Every season has a story. Every team has a journey. The 2022 Georgia High School lacrosse season was one of the best in recent years and we have been so excited to work with many of the state's top lacrosse teams. Our goal is to tell the story of your program in a unique film that is true to your program and your culture, documenting every great moment throughout the season.
The 2022 lacrosse season was full of great stories. From perennial champions looking to maintain their dominance and score back-to-back titles to blossoming programs venturing further into the playoffs than ever before.
At Greater Atlanta Sports Digital Productions, we want to tell the story of your program, commemorating your extremely special season and highlighting just how unique your team truly is. Highlighting such a crowning achievement in your team’s journey is what we strive for in our work!
We want to celebrate your team, the coaches, and all of the hard work that went into each epic game. With the purchase of our Season Documentary service, you receive three games of cinematic footage from your season featuring your biggest matchups, personal interviews with your players and coaches, and high-resolution aerial footage of your school and stadium, all delivered before your team has their end of season banquet! It's the best way to showcase your team and relive every great moment.
Eight lacrosse teams this season chose GAS to tell the story of their lacrosse season. Let's take a look at each.
West Forsyth High School Lacrosse
If there’s one trait that the West Forsyth Wolverines display in their game, it’s toughness, toughness and toughness.
“We have heart, and we’ll never give up until the last whistle,” said senior, Zach Avila.
The Wolverines varsity lacrosse squad takes every game as seriously as possible, and hard work is a big part of their character.
“I wanted us to get better every day, and I wanted us to compete every day at practice, and show Forsyth that we could do some damage,” statesjunior, Brady Gillis.
“Going in, I knew we had a lot of young players, and I knew if we were going to be successful, we’d have to come together and play as a team. A lot of kids were going to have to step up,“ remarks senior, Chris Hutnick.
The most important game to this Wolverine team was their March 8th matchup against the Walton Raiders, a dominant team who would find themselves in the State Championship down the road.
Despite the overwhelming belief that the Walton Raiders would walk away winners, the Wolverines took the win in overtime, 10-9, and solidified themselves as a team to beat.
Being underdogs has never forced West Forsyth into a corner, and their willingness to compete through four quarters has fueled them to work harder every day.
“I’m in this school to take these young boys to young men through the vehicle of lacrosse. I think that responsibility that I have, other than winning games, is really what this is all about,” said Head Coach John Laden.
For the West Forsyth Wolverines, being a team and working together has given them the ability to compete in games week after week. And in the words of graduating senior Willson Halloran, “We sweat gold and we bleed blue.”
Mount Pisgah Christian School Lacrosse
“We gotta bring it every day. We only have so many days before this ends. So, if we don’t bring it every day, what’s the point?" The wise words of Coach Trey Arnold reflect upon just how much hard work and connectedness means to the Mount Pisgah Patriots.
“Determine the determinables, push each other, and not only lead by speaking, but lead by actions,” said junior, Aaron Kruse.
The actions which Kruse is referring to are building a family and keeping a strong motivation to win games. Mount Pisgah was heavily favorited in home games this season with a 6-3 record thanks to their undying fanbase and student support.
Documenting an in-region rival, the Patriots had a big win late in the season against the Mount Vernon Mustangs, a strong 17-11 victory that kept them in the hunt for the playoffs.
“[Mount Vernon] showed us a lot about our preparation for games. We came out hot, and on top of that, we did hit our lulls. But in those moments, we bounced back,” said Coach Justin Session.
Young talent kept the Patriots in a flow of constant learning, as many of their starters ‘never touched a stick before’. It made it possible for the coaches to continue to develop these players and deep dive into their talent.
The coaching staff gets a lot of praise from the Patriots’ players. “A lot of people don’t understand how much work they put in, it helps our team to grow and we wouldn’t be anywhere without them.”
For Mount Pisgah, working towards the playoffs and their high standard is what they’re aiming for in the future, and the echoes of graduating seniors hope to pass their wisdom down to younger players with playoff hopes later in their athletic careers.
Lambert High School Lacrosse
Only a few select teams can say they took home the hardware in back-to-back seasons. Now, the Lambert Longhorns lacrosse team can shout it from the rooftops.
“Look back on this as a whole, and enjoy every moment that you’ve taken to this point, and you leave it all on the field,” said coach Eric Tompkins.
Rick Lewis cites his most ‘complete’ game of the season as their win against Johns Creek, a dominant 14-3 victory.
