Grass is being mowed, lines are being painted, and the clear-cut Gator’s eye logo is stamped in the middle of the field. A new lacrosse season is upon us, and for the Gator’s men’s lacrosse team, a new era has begun.
Just two years removed from the Gator’s lacrosse state championship, one of now six state championships in the Green Level athletic department, the Gators 2026 campaign will be the program’s seventh season since its inception.
Coach Kyle Sopko has been the Gators’ varsity head coach since 2019. In those six seasons so far, he has guided the Gators to a state championship and conference championship. Now in his seventh season as the first head coach of the Gators’ program, Sopko says the goals remain the same.
“Just super simple, getting better each day,” Sopko said, adding, “ its making sure there’s growth throughout the season to hopefully make them dogs, and be the best team we possibly can possibly be at the end of the season.”
Juniors Sam Dickson and Connor Murray are both captains on the team, with this season being their third on the varsity squad. Their freshman year, both Dickson and Murray earned a ring as a part of the 2024 state championship team for Green Level.
“We’re definitely a more defensive-minded team this season,” said Murray, speaking on the state of the Gators this season. “When we won states, we had a powerhouse offense, and the defense was lacking, but this year, I think it’s flipped. We have a powerhouse defense this season.”
Dickson and Murray both noted the team’s collective goal to make a deep playoff run and make some noise within the conference, emphasizing what it takes to get there, and what their role on the team is as experienced leaders.
“Its gonna take a lot of leadership from upperclassmen as well as underclassman buying into team goals and just everyone coming together and playing as one team and not ten individual places,” said Dickson.
Dickson and Murray are just a pair of the guys on the team that set an example for the younger players, as they set the culture for the team: something that Sopko highlights he trusts his players to do.
“I feel like the culture has grown each year, and that’s a thing as a coaching staff that we don’t need to worry about because we can rely on the kids and the players of what the locker room looks like,” said Sopko.
While the Gators have big goals and high expectations, it’s not going to come easy for them. The Gators have a tough non-conference schedule, playing two of the projected top five teams in the state: Ardrey Kell and Hough. The tough non-conference slate also pairs with playing in the Quad City 7, one of the most competitive conferences in the state. The Gators will look to spar with rival Apex, a team they split the series with 1-1 last season.
“We want to play the best teams around and just see how we stack up,” said Sopko. “I would rather play those games and maybe not get the result we want, but get more from film or just learn: hey these are the things we need to improve on to get better.”
One thing that particularly makes the lacrosse program stand out at Green Level isn’t their performance on the field, it’s the community and culture they have built and their dedication to give back to the community.
“We were always doing some sort of community service,” Sopko said about his past high school and college teams, “I was just kind of bringing that pillar along with me, like, hey, this is something that was meaningful for me. What can we do to just bring us together.”
On top of their annual Crosse Out Cancer event that brings together high school lacrosse teams from across the state to raise money for cancer, the Gators lacrosse program also committed themselves to running 110 stairs on 9/11 this past year.
The Gators varsity team kicks off their season Friday night against Cannon School. The game is scheduled for 6:00 PM, and will take place at Pleasant Park in Apex.
