District champs: Boca Raton chases public school stardom as state tournaments begin

For the second time in three years under head coach Zac Pasko, the Boca Raton boys lacrosse team is district champion.

Handling Wellington in a 16-5 victory on Thursday night was the cherry on top of a notable regular season and abbreviated district run for the Bobcats.

In a season dominated by St. Andrew’s and Benjamin stealing headlines as the state’s top two ranked teams across every classification, Boca Raton is quietly chasing Jupiter’s legacy of public school stardom.

Not quietly enough — it’s time we started paying attention.

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When Pasko says this Bobcats (12-4) squad is a special one, he’s not tooting his own horn.

“The leadership from the senior class has been incredible, and then we have this great surge of underclassmen stepping up this year,” Pasko said. “Guys that may have just been role-players last year are really finding themselves this season.”

A set of senior twins, Aidan and Grayson Caffrey, Ivy League school commits and members of ROTC, help captain the program.

Keagan McDade, an attacker by trade, readily traded his short stick for a long pole when the Bobcats’ top defender went down in the first game of the season.

A second-year goaltender, Miller Dickenson, is a transformed midfielder who now sports an impressive 55% save percentage on shots faced this year.

With regional brackets being announced Friday, the Bobcats are coming in hot.

Sporting five wins In their last six played, Boca Raton’s only hiccup in the past five weeks was a hard-fought loss to the Community School of Naples, a squad ranked seventh in the state and No. 10 nationally.

That loss, as much as any quality win this season, tells the story of a changed culture in recent years for Boca Raton lacrosse.

“The sense of community at Boca Raton and the support for the lacrosse program from the administration, the athletic director, the families — they really, really care about this program,” Pasko said. “We’re very blessed to have the support system that we have.”

Trevor Buffone leads a talented attack into the opening-round regional matchup, having accounted for 68 goals this season.

“The kid is one of the fiercest competitors I’ve ever seen as an athlete,” Pasko said.

Junior Anthony Hicks brings an 89-point season to the table, and Aidan Caffrey, even while seeing playing time on defense, has tallied 42 points as well.

“Aidan is ‘Mr. Everything’ for us,” Pasko said. He’ll play defense, offense, it doesn't matter. He doesn’t come off the field. He’s an absolute animal when he gets out there.”

All three contribute to an offense that is averaging more than 13 goals per game, nearly double the number they’re allowing on average to their opposition.

The last time Boca Raton won a district championship, these seniors were sophomores just beginning to find their way as role-players.

Now, those same guys have become leaders paving the way for a talented young core finding their rhythm.

“This is way bigger than me,” Pasko said. “The guys on this team are truly what has created this culture and truly helped me build this program. It’s a very, very special group of kids.”

No. 3 seed Boca Raton will host No. 6 seed Martin County in the regional quarterfinal. The day and time are to be decided upon by both programs.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Boca Raton hope to transition district success into state playoff run