We all know that Halloween brings candy, games, and dressing up to trick-or-treat. One particular group at Stone Bridge went all out this fall, strutting out in costumes such as hunters, inflatable dinosaurs, reapers, and…milk cartons.  Though it may not seem like the place for Halloween spirit,  the boys lacrosse team prefers to celebrate Halloween by hitting the turf in full costumes.  

“I am a [Bavarian Party Goer]” senior and captain Carter Reilly said, dressed up in the traditional trachten-styled lederhosen. 

The costume Reilly wore while guiding the team as captain, proved to be an unusual sight. Many players and coaches sported spooky and entertaining costumes during practice. While the players continue with their fun, Reilly and his coaches have been preparing them for the 2022 spring season. 

“I like the game situations we do in practice, because it helps us get ready for competition,” Reilly said. The team played games like “Build Up” and “Sumo Ground Balls” in their abnormally large costumes, tripping around and laughing hysterically. 

During ‘Sumo Ground Balls,’ the players put their backs to each other and raced for the ball on the blow of a whistle.  A few of the players’ costumes might have given them a disadvantage in mobility, but all players did the best they could to pick up the ball.

Perhaps most notably, the goalkeepers, Andrew North and Ryan Dolafi, wore huge, mobility-infringing costumes, impacting their position on the field. North wore a ghillie suit, which made him practically invisible when he laid down on the grass. Dolafi wore a baggy dinosaur suit, covering him head to toe. 

“How often is it that you’d see a cardboard milk carton defending  a dinosaur in goal?” coach Tanner McClelland said.

In the team’s  “Build Up” drill, North and Dolafi both took various shots to the body from the lacrosse ball. However, due to the size of their costumes, it was very difficult for attackers to get through and score on them. This is proof that although the players looked silly, they ran through drills seriously and managed to have a fun time playing lacrosse in their costumes.

“My favorite part of practice was seeing how everyone was dressed,” freshman Ethan Meech said. Freshman midfielder Luke Jahr, wearing a gorilla costume, agreed, but said that the hardest part of the experience was how hot it was inside the costume.

Even in the offseason, this Halloween themed practice is, and will continue to be, a Bulldog tradition. If you are interested in activities such as these, tryouts for the boys lacrosse team will be in February. Reach out to coach Elijah Whelchel for more information on the season.