Promising future. Outstanding potential. Strong leadership. Bright outlook. While those phrases may sound like common sports clichés, they are all defining aspects of the men’s lacrosse team this season.

The Bombers, who rank fourth in the country, entered this year as the favorites to win the Empire 8, which sent the message to both the team and their rivals that the Blue and Gold were the team to beat.

“We are one of the main teams on our opponents’ schedules,” junior All-American defender Neth Wiedemann said. “We know that we have to play at their level of intensity, if not higher.”

With every team looking to knock off the South Hill squad, every game will be a challenge. Even the lackluster teams at the bottom of the standings will bring their A-game against the Bombers, which eliminates the possibility for any kind of easy victory.

Most of the players said the rankings and predictions don’t matter but that it can be hard to ignore the praise.

“I would rather not be on the radar,” senior midfielder Craig Lepiane said. “We could fail very easily, but the rankings don’t bother us that much.”

From the beginning of the season, the team showed that the rankings were not a factor for them. Practices and games both focus on the task at hand and not what the expectations say the task should be. Though the National Championship remains the ultimate goal, it is still far off for the Bombers right now.

Still, the players can’t ignore the fact that the team is one of the most skilled in the nation, senior long pole Brandon Rose said.

“We know we are a good team,” Rose said.

That confidence will help the team in the future, especially against the underdogs trying to knock the Bombers off the top.

Team members no longer use phrases like “one challenge at a time,” “one step” and “game to game.” Taking it day-by-day is a product of the solid upperclassmen leadership, which comes out the most during practices.

If the team is lacking intensity or looks sloppy on the field, seniors like Mike Nowak and Matt Nelligan straighten everybody up by speaking out or leading by example.

Instead of a traditional mix of All-Americans and role players, the Bombers’ leadership and superb depth helps to make the team one cohesive unit. The spring break trip to California, in which the Bombers went 2–0, earning wins against Whittier College and Drew University, also aided that process.

“It was better than last year,” Rose said. “We did a lot of team bonding and [played] great competition.”

Solid opponents in a different atmosphere — warm, sunny weather away from South Hill —  was a great experience for the team. While Whittier and Drew were both Division III varsity lacrosse squads, one school – Chapman University – was actually a club team. Wiedemann raved about the game against Chapman, saying that Chapman had a great offense and a large hostile crowd cheering against the Bombers.

Getting that kind of experience in those kinds of situations early in the season will greatly help the Blue and Gold down the road. In the playoffs, they don’t know who or where they will play, but they will know how to win because of their experience in big games.

“Experience really helps,” Wiedemann said. “We know that all that matters is how we play.”

With that mind-set, distractions like fans, rival teams or even the preseason rankings can’t rattle the Bombers. Focusing on what is happening at that moment is what keeps the team grounded.

Many teams have crumbled under the pressure a preseason ranking can create. With the right way of thinking, great expectations can be reached and even surpassed. The fourth-ranked Bombers, who now sit at 6–0 overall and 1–0 in the Empire 8 after a 13–5 win against Alfred University in both teams’ conference opener yesterday, are showing they are taking a step towards realizing those expectations.