The Parkland High School boys lacrosse team is playing its best lacrosse at the right time of the year. The Trojans finished off the regular season winning eight of their final nine games, falling in the season finale by one goal to rival Emmaus.

Trojan head coach Mike Bender and his team were back to more of a somewhat normal year and schedule in 2022, but there were still challenges the Trojans program had to face head on.

“This year was more different than others as challenges, both on and off the field, were more frequent,” Bender said. “I am proud of the team trusting the process and striving to be the best student-athletes they can be. The way they performed this year on the field and then what they were able to do off the field and just how they listened to us coaches and just followed what they had to do, I’m proud of them all.”

Parkland ended the season at 17-3 overall and 9-2 in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, earning the two seed in the four-team EPC tournament.

“Every season, every year has their highs and lows,” said Bender. “But we continue to persevere with the goal of playing our best lacrosse in the playoffs. We compete and work hard in the preseason, in every practice and during every game during the regular season to be able to have a chance at winning championships.”

Even in an 8-5 defeat at the hands of third seed Easton in Monday’s league semifinals, Bender noted that his team is happy with its hard work showing itself in being able to compete in the postseason for championships.

“We are just enjoying the opportunity to compete on a bigger stage and showcase our hard work,” said Bender. “A lot of these kids have been in the postseason and played in these big games before this year. We’re experienced and know what to expect and how hard we will need to work.”

Now, with time to turn their attention to the district tournament next week, the Trojans have some time to practice and get better so they can be the last team standing this time around.

“Every day we strive to maximize our potential,” Bender said. “Our coaches have been working hard to put guys playing in the right positions to find success. They’ve done that all year and we look to continue that trend here over the course of the next couple of weeks.”