Davie Men’s Lacrosse traveled to Atkins High School to play its season opener, dominating the Camels 22-7. Coming off a successful prior season, where the team went 18-3 and made it to the second round of the state playoffs, Wednesday’s match-up showed that the War Eagles have the players, coaching, and motivation to make it even farther this year.
This season marks the return of Head Coach Brett Hewitt to the Nest, who took over the program at the beginning of this year. In 2013, Hewitt started the men’s lacrosse program at Davie with the help of the late Scott Landy. He took a brief hiatus from the team in 2023 to focus on coaching the Wake Forest Men’s team. With his return, he hopes to build back the program he started to even greater heights.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start my first game back as Davie’s head coach,” Hewitt said. “Winning 22-7 is great, but seeing the way this team supported one another—especially our younger guys—was the real highlight.”
Wednesday’s match saw career performances from Henry Hines and Reid Tilley, though Hewitt has been most excited by the team’s growth.
“Seeing freshmen like Wyatt Giff and Henry Butler net their first goals, and new players like Dylan Cassetta, Westin Barefoot, and Brody Neuman make their marks on the stat sheet, proves that the hard work we’re putting in at practice is paying off,” Hewitt said. “This was a total team win and a perfect foundation for the season.”
The team had a strong start playing their more established players. Senior Caswell Moore had a 100% win rate for his face-offs, and sophomore Henry Hines pulled off a career-high scoring game. While the seasoned players may be the backbone of the team, they were not the only reason for this win. The team has 18 new players, which is very high for a single season. A lot of the new players were able to step on the field and make their mark. Junior Dylan Casseta was one of those players who made an effort this year to try new sports, including football and swim.
“It feels great to start the season off with a great win, and it initiates a forward trajectory for the rest of the season,” Cassetta said. “The lacrosse program here has been excellent in the past few years, and I see no reason why that would change for this year. If we all work together and play hard like we did against Atkins, there is no telling how far we can go this season.”