This win was right in the middle of their season-opening 15 game win streak, their longest of the 2021-2022 campaign.
“Being a Longhorn, you have to work as hard as you can. Everyone in the state wants to beat Lambert. You’re always going to get the other team’s best game. You have to go 110% at all times,” said senior Danny Kesselring.
Kesselring became a defining factor in a victory later in the season, after a four-goal lead against Blessed Trinity vanished, and the seniors spoke up to get their defense going once again.
“He [Kesselring] looked at our guys and told the defense, ‘You get a stop, we get the ball, we win’.” Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened, and the Longhorns’ winning streak was salvaged.
Through their talent, the Longhorns continued their run at a state championship, easily making the playoffs with a 15-2 record.
From there, Lambert only let up four goals in their first three playoff games, with double-digit victories over Grovetown, Pope, and Woodstock.
After a close 8-6 win in the semi-final game against Buford, the Longhorns found themselves in the championship game for the second straight season, a matchup against Walton.
And the Longhorns checked another goal off their sheet, with a 7-4 win in the final game against Walton, securing back-to-back titles in 2021 and 2022.
The Lambert Longhorns are a story of success and leadership, and a testament to never back down, even when you’re on top.
Lassiter High School Lacrosse
The Lassiter Trojans lacrosse team is a story of heart and friendship, and how your teammates can be more than just athletes, but family.
“Lassiter lacrosse has always been known for its excellence, and Coach Brunner reminds us of that often. It makes me feel good that I’m part of something that can leave a legacy,” said senior Alexa Young.
“People fear us. That’s a fun feeling to have, especially when you win,” said senior, Lauren Cunningham.
One player specifically, senior, Ella Greyard highlighted her favorite game of the season: their 15-8 win against Kell, the school Greyard was ‘supposed to go to.' Greyard scored a game-high six goals that game.
Kell also defeated the Trojans the season prior, which lit the fire underneath Lassiter and gave them a reason to work harder on the field.
“As a coach and as a parent, you see the potential in your players, but when you cultivate it so they really see it themselves, I think that’s when you know you’ve really done your job,” said Brunner.
Lassiter, one of the only squads in their region without a junior varsity team, held a lot of freshmen on their team.
But those freshmen have stepped up.
“For them to have the guts and play the way they’ve played this season, parallel to the crazy, talented seniors that they’re working right next to, it’s amazing. In such a short amount of time, you’ve seen so much growth, it’s been awesome to watch.” said Assistant Coach Erin Corbin.
Development is a big part of Lassiter’s culture, with players and coaches working with the Trojans’ youth program, working to keep the lacrosse team talented while teaching valuable lessons to aspiring players.
The Lassiter Trojans continue to strive for greatness in every game they play, knowing how they can inspire those around them to work for what you want, and keep pushing forward through every win or loss.
South Forsyth High School Lacrosse
The War Eagles, who have won five games by just one goal, have fought down to the last second in each one of those games to take the wins they knew they deserved.
“We try to keep a family mindset, but when it’s gametime, it’s gametime. When the lights come on, they’re always ready,” said Coach Chase Rogers.
Stringing together a series of win streaks, South Forsyth found themselves closing the regular season with a 13-5 record going into the postseason.
“This team has been the closest I’ve ever seen a South Forsyth team been. We all have each other’s backs because we’ve all put in the work together, and that’s what makes us able to fight every game,” said Senior, JD Cheatham.
Senior, Ethan Barlag describes his favorite game of the season in their 9-8 comeback victory against West Forsyth.
“It was a testament to our resiliency as a team. We went down 5-2 at one point, against one of our biggest rivals,” stated Barlag. “We were able to stay in it and not let our emotions get to our heads and mount a comeback. We put ourselves in a position to win a close game against a region rival.”
Another game, their win against Johns Creek, was highlighted by senior Ethan Duerk, as they came back from an early 4-0 deficit to recover and take a 12-11 win late in the regular season.
“We’ve stuck together as a brotherhood, and we’ve had a winning record every single year,” continued Duerk.
The connections that the South Forsyth War Eagles have to one another, feeling a sense of togetherness and respect for one another has tightened the bond between these students. It’s only a matter of time before this squad grows into the men they’ve worked so hard to become in the future.
