Lakewood High School’s boys lacrosse team achieved a decisive 16-2 win over Dakota Ridge on March 20, marking the team’s best season start in nearly ten years.
The victory is significant for Lakewood, as it broke a three-game losing streak against Dakota Ridge and gave the Tigers their first win over the Eagles since 2022. The result highlights the progress of Lakewood’s program and sets an optimistic tone for the rest of the season.
Sophomore Alex Winter led Lakewood with six goals in the first half. “My teammates were feeding me the ball and I was getting good looks,” Winter said about his single-game career high. Junior Lukas Gonzales also contributed five goals before halftime, helping Lakewood build a commanding 13-0 lead at intermission.
Dakota Ridge, last year’s Class 4A state champions, managed two goals in the second half from senior Jackson Kenny and junior Evan Kissinger. The Eagles have seen significant roster changes since their championship run, graduating sixteen seniors and standout face-off player Landon Kalsbeck, who left early to play football at Iowa State University.
Lakewood coach Darin Denton said, “It’s nice to beat (Dakota Ridge) because we haven’t beat them for a long time. Our seniors have never beat them. That is big for them.” Denton credited experience gained by younger players for this year’s strong performance: “We took our lumps with the young guys for a while, but it is paying off that they were able to get all that experience. They are a great group of friends now too.” Winter added, “Last year was rough because we lost the first three games. We wanted to come back with revenge. Our motto this year is ‘All In’. We wanted to come out firing with a 3-0 start. The revenge tour has started.”
Looking ahead, Lakewood (3-0) will travel to California during Spring Break for games against JSerra Catholic on March 25 and LaJolla on March 27 before returning to Colorado to face Rock Canyon on April 2. Denton said of his team’s outlook: “I think the sky is the limit for these guys. I think the guys think the sky is the limit. If we stay healthy and get better every practice and every game we are ready to take on anybody.”
