Admiral lacrosse under way in 2026
On the guys side, the Ads are off to a 3-0 start, having dispatched Christian Academy of Knoxville, Knox Catholic and Signal Mountain by scores of 20-4, 9-5 and 18-6, respectively.
FHS has shot out to quick starts in each matchup, building early momentum to find success.
“That quick start helps build confidence with the team and the execution and plays we want to run,” head coach Ben Sachs said. “Then it gives our defense a chance to be more aggressive and pull the trigger on certain formations.”
Freshman Matthew Kitchiner led the team with six goals and two assists against Signal Mountain.
“He was a force for us,” Sachs said. “We have a very blessed community where a lot of young men are stepping into roles that are difficult, but they understand the I.Q. and the chemistry to play well. And they can’t do that unless the upperclassmen like Brock Lockhart and Brody Gruver lead by example.”
“When you come in as a freshman, you’re typically undersized and don’t have that I.Q,” he continued. “But a lot of our guys do that work in the offseason with upperclassmen, so they can have confidence.”
That confidence also has been formed via a strong pipeline in the FHS youth program, as kids who begin playing together as early as 9 years old find themselves on the same fields years later.
That will be a crucial component for the next five outings. After Spring Break, the Ads will take on Webb, Briarcrest, Baylor, Ravenwood and Hillsboro.
“All five will be extremely tough games, but we want tough games to get experience under our belt for the playoffs,” Sachs said.
On the girls side, FHS is in the midst of a transition year under first-year coach Savannah Thomas, who previously served as an assistant.
With seven seniors leading the way, the Lady Ads are looking to find more experience this year since only the starters have a significant amount of playing time.
Their first outing of the year resulted in a 16-9 loss to CAK. Jane Davanzo led the team with four goals on eight attempts with one assist, followed by three goals and two assists from Addy Chambers and and two more scores with one assist for Sirilla Cretton-Gilbert.
Chambers totaled a .750 shot percentage on the night, as FHS saw its lead disappear in the second half.
“It was a lack of communication between the defense,” Thomas said. “We had practiced all week and did well in those, then for whatever reason, it didn’t translate. They know how to play, but it didn’t translate when CAK was as aggressive as they were.”
Up next, FHS will look to regroup against Girls Preparatory School out of Chattanooga on March 18.
Before that matchup, Thomas noted a few things for her team to work on.
“Obviously defense — our captains have decided to run some practices for girls staying in town,” she said. “Then working on defensive positioning and keeping your eye above the ball on the cutter. We want to stay tight in that cutter because if you don’t have them, nobody does.”
Photo via Susan Kholstedt
