The Wenatchee Valley boys lacrosse team is now sitting at the top of their league after a sound victory over Gonzaga Prep on April 19 with a final score of 14-2. This win helped the Thunder keep its ranking as the favorite for the Washington State Division II Championship.

On April 18 the team suffered one of its only losses all season at the hands of the Coeur D’Alene team. The final score was 13-5, but Coeur D’Alene is not a league rival, or even in the same state as Wenatchee, so the team wasn’t too worried about the loss, but rather saw the game as a learning opportunity, according to Head Coach Dave Holland

“It was a good game for us. They were a very physical team, a very good team,” Holland said. “It opened our eyes. [We] know this is the kind of competition we’re going to be facing if we make it to the postseason.”

The Thunder is already looking to the postseason, and hoping to avoid a repeat of the 2013 season. Last year they lost their first playoff game, despite rankings and a regular season that looked very promising.

Junior Cory Leenders is the team’s offensive leader with 23 goals and 56 ground ball controls this season. According to Holland, junior Asa Smith’s play in goal has been commendable and so has that of the defensive players.

“Our defense is really the strong suit of our team, and should lead us to playoffs,” Leenders said, “And Asa’s been playing really well at goalie. It’s his first year — I’m surprised at how good he is.”

Although the Wenatchee boys’ don’t lack skill, their real strength lies in their teamwork. Most of the boys have been playing together since they were young.

“We have good team chemistry,” junior Adam Chvilicek said. “A lot of the people on the team are very good friends. Off the field everyone’s just joking around, and then we actually get into a serious game we’re able to execute well because of the chemistry that we have.”