosse like we've taught you to and be the good kids we know you are while wiping the floor with them," Scott adds.

"Don't show up looking like Kendall and Josh either," Amanda says, pointing at up the two of us, covered in dirt and grime, and laughs. "We don't want them thinking we're idiots."

"Those are our behavioral guidelines. Now let's talk about actual play. Switch hands often, it confuses them. When you're shooting, shoot low and to the goalie's non-dominant side. Midfielders, keep up with them. They're fast and will cream us if we can't catch them. Attacks, get open. They're an offensive team, not defensive. If our defense manages to get the ball from them and pass it up the field to you, you should be able to get away from your man and be open for a pass. Defense, stick to your players. Pick a number and don't leave them unless you need to slide to an open man," Scott instructs. He looks around at each one of us, ensuring that we understand what he means.

"That's pretty much it so we'll do team bonding for a half hour and then you can go," Coach Amanda states, sending a happy cheer through the circle of teens.

I close my fingers around both sets of Kendall's, so our four arms become a set of two, and squeeze her in to a tight hug, craning my neck in order to kiss her lips.