(COVINGTON, La.) — For many years now, St. Paul’s has had a very strong Lacrosse team. However, many of those teams may not have had the depth of talent this year’s squad possesses. This past Saturday (April 8), the Wolves took down the Mandeville Skippers, a rival powerhouse, with a decisive 29-1 victory in the first round of the state playoffs. The game was a rematch of sorts: on March 31, the Wolves scored 22 goals to the Skippers’ 5. This win over a persistent Skippers squad cemented the Wolves spot at the top of the state rankings going into the playoffs.

Also a well traveled squad, the Wolves have played many out-of-state teams, including a trip to Memphis to take on Christian Brothers High School, a fellow Lasallian School. They narrowly lost the marquee match-up, falling 10-9.

That said, ranked number one overall in the state of Louisiana, the Wolves’ season has not been without it’s fair share of challenges.

On March 25, the Wolves faced off against the number two team in the state: the Loyola Flyers from Shreveport, Louisiana, quite possibly a preview of the State Championship game. In this dramatic match-up, the Wolves’ squeaked away with the victory, 8-7.

“We were down 5-1 at the end of the first quarter,” sophomore defense-man Michael Philippe said, “after that quarter we really united as a team and ended up winning that game. That was definitely one of the craziest games this year.”

One integral part of St. Paul’s School is the brotherhood that all feel when they step onto campus. This is evident inside the Lacrosse team.

“We are all really close with each other, and we’re all really good teammates. That really shows on the field, especially on defense,” Philippe continued.

The defense has been stout all year, allowing only 56 goals scored against them to the 186 goals that the Wolves have scored on the attack.

Since the Wolves are number one in the state, all teams will be gunning for their crown; including heated rival, the Jesuit Blue Jays.

“We have to face Loyola or Jesuit to win state, so it is going to be a challenge to take state, but I am confident that we can pull it off,” Philippe said.

The Wolves next match-up will be against Ocean Springs High School in the next round of the state playoffs on April 21.