Pace Academy Lacrosse
The Pace Academy Knights worked hard in the 2021 season, making a run to the state championship, and giving them a taste of what they hope to accomplish in years to come. This was a main point of the 2022 season.
“I think always in the back of our minds is getting back to that state championship. With our new coach, it’s going to be different, and we just want to create connections between other players and him.” said Junior, Nick Klein.
The Knights have to deal with a few coaching changes, however, new Head Coach Chase Winter has the right mindset for moving this team in the direction they need to go.
“We can take each step together. We can accomplish the goal if you just put faith, trust and loyalty to it,” said Winter.
“[Coach Winter] always was saying it’s not always about the two teams, it’s about the communities, especially being the captain.” said Junior, Matthew Steiger.
Throughout the season, Coach Winter gave his thoughts on the games that he thought developed his team the most, saying:
“Milton was the game that our seniors really came together. Centennial was the game that showed us we could play. Woodward was the game that showed how much our defense really means. Lovett was the game that had focus and determination. The last game, Westminster, really brought out the heart.”
The Knights players take each game wearing their hearts on their sleeves. This emotion developed them into a winning culture, taking six of their final eight games, followed by two playoff wins, and giving them another playoff run they can be proud of.
Determination and change has kept the Knights moving forward, and they hope to continue developing their winning culture in the future.
Woodward Academy Lacrosse
Energy, Excitement, Execution.
Head Coach Mike Terry and the Woodward Academy War Eagles run through this alliterative mantra before games, and it has fueled them to work harder game after game.
“Anytime we have a chance to compete, the guys know it’s time to flip the switch,” said Terry.
The War Eagles have been a competing program for years, and with a new coaching staff coming their way, they’ve been continuing to work hard and stay in the playoff push no matter what.
“Our emphasis was family this year. We’ve really come together as [a family], and we’re starting to play good lacrosse,” said Senior, Harrison Lewis. “Whenever I step on the field, I’m representing Woodward and I’m representing the lacrosse team, so it’s nothing you should take lightly.”
The representation at Woodward is hoping to push yourself and show the younger ones that are striving to be solid players to keep working towards your goals.
Lewis highlighted their game late in the season against Starr’s Mill, with a close overtime win, 6-5. This game featured a great defensive effort from the War Eagles, and another game that kept them moving towards a playoff spot.
“[Our seniors] truly bought into me as a person, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get this culture to where it needs to be. I’ll do whatever it takes to get Woodward back to where it needs to be.” continued Terry.
Woodward Academy lives by their development and coaching staff, and presents themselves as being strong men with goals in mind.
The War Eagles and their culture will continue to strive in the 2022 season.
King's Ridge Christian School Lacrosse
For many high school athletic programs, growth and development is the primary goal for coaches. For the King’s Ridge Tigers, a playoff run doesn’t hurt either.
“Our expectations for this year is to build upon what we’ve been building through several years, since our now-seniors were freshmen, even back to when these guys were in middle school, is to compete for a state championship” remarks Head Coach, Jamie Davidson.
King’s Ridge, being a continuously improving program, scheduled harder competition for their 2022 campaign, including top teams out-of-state like McCallie and Westminster.
And the Tigers didn’t shy away from the big stage, taking down the Tennessee powerhouse, McCallie in a tightly contested 5-4 victory that needed two overtimes to decide a winner.
Senior, Jack Deady scored the deciding goal in the second overtime, propelling the Tigers to what ended up as a six-game winning streak late in the season. Coach Davidson dictated it as the “highest profile win” the team had in the last four years.
“We’re a very physical team. If they don’t respect us, we’ll let them know,” said Senior, Dean Giacobbe.
Yet, this special group of seniors know their time at King’s Ridge is coming to a close, and King’s Ridge has meant the world to them. Five seniors, Giacobbe, Jack and Asher Deady, Cole Drescher and Brant Satterly all hung up their gear this season.
“I’ve loved it ever since I stepped on campus freshman year. They’ve been supportive, and it’s a great aspect of having such a great family behind us.” said Drescher.
The King’s Ridge seniors, who have dedicated their academic and athletic careers to the Tigers, now go their separate ways, leaving a legacy behind for the future Tigers to follow.
Season Documentaries are the perfect way to tell the story of your program and document every great moment on the field. We document moments, take viewers into the huddle, and curate them in a special way for your team and their families to remember forever. Telling the story of your team is easier than ever. Contact our Sports Videography team today and book your team for the upcoming season.
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