As spring approaches, three things are inevitable: allergies, rainy days and Staples boys’ lacrosse having a prominent season. As a Staples student, it may be hard to make it to all 16 regular season games, so I am going to give you five games I am most excited for.
*All rankings are from USA Lacrosse High School ranking as of April 1.
*All college commitments are from the Inside Lacrosse High School recruiting database.
5. Staples vs St. Anthony’s, Saturday May 10, 3 p.m. @ Staples Stadium
The storylines behind this game are amazing: Head Coach Koshansky vs. his alma mater, three future North Carolina players on offense, shooting against their future goalie, Staples Captain Josh Marcus ’25. However, this game will be as tough as it gets for Staples to win, as St. Anthony’s is ranked #1 in the entire country. Can the five Staples college commits overcome St. Anthony’s 33. In their previous two games against St. Anthony’s in 2023 and 2024, Staples got outscored by them 31-13. This will be the toughest team that Staples plays all season, but Staples has elite talent and with a raucous home crowd. I think they can pull off the upset, which would be one of the biggest wins in Staples history.
4. Staples vs Ridgefield, Thursday April 17, 4 p.m. @ Staples Stadium
After winning back to back CIAC class L championships, last year Staples moved to class LL and attempted to three-peat there. Unfortunately their run ended in a 13-8 loss to Ridgefield. As the fourth game of their season, this is the first tough test the Wreckers will face. While Staples may be favored as they are the #16 Public School in the country and the home team, FCIAC games are always close, especially with rivals who have had success against Staples before. Defenseman Jack Kniesch ’25 will be playing against his future Dickinson teammate Walker Fiore ’25, but overall, this will be a really exciting game and an important first test for the Wreckers.
3. Staples vs. Brunswick, Thursday, May 1, 4 p.m. @ Brunswick Coby Turf Field
A Staples game against Brunswick is rare, as last year was the only time the Wreckers had played Brunswick in Coach K’s tenure, so it is worth it to take the 30 minute drive down to Greenwich to see this excellent game. Brunswick is currently ranked as the #6 team in the country and has 17 Division 1 college lacrosse commits. To win this game Staples would need an offense led by Captain and Colgate Commit attackman Tristan Schaefer ’25, Captain and Michigan commit Adam Udell, and Tufts commit midfielder Cam Prior ’25 to be flawless. Last year, Brunswick remained supreme with an 11-5 victory, but Staples is looking to avenge their loss and pull off the upset against Brunswick.
2. Staples vs New Canaan, Thursday, April 24, 6:30 p.m. @ Dunning Field
An FCIAC matchup against New Cannan is one to always be looking forward to. This year New Canaan is the #2 Public School in Connecticut, while Staples is #3. Adam Udell, may be guarded by his future teammate, New Canaan defenseman Bryce Lyden ’25. Both teams have exceptional goalie play with North Carolina commit Josh Marcus and Michigan Commit Cam Lyden ’26 (you guessed it, Bryce’s brother) guarding the New Canaan net. Overall, Staples will be seeking to take revenge against New Canaan after their recent football loss to them and make a statement win outside of Westport.
1. Staples vs. Darien, Monday, May 19, 5:30 p.m. @ Staples Stadium
May 23. 2024, Wilton High School, FCIAC Lacrosse Championship. Staples is down to Darien 6-3 with 6 minutes and 30 seconds left in the game. Suddenly, Adam Udell scores 4 straight goals, and Josh Marcus makes some miraculous saves to help Staples wins their first ever FCIAC championship 7-6 in overtime. Darien, the #1 public school in Connecticut will look to get retribution against Staples in what could be one of the seniors’ last games at Staples Stadium. This is not one to be missed.
