Wolverines Go Big In Texas- Bellevue's Spring Break Diary

The Bellevue Wolverines flew out on their annual Spring Break sojourn, like several Washington teams last week.  Dallas, Texas awaited the Wolverines for the second year in a row.  Three games against some of the area's top teams in Plano West, Highland Park, and Coppell would be a maturing process for the young team.

When you play in the Lone Star state, the thing you get for free is hospitality. Right off the bat, Highland Park Lacrosse was gracious enough to allow use of their practice facility for the week. The Scots own three grass fields off-campus, and having them available was a big plus for Coach Jon Baumann and his staff. Straight from the airplane, the boys threw on their blue pennies for a quick run through. In what would become a common theme for the week, they were greeted by wind and heat. Once lathered up and limbered out, the team boarded the vans for the hotel and a trip to Manny's Uptown TexMex restaurant. A travel note: Texans will mock you if you say "We have good Mexican food at home too." After dinner the boy learned TexMex apparently is not Mexican food. 

Once billeted for the night they slept off the jet lag and get their fill the next day of TexLax.  The lads woke up stunned to 85° F temperatures and blinding sunshine. Neither of which they recognized. A full practice awaited them, then naps, shopping and a van ride north to play their first game against Plano West.

The Wolverines jumped out to 5-0 lead then pushed on to secure a 10-4 victory. Sophomore Cole Johnson led the way with a hat trick, Sam Leggett picked up 7 ground balls and freshman Bradley Medeiros got his first serious time in the cage. The boys represented Washington well, dominating the game play. A good time was had by all those not hailing from Plano. So far it was Bellevue 1, Texas 0. Showers, food and team time awaited them back at the hotel. However there was no pool use, as it was inexplicably banned by the reaches of the Bellevue School District.

Thursday featured a trip to Cowboy Stadium, (or "Jonestown" as it is known by disgruntled locals unwilling to drink the Kool-Aid.) A private tour through luxury suites, locker rooms and reception areas was highlighted by a 45 minute throw around on the Superbowl turf underneath the world's largest HD display. The vans then headed west for an exhibition scrimmage with Keller High School, the state's top-ranked D2 program.

Keller Lacrosse boosters were wonderful and thankful; proud their boys had a chance to work out against a top team from the West. In what was to become another common theme, the scrimmage was held in a huge high school stadium with a double-tiered indoor pressbox. And lots of heat and wind. Keller played a fine brand of lacrosse, proving that the gap between D1 and D2 in Texas is shrinking rapidly. All the Wolverines saw lots of action and the unofficial score had the Wolverines finishing on top by a couple of goals.

The post game meal featured a private Texas BBQ at Trail Dust, where y'all are welcome, but your neckties are not (they cut them off.) Pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs, mashed taters with white gravy and Texas Toast. All in endless quantities, were mangled by the entire Wolverines.  A very quiet van ride later, everyone was tucked in for the night.

Friday morning there was a quiet calm around the team. Everyone knew that night's game against Four-Peat State Champ Highland Park was a big deal. Coach Baumann improvised a trip to the The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, where the JFK assassination took place. The boys loaded up with no idea what to expect, and were enthralled with the presentation they saw. The sixth floor of the Book Depository is a self-guided audio tour. They explored U.S. 1960's history including JFK's ground-breaking election, all the conspiracies in play concerning the devastating assassination. 

The tour lasted about an hour and a half. Although junior defenseman Jack Bethke- the team's history nut, was spotted hours later still there with his father. 

The big game Friday night lived up to its billing. Highland Park, was a wealthy enclave within the city of Dallas. Complete with its own municipality, with its own school district, and wealthy tax base. At the pm start time, it was a toasty 91°, and the stadium again was unbelievably huge. A crowd of about 125 boisterous fans were yelling, cheering, cowbelling and taunting. It turned out to be a game worthy of the attention. Tied at the end of the 1st and 3rd quarters, the 4th found Bellevue facing "two double-man-down-this-is-how-we-do-it-to-visitors penalties." But the aforementioned D-pole, Jack "Oswald Acted Alone" Bethke shut down HP's big stud at the end. Keeper Austin Boyd made a couple of clutch saves to end the game. The Wolverines got their signature win with a hard fought 8-7 victory. The boys treated Coach Baumann to shampoo-filled water balloons and an ice bath in the parking lot.

Saturday was all business and not much of it fun. A long trek to the 18,000 seat stadium at Coppell found the boys facing the renowned crew of NCAA D1 recruits that the Cowboys put on the field. Faced with their fourth game on the road in four days, it was a tough grind for the Wolverines in the heat and 30 mph winds. Coppell brings a ton of individual talent packed in big corn-fed bodies. They rocked almost all the face offs and were tough to handle one-on-one. Bellevue stayed close for the first half, but in the second again faced "two double-man-down-that's-right-you're-not-from-Texas" penalties. A big third quarter led Coppell to do what no one else from the Lone Star State ever has- beat Bellevue. The Coppell fans were great, arranged for post game showers at the local YMCA (for the players, that is) and played the perfect hosts. The Wolverines were gracious in defeat, but happy to drive to the airport and get their bedraggled behinds onto the plane.

So the trip ended up Bellevue 3, Texas 1. But, like any team that travels out-of-state to play tougher competition, the Wolverines come out better for having done it. Bellevue's rookie freshmen and sophomores, who are integral cogs this year, got valuable experience against talented foes. The team and coaches got closer in ways that only seems to happen in hotels and crowded van rides. But most of all, the whole crew got to experience another part of the lacrosse community. An up and coming hotbed much like our own.