The Madison boy’s lacrosse team will play their home opener against Pope John XXIII High School this Saturday at 11 am on the Ted Monica Stadium turf. After a successful preseason (with unofficial wins in most scrimmages), Madison is ready to hit the ground running.

The Dodgers return several weapons on offense and defense. Seniors A.J. Schmitz (27 goals, 15 assists) and Vince Sapio (28 goals, 7 assists) will provide a seasoned confidence at attack. Returning varsity defensemen include Jack Thompson, Zach Green, and Will Wraith. Several athletic midfielders will also supply a depth of lines to utilize.

Although the Dodgers experienced a disappointing 5-14 season in 2014, a brand new coaching staff has refreshed the atmosphere in Madison. First-year Head Coach Ace Apel, formerly the assistant and defensive coordinator for a Ridge High School team that won the Tournament of Champions in 2013, has faith in his new squad.

“I am pleasantly surprised, I really am,” Apel told the Daily Record. “I think we’re better at defense than I expected us to be, we have a lot of midfielders who are very athletic, which is good for us. We have some real good choices at the face off X and we have a lot of choices in the goal right now.”

Come out and support the boys this Saturday at 11 am. Go Dodgers!