The boys lacrosse team (8–4) beat the Wootton Patriots (7–5) 14–8 in a tough battle in the first round of the playoffs on Wednesday night.

Despite missing two key players, sophomore Lachlan Overdahl and senior Jackson Levin, the Vikes stepped up bigtime and took control of the game. Senior Spencer “Wrench” Levy, who had missed the majority of the season due to a broken wrist, made a timely return for the game and was dynamic in facilitating the offense.

The Patriots were competitive for the majority of the first half of the game and Whitman and Wootton seemed to trade goals. By the end of the first half, however, the Vikes had pulled away with a 7–3 lead. Early in the third quarter, the Patriots began to creep back into the game, but as soon as the Vikes started putting senior defenseman Evan Shavitz on the face off dot, Whitman was headed for victory. Shavitz’s dominant performance allowed the Vikings to control possession of the ball for most of the end of the game.

Offensively, highlight-worthy goals from junior Matt Buckley and seniors Grant Kashdin and Matt Olevsky helped put the game away. Buckley dropped his defender to the ground on multiple occasions and was able to find the back of the net four times. Kashdin and Olevsky each chipped in multiple strikes of their own to help pace the offense. A dominating offensive second half ultimately led the Vikes to their 14–8 victory.

The Vikes move on to face the Churchill Bulldogs (13–0) in the regional semifinals this Friday at Churchill.