North Kitsap lacrosse team has the right stuff

North Kitsap lacrosse team has the right stuff — So why have wins been out of reach?

POULSBO –- The North Kitsap lacrosse team has the tools: League leaders in goals, assists and ground balls. Players that go so all-out on the field they’ve been known to throw up at the half. Daily practices. An ambitious JV squad that has produced nine backups for the varsity team. Lots of parental support.

In the 74-team, 13-conference Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association, North Kitsap senior midfielder Kellson Arthurs is fifth in ground balls (45), 14th in goals (16) and 19th in points per game (3.40). Senior attackman Matt Dotterweich is fifth in assists (12) and ninth in points per game (4.40). Sophomore midfielder Daxton Solis is 20th in ground balls (32). Freshman goalie Ian Poffenroth has been getting a workout at the net. He’s seventh in shots (103), ninth in minutes played (240), and 21st in save percentage (.369).

And yet wins have been … oh … so … elusive. On paper, North has, like last year, the makings of a great team. But on the field, they’ve had trouble translating talent into wins. This is the team that opened its season with a two-goal loss to state champion Bainbridge, and later shut out Olympia 19-0.

But at spring break, NK is 1-4-0 conference, 1-5-0 overall.

What the heck is missing?

“We have all the talent,” head coach Joseph Bates said April 5. “It’s mental. We practice very, very well. But on the field, we’re trying to rush things, trying to get the quick score.”

At practices between now and April 11, when North travels to South Kitsap (2-2-0, 2-2-0), Bates and team are working on correcting what he calls the “mental hiccups.” He wants each player to be able to stay focused and “not get stressed out” in the heat of the game.

Focus is an issue on and off the field. On March 31 at Vashon, Bates had to sideline one of his players when he showed up without his jersey; another couldn’t play because he didn’t bring his shoulder pads. Then, scoring leader Kellson Arthurs — Bates’ stepson — sustained a sprained shoulder in a body check and was out for the second half of the game. North lost 14-4.

During North’s first meeting with Vashon, March 22 at Strawberry Field, Bates told his players (paraphrasing here): Look, these guys aren’t any better than you. You need to help each other and communicate more. Don’t let those guys get ahead of you on defense. Hustle on the ground balls. Don’t double team and leave them room on the inside.

It seemed to work. North matched Vashon score for score in the second half. Unfortunately, Vashon had opened up too big of a lead during the first half and North couldn’t make up the deficit. But they showed they could shake off those mental hiccups.

Bates is confident his team can do it again — and consistently. He predicts: “We’re going to see a big turnaround” in the second half of the season.

NORTH KITSAP’S SEASON

The North Kitsap lacrosse team is in the Cascade Conference of the Washington High School Boys Lacrosse Association.

North Kitsap’s team is a club team comprised of players from North Kitsap and Kingston high schools, Chief Kitsap Academy, and West Sound Academy.

Here’s how they’ve fared this season, and what they have coming up.

March 15: Bainbridge 11 at North Kitsap 9.

March 22: Vashon 12 at North Kitsap 5.

March 25: North Kitsap 8 at Klahowya 15.

March 28: North Kitsap 9 at Bellarmine Prep 24.

March 29: Olympia 0 at North Kitsap 19.

March 31: North Kitsap 4 at Vashon 14.

April 11: North Kitsap at South Kitsap, 7:30 p.m., South Kitsap High School.