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Rams hope to right their ship
When the Robinson boys lacrosse team lost to Concorde District rival Oakton by a score of 9-5 Friday night, the Rams dropped to 5-5 on the season and 3-2 in district play. Though Robinson is the two-time defending state champion, it is not in a completely unfamiliar position.Many fans may forget that in 2006, the Rams began the season 4-5 and were the No. 3 seed entering the Concorde District tournament. They went on to win the district championship, but lost to Woodson in the Northern Region final before claiming the first official Virginia AAA state title.
Robinson lost 18 seniors from last year's squad and retained just two players who were members of both championship teams, but coach Justin Fitzgerald is confident his Rams will be able to right the ship before the 2008 playoffs begin.
"We're very young. That's not an excuse," said Fitzgerald, who has just seven seniors on his current roster. "We haven't gotten into a real rhythm on offense. We've had our ups and downs, some big losses [a 19-5 loss to Collegiate] that we've never experienced before. I think it's going to come down to young guys stepping up and helping out the guys that are our starters, and not allowing teams to shut those guys down."
Robinson senior captain Jonathan Kilbourn likes what he's seen out of his underclassmen teammates and believes they have the ability to do just that.
"I'm really proud of them," he said. "Our young guys are doing a great job stepping up. We're not done yet. We're going to keep fighting, keep getting better. We're going to claw our way back up there."
As odd as it may sound, Fitzgerald feels that his team's youth can be used to its advantage as the season progresses.
"The biggest strength, I would say, is our youth," he said. "That might not make any sense, but I think it shows that there's room to learn and grow and play better. We talk a lot about leadership and tradition. If we can continue to do those things, I think we can be successful."
Robinson set a precedent of rebounding from a slow start with its run to the title in 2006, but Fitzgerald knows that it will not be an easy feat to repeat.
"It's guys on the field reacting and showing great leadership," he said. "Two years ago, it was because we just had an unbelievable effort from every single player both on the field and on the bench. Guys doing the dirty work. There is hope, but our district is a tough district to play in."
Added Kilbourn, "We want to win every game. If we don't, we're going to learn from it and get better as a team. I want to see us get better collectively."
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