On Friday, May 17th, 2024 Green Level High School obtained its 5th state championship, in program history, defeating Lake Norman. All 30 athletes from last season were crucial to the team’s success. Upon the beginning of our fall 2024 semester, the men have set preseason workouts to culminate both a team culture and work ethic that will navigate them throughout the pending season. As the defending NCHSAA Men’s Lacrosse 4A State Champions, as well as the reigning SWAC Conference Champions, they must defend their title all while combating the dire circumstances of losing 18 graduated Seniors; 7 of which were starters for the Varsity program.
The men concluded their accomplished Spring with a record of 22-2. Considering this, ILPreps Final Q-Collar Boys’ Public High School Top 25, awarded their organization with a spot in the top 25. Officially ranked as the top 24 team in the country, they were the only North Carolina public school represented throughout.
Their first preseason workout will occur Thursday, September 12th, with a following practice on Friday the 13th. Athletes can expect to encounter two workouts per week, leading up to the awaited 2025 season.
After speaking with the head coach, Kyle Sopko, he concludes “I think there’s always pressure coming off a season where you’ve had success, you hope that you can translate last year’s success into the following season. Winning the state championship and SWAC is another added pressure.” When prompted about the loss of 7 Seniors starters he states, “We lost 18 Seniors, however we’re excited about what we’re bringing back. With our underclassmen, roles will look a little bit different and there will be more opportunity for different guys to step up. I’m excited about this year. We gotta keep getting better and keep working hard. Those roles will need to be filled. We’re not going to necessarily replace them, but rather find guys who can fill their roles and do a good job at it.” After speaking with Coach Sopko, he denotes the significance stemming from determination. You must face the fear head-on, and persevere through the adversities you are bound to face. He is encompassed in a sense of hope for all that the 2025 team has to offer.
I took the time to speak to two upperclassmen, who are starters for the team. When questioned about preseason workouts, Senior Kelan Moore responded, “I think people want us..no. I think people expect us to show up and have the same result as last Spring. It’s high expectations. The loss of those Senior starters hurts, there will be a difference. This just means that we will have to play a new way and try to figure out what works and what doesn’t.” Junior starter Jacob Fedich had similar aspirations in saying, “I think we’ll miss those Senior starters a lot but we have a lot of new talent that’s willing to step up, and they’re putting in the work and filling those roles. The mentality we have going into the preseason workouts is to make sure to earn it. Some people believe we snuck by, but we’re here to prove that it was because of our dedication.”
Both the head coach and athletes detail that the mentality utilized to fuel the team is to continuously dedicate themselves to the cause of hard work; refusing to run from the challenge looming. Whether this stems from excelling at conditioning or training their stick skills, the preseason workouts hoist the power to allow the boys to learn how to become a team.
