At the mid-season mark, the Bears’ boys lacrosse team currently is 8-3, which sits them at number eight in the Region one conference standings, and third in the OCC.
Unlike other sports, in the 2026 lacrosse season, OCC standings don’t matter as much as region standings do.
But like other sports, the seeding for region standings are determined by a teams’ record against other teams within the conference. For example, the Bears have a better overall record (8-3) compared to a team like Anthony Wayne (4-6), but because the Bears are 3-2 in the region compared to Anthony Wayne’s 4-2, the Bears sit below them in the region standings.
The Bears are in a loaded region: with powerhouses like Delaware Hayes and crosstown-rival Olentangy Liberty who dominate the region. Future opponents like Westerville South also sit at the top of the standings, along with Tuesday opponent, Dublin Jerome.
After a rough start to the season against Liberty, the Bears’ went on hot streak: a six-game win streak heading into their game against Delaware Hayes, with wins against fellow crosstown-rival Olentangy Orange, and OCC rival Hilliard Darby.
Many stars have shown up big for the Bears in the first half of the season. Seniors like York commit Lheo Gonzalez and Mercyhurst commit Braylon Lopez have taken control of the offense, while goalie and Westminster commit Harrison McMaken ‘26 has been more than serviceable.
While the seniors fight one last dance, the younger generation has started to emerge. Freshman Brody Arend and sophomore Tyler Grau have been consistent starters throughout the year, while fellow freshmen Reuben and Troy Wallace have started to earn more varsity playing time. Troy had his first varsity goal on Friday night against Davidson, and Reuben followed up with his first against Findlay the very next morning against Findlay.
Devastating news came from the weekend games: sophomore Tyler Grau suffered a season-ending injury. Along with that, senior Braylon Lopez also injured his back, sidelining him for a few games. Then finally, in the game against Dublin Jerome on Tuesday, sophomore Connor Baerenclau suffered a concussion, and will be out for 1-2 weeks.
As the Bears look ahead to the latter half of the schedule, they start to see their schedule ramp up. Then on Thursday, the Bears head to Gahanna-Lincoln for a game against the 6-4 Lions in the Bears’ final game before Prom.
Other notable games include a home game against 6-2 and OCC rival Marysville right after Prom, a duel with district-rival Olentangy, and a heavyweight match-up with current 4-seed Westerville South to close the season.
The official drawing for tournament play will be on May 6. This could impact the final game against Westerville South, as both teams might choose to pull starters.
