By Andy Walter

SMYRNA — Halfway through its game with Caesar Rodney last April, Smyrna High’s boys’ lacrosse team still had a chance.

With the score tied at intermission, the Eagles’ dream of finally beating the Riders was very much intact.

But CR had its own plans. The Riders netted five of the third quarter’s six goals before claiming a 12-9 victory over Smyrna.

“It was really close,” said Eagles’ senior attack Kevin Sarkissian. “It still lives in my head a little bit, a year later.”

Certainly Smyrna has established itself as a good program in the sport. The Eagles have made the DIAA state tournament four years in a row.

But they also know that beating a program with CR’s tradition for the first time would elevate their status. Smyrna (3-0 Henlopen North, 3-2 overall) gets another chance against the Riders when it hosts CR (3-0 North, 4-4 overall) today at 4 p.m.

Both squads come into the Henlopen North matchup on three-game winning streaks.

“We’re really looking forward to playing them,” said Smyrna coach Mike Zulkowski. “I think that’s going to be a really good contest.

“We’re kind of similar in some ways. We’re a public school, we’ve got decent feeder programs now. We kind of have the same make of kids. ... Especially after last year, some of these underclassmen remember how intense of a game that was. I think they’re ready for it.”

The Delaware boys’ lacrosse world is still ruled, year-in and year-out, by Salesianum and Cape Henlopen. The Sals have already beaten Smyrna and CR by a combined 38-4 this spring.

But with the Eagles now in their 11th varsity season, Zulkowski said Smyrna is aiming toward being able to compete consistently with most of the top public schools in the state.

That’s why it was especially difficult to drop a 9-8 decision to Appoquinimink in this year’s season opener. The Eagles let an 8-7 lead slip away in the final four minutes.

Smyrna beat the Jaguars by six goals a year ago.

“That was a tough game,” said Zulkowski. “Highly emotional. I wish we had different results but we got better and learned from it.

“That’s kind of part of the process sometimes. We knew it could have been a swing game either way. You learn from it and move forward.”

“We can’t blame it on the officials,” said senior defender Nate Lesniczak. “We’ve just got to play harder. I think as a team we came through the circumstances of that game really well.

“I was proud with how we played. But, in the back of my head, it’s still a loss.”
Lesniczak said he likes the fact that the Eagles play some tough competition.

Besides Appo and Sallies, Smyrna faces non-conference games against Worcester Prep, Parkside, Caravel and Middletown.

Lesniczak hopes the Eagles’ improved strength of schedule will help put them in better position if they return to the state tourney.

“Our program, year by year, has been getting better and better with wins and losses,” he said. “And we’ve definitely upped our schedule.”

“I definitely feel like we don’t get enough respect,” said Sarkissian, who was an honorable mention All-North pick last year. “But hopefully we can earn that respect in the next few weeks.”

In his four years at Smyrna, Sarkissian said he has definitely seen a “culture change.”

The Eagles won a first-round state tournament game last May before falling to Sanford in the second round.

“We kind of have new expectations, as in getting to that next level in the playoffs,” said Sarkissian. “It wasn’t really like that my freshman year.”

Sports editor Andy Walter can be reached at 741-8227 or walter@iniusa.org.
Follow Andy Walter on Twitter at @DSNsports.