Jesuit’s men’s lacrosse program has been dominant for several years. The domination has continued this year as well, as the team is undefeated through the quarterfinals of the state championships. The culture of the program is based on determination and grit, and a love for the game of lacrosse.

Sophomores Thatcher Killian and William Gilster have all stepped up for the program during the 2023 season, and their love for the game proves to be the driving force behind their future within the program.

Killian and Gilster both went to Oregon Episcopal School near Jesuit, and that is where their love for lacrosse began.

“I started playing lacrosse when I was in the third grade at OES, and got more interested when my older brother started playing and our athletic director pushed it across as a main sport,” Glister said.

Thatcher Killian shared his thoughts on what he loves about lacrosse: “I love the physicality of lacrosse and the speed of the game, and how there is always room for improvement, but you can show off creativity in games as well. It’s really fun.”

Gilster replied similarly, talking about how he likes that there is more to the sport than just athleticism, “It’s not all about athleticism or speed and strength, it’s a lot about IQ and how well you know the game.”

With injuries and a deep rotation on the team, both of the sophomores were able to get varsity minutes their 9th grade year, with Gilster swinging between JV and Varsity, and Killian being full time Varsity.

“Well, obviously Jesuit is a very competitive program. But I’ve gotten into the rotation pretty quickly… I was able to play some varsity minutes at the end of freshman year and haven’t looked back since,” Gilster said.

With seniors and captains like Jack Duncan-Bloom as well as Ben Lewis heading off to college next year, the underclassmen on the team understand how their roles may change in the upcoming years, as well as acknowledge the influence that the captains have on the rest of the team.

“Jack has been a great motivational speaker before games and is able to give exceptional speeches to get the team in the right headspace. Ben is an all around great example of a player who can run the field, lay a guy out, and leave it all out there on the field,” Killian said.

Will Gilster explains his thought process on how he deals with the team’s roster fluctuates every year, “With some key pieces leaving, underclassmen like myself and some freshmen will have to step up. It’s more about building them up and building us up, because we’re losing such key pieces.”

Coming off of a state title, Jesuit didn’t take any steps back, and they have dominated just about every team they have played so far this year, including teams from out of state. It requires a certain level of passion and precision to stay motivated throughout the year.

“Our drive and motivation comes into play during practices, our coach gives us some high intensity practices. With the leadership from the seniors, we are able to keep the competitive aspect during practice which translates to games,” Killian said.

“Everyone knows what we are trying to accomplish this year, which is a back to back state title, and everyone understands their role on how to play a part in reaching our goals. We know exactly the mentality that it takes to approach every game, because any outcome is possible,” Gilster said.

With understanding of what it takes to keep the culture top notch within the lacrosse program, as well as achieve their goals of winning a state championship, Jesuit relies on underclassmen like Killian and Gilster to step up and become leaders and faces of the team in the upcoming years.