The social distancing and quarantine regulations that were put into effect in an effort to halt the spread of COVID-19 did put a halt to the promising spring season of the varsity lacrosse team at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda.
However, the team, which last year won the Interstate Athletic Conference (I.A.C.) regular season championship and this year was ranked in the top 20 nationally in preseason high school lacrosse, did not spend the season sitting on the bench.
The four varsity captains – seniors Max Cooney, Damon Hsu, Jack Plank and JB Strachan – rallied the lacrosse team to make sure “this season would not just be remembered as the season that never happened,” according to Patrick Coyle, the marketing and communications director of the Jesuit-sponsored all-boys high school.
“The seniors elected to make the legacy of the 2020 team the group that lived Georgetown Prep’s mantra ‘men for and with others’,” Coyle said.
Because the lacrosse program had funds that were earmarked for pre-game and post-game meals and an end-of-year banquet that would not occur, the team decided to use those funds to support those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were given a unique opportunity to create a meaningful social impact through a disappointing end of our senior year and Prep lacrosse career,” said co-captain Plank. “I am proud that our 2020 team is now able to leave a legacy not in our play but in our action, embracing being ‘men for and with others.’”
The funds that were set aside for the cancelled lacrosse season were used to support the “Feed the Fight” fund and the school’s “Prep Strong” campaign.
“Being a part of a team teaches you the importance of helping others in need, especially when in a position of leadership,” co-captain Strachan said. “We deeply miss the opportunity to play alongside each other on the lacrosse field but are happy to have the opportunity to aid such an amazing cause,” Strachan said.
The “Feed the Fight” fund provides meals to doctors, nurses, and health care workers risking their own health and devoting long hours to assisting those with the coronavirus. Working with Georgetown Events, a catering and event planning company located in Washington and owned by Georgetown Prep alumni Bo Blair, the lacrosse team provided $2,900 to feed the health professionals.
Co-captain Cooney noted that while “these past couple months have been tough for my fellow seniors and me (and) not being able to hang out with my friends and play lacrosse is a tough pill to swallow,” he was proud to “find ways to positively impact my community regardless of the circumstances.”
“Prep Strong: Keeping Our Family Together,” began at the school in April and is raising funds “to support Prep families who are suffering from financial displacement as a result of the pandemic,” Coyle explained. “Some Prep families need financial assistance for basic educational tools, some Prep students may not be able to join us when our campus reopens after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Prep Strong campaign’s goal is to keep the Prep family together.”
The lacrosse team donated $3,100 to that campaign.
“Throughout my Prep career, the idea of ‘men and women for others’ has taught me how important it is to look out for others,” Hsu said. “Even though the other seniors and I never got to experience our final season I’m glad we get the chance to end our final year at Prep by carrying out the Jesuit motto and help the community.”
