The girls lacrosse team won 8 games straight and is at the top of their division–asserting dominance. This marks a revolutionary change in girls lacrosse history in John Dewey High School since the team has never been on such a win streak before. The big question, what does the team aspire to accomplish for this season? How have they come this far?
The majority of the team are rookies, with only 6 girls on the team from last season. With the majority of the team last year being veteran players that graduated, the team needed a lot of new players as stated in the last edition of The Revolution of the Girls Lacrosse Team. Since then, they were successful in promoting a traditionally unpopular sport in the school, garnering a full roster of 31 girls.
The majority of the team are rookies; there is a renovated home field; and this has been the biggest the team has ever been in dragon history. The team is growing and will continue to grow at a spectacular rate. In order to make it into the playoffs, a team needs to win at least half of their games. With the girls lacrosse team being at the top of their division (Division 1A), they’re already guaranteed a place in playoffs and they have high chances of winning championships.
“To be at the top of our division means to us right now that we’re getting better” said Mr. McGowan, coach of the girls lacrosse team. “We know it’s not a 100% indication of everything. We had 3 games in a row decided by 1 goal. We had several games where we were losing for a significant amount of time during the game, so we know our record is a good thing that we’re happy to be attached to, but we know there’s more to the story.
“It hasn’t come easy, I think what I keep telling people is a stigma that surrounds undefeated teams is that it’s easy”, McGowan added. “The last time I think our school had any experience with an undefeated team, it was a much different case. When the boys lacrosse team went undefeated, they were winning games by a huge margin and I think that was because of their skill. I think our undefeated season is much more due to our hard work. We earned every win we’ve gotten and it’s a true testament to our dedication. I really think this is one of the most dedicated teams we’ve had”.
From the outside, the student body could only see so much about the girls lacrosse team from its social media and people talking around the school. The girls lacrosse team isn’t simply on a win streak because of their skill and the easiness. It’s because of their immense amount of change and growth since previous years that contributes to this season’s immense commitment.
“If I’m being completely honest, I was pretty nervous with our season this year because it’s filled with rookie girls that have never played lacrosse before” said Helena Calixte, past manager and current Goalie of the Girls Lacrosse team. “I was also afraid of our team chemistry because throughout my previous years, I’ve always played with girls I’ve played with the year before, so going into this season with only 6 girls max that I’ve played with before, I was very nervous about our winning streak and our ability to move forward as a team.
The team getting their goalie, Helena, after their first win of the season against Fort Hamilton High School.
“But this year completely showed me the opposite, it showed me that anything is possible because yes, this team is full of rookies that I’ve never played with before, but I’m proud to say out of my 3 years now going on to 4 years being in lacrosse, this is the closest chemistry I’ve ever seen that we’ve had over the years”, Calixte added. “I’m still trying to figure out how, if I’m being honest, like we’ve just met and started playing with each other, but this is the closest bond on the team that I’ve ever felt in John Dewey lacrosse, and I’m very proud of that.
“I did talk a lot about rookies joining our team, but I didn’t get the chance to talk about students from outside of our school joining our team”, Calixte said. “I could only imagine the fear but I feel like Alex and Lily, our freshmen players from Murrow, basically go to Dewey. Although we only see them at practice, I feel a very strong connection with them and it makes me really happy because this is not like a chore of a job where they just come, practice, and leave. I’m happy that we have a group chat that’s always texting, always active, and when we do see each other on the field at practice it’s like we’ve been with each other all day”.
Despite the majority of the team being new players, the team exceeded expectations with how well their season is progressing. Calixte, who has been on the team the longest, shares her nervousness at the beginning of the season, but that the team’s chemistry and teamwork turned out to be the secret antidote. The team’s inseparable bond contributes to the success of the team, but this sisterhood always persisted from one season on to the next. What makes this season so different compared to the past seasons?
“More than anything, I think having a field and having people able to watch our games and see that win streak play out in real life has been the biggest difference” said Nyomi Cadet, captain of the girls lacrosse team. “We’ve never been able to have support from our community and that has been a new edition that has really pushed us through”.
“We beat teams we’ve never beaten ever before–John Adams, Fort Hamilton–so far, we’ve exceeded expectations”, McGowan said. “Aside from the success on paper, like the 8 win streak and being ranked first in the division, I truly think the major difference would be our dedication and commitment. Despite being our largest team ever, I think the amount of people who come every single day is the highest and I think that is one of the major differences between this year’s team and other years. I just named the dedication, the commitment, the sacrifice, people are giving up a lot to be at practice and it’s so far been worth it”.
The team defeating John Adams High School for the first time in Dewey History.
This season has seen unprecedented growth not just in their roster size, but in the support from the school community. The new field, highlighted in the previous edition, has done its job in revolutionizing the girls lacrosse team. The team draws motivation from the increasing presence of parents, friends, faculty, and staff at their games, fueling their determination to defend their home turf. Their dedication led to several historic firsts for John Dewey girls lacrosse. What factors have contributed to this remarkable growth?
“Publicity was our biggest factor–a lot outreached the students through our posters, announcements, our social media team, the article that was written about us–everyone was familiar with the lacrosse team”, Cadet said.
“This year is a year that I’m happy me and my teammate, Kat, are running the lacrosse page because our social media has been rising so high”, Calixte said. “Recently, we’ve been having more shares than likes on our posts. People are talking about us. We are a topic of conversation, and I know it’s always coming back to students at John Dewey High School.
“Social media definitely is a big part of our growth because I know me and Kat are always working on pushing the best content out–posting, keeping them updated–because we’re not only just a team, we’re also a family amongst each other. Just us at a movie night, bonding on bus rides, listening to music, Alliayah doing Alex and Lily’s hair… This is really a family that we have”.
“I think I’ve done a good job at leading by example–setting the tone of what practices should look like, how communication should look during games, and giving effort”, Cadet said. “I think I’m naturally more of a shy person, so being captain has really taught me to get out of my comfort zone. It’s what everyone on the team needs. They need someone that is willing to go to lentz to be their biggest supporter”.
The girls lacrosse team consistently demonstrates their ambition both on and off the field. A notable mention is the leadership given out by the veteran players, and especially the team’s captain Nyomi. Looking ahead, the team is poised for continued remarkable growth, creating new milestones and building upon the legacy established by alumni that continue to visit Dewey.
“Girls lacrosse is not like any other sport at John Dewey High school”, Calixte said. “This is a family that we have and we’re unstoppable, and we could continue to be unstoppable. We’ve paved a way for you guys to continue to do great after us. One thing I like about our lacrosse team is we never had cut tryouts. We’ve never turned a girl away. I joined the team not even knowing what lacrosse was”.
“Lacrosse is not something you get to experience everywhere you go in life”, Cadet said. “Take advantage of it now, try it out now even for a little while, because you’ll never know if you’ll be able to try it again”.
As the season continues, the girls lacrosse team isn’t just creating athletic history–they’re fostering a legacy of belonging, opportunity, and excellence that will inspire future generations of John Dewey lacrosse players. Their story isn’t simply about wins and losses, but about building a community where determination, growth, and family spirit combine to create something truly remarkable on and off the field. The team has high chances of winning championships, but one thing that Coach McGowan always says is to “Stay humble” and “The score is 0-0”. They know to keep playing their hardest game, and to never underestimate their opponents. They have a huge target on their back.
Coach McGowan peptalking the team during halftime against Cardozo High School.
