The varsity boy’s lacrosse team has a record of 7-2 making them one of the premier division two teams in the area. The team has wins over Vianney, Summit and Hazelwood Central.
“Our strengths so far this season has been our defense and our ability to win most of the ground balls. We have a very experienced group of guys who love battling it out on the field each and every day, ” junior midfielder Hassan Baig
The upperclassmen dominated roster is led by senior attack Kyle Bernstein who is among the area leaders in goals with 27.
“It has been tough at times with all of our injuries. We have still been able win against some quality teams in the area. Our biggest game is coming up soon against Clayton on senior night. We all look forward to this game because it is the one game we get to play on the turf,” Bernstein said.
The Longhorns are currently second in the Division Two standings behind Priory. The key to their success can be contributed to the strong defense and goalie play by Junior Jacob Ransom, who is second in goals allowed per game (6.2).
“Starting off the season we had a crushing defeat against priory 9-8. Since then we have learned to put away games when we have had the lead. At 7-2 this season, we have been able to put ourselves in contention for the Division Two state title,” junior goalie Jacob Ransom said.
Second in scoring on the team is junior Midfielder Rami Ringling with 16 goals.
“My dream is to continue to play lacrosse in college at Ohio State. If that does not workout my other choice would be to play lacrosse at Rockhurst,” Ringling said.
Injuries however have plagued the team.
“With this being my senior year, it has been tough sitting on the side lines with my injury. The only thing I can do is stay positive and help out the other guys with my experience,” senior attack Matt Hall said.
With a shift to Division Two this season, the horns expect to make a run in this years playoffs.
“Our end goal is to definitely win the state title. We have the experience and talent to do so,” junior attack Jack Snyder said.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
