Lacrosse season is approaching and the Utica team is ready to go, despite the snow and cold.

New goals are being set for the young Chieftains this season.

“It is going to be rowdy time,” senior Captain Charlie Fromm said, “and mostly a year for learning.”

Even though the team lost many good seniors due to graduation, hopes are still high for this season.

There are a lot of young faces that have been added to the team that will help make up for the lost seniors. Many of them are new to the game, but that doesn’t discourage the committed team.

“It is going to be a good season,” senior Adam Walters said. “Definitely a season for growth, but as captains, Charlie and I are super excited.”

At Utica, lacrosse is not recognized as an official sport, but as a club, instead. Some people think that its status should change to being an officially-recognized sport.

“If we can play well enough this season,” head coach Ruben Toribio said, “I know we can finally get this team on the map.”

As the season starts, the team will be faced with many challenges, such as hand-numbing weather conditions and snow-covered practice fields.

Utica’s first game will be against Bishop Foley High School on Wednesday, March 22.