Fresh off the high of a great 2025 season, the Davie High Men’s Lacrosse team had a powerful start to the 2026 season. Their goal: To succeed in the regular season and dominate in the playoffs. The War Eagles achieved an outstanding 15-0 record, a historic accomplishment for the team, who have never managed a streak this long in program history. By the end of the playoffs, the team’s record was 19-4 after losing some tight games against very tough opponents.
The beginning of the season was impressive, with games filled with skill-based trick plays, great experiences, learning opportunities, and triumphant victories for both the older and younger players. As the season progressed, games tended to play out similarly. Seniors and other more experienced players would dominate the first half, allowing newer teammates to take the stage later in the game and giving them an opportunity to prove themselves and gain some critical game-time skills.
A favorite game for many of the players, coaches, and fans was the third-round playoff win at home against the Marvin Ridge Mavericks. Filled with intense moments, injury battles, and tough competition, the War Eagles handily beat the Mavericks in a 16-8 victory after a comeback in the second half, advancing the team to the fourth round of the playoffs, a first for the War Eagles, who have never made it that far into the playoffs.
A major key to the team’s overall success was its star player, Jack Pisciotta, who led the team through all its ups and downs. Pisciotta is one of the best players in the nation and has accumulated over 200 points and 120 goals for the War Eagles this season alone. Many of the goals he scored came from trick plays or impressive runs downfield led by Pisciotta. He plans on attending the Virginia Military Institute this fall to continue his lacrosse journey. Head Coach Brett Hewitt said that Pisciotta is “a completely unique and historic player” because of all the records that he has broken and the major impact that he has had on the team.
Junior Carson Pirk was an essential part of the team, serving as the starting goalie. Pirk had an amazing season this year and is one of the top ten goalies in the state. For Pisciotta, Pirk stood out as being one of the most impactful players on the team.
“You know, we can’t do anything if he’s not stopping shots,” Pisciotta said, “so there’s a lot of credit to him.”
On defense, sophomore Westen Barefoot was another huge help to the team. While he is a star in basketball, Barefoot had his first-ever season playing lacrosse this year and made a noticeable impact on the team that could be seen through his maturity on and off the field, his lacrosse IQ, and his overall grit. Barefoot found his way to the lacrosse field simply as a way to stay in shape after basketball season, but his attitude towards the game began to shift as the season went on.
“I wanted to do something to keep me in shape in the off-season, ” Barefoot said, “but it really turned into something I really enjoyed doing… I went from knowing absolutely nothing to actually being able to figure a little bit out.”
Along with Pisciotta’s and Barefoot’s accomplishments, all of the team’s starters received conference recognition, with eight All-Conference athletes and two players receiving honorable mentions, a testament to how dedicated the players are to the sport.
Barefoot wasn’t the only member of the team to come into the season with little to no experience. But as a result, players like Luke Lobb, Joseph Burchette, Dylan Cassetta, Nathan Smith, and many more showed incredible growth throughout the season. Assistant coach Jim Butler said the key to this growth was the way experienced players mentored their younger teammates.
“The older players adopted the younger players throughout the season, helped them kind of grow and kind of be part of the team,” Butler said. “And you know it was really the beginning of Coach Hewitt’s culture that we’re trying to imbue into the men’s lacrosse program.”
While the War Eagles ended with a few tough losses, those performances couldn’t blemish their season. In the fourth round of the playoffs against the Lake Norman Wildcats, the War Eagles recognized their seniors and allowed most players a chance to play in the final game of the season so they could experience the playoffs for themselves. While this season did not end on a win, the team made it farther than anyone expected, showing others and themselves they are a force to be reckoned with.
“We didn’t beat Lake Norman,” Hewitt said, “but it was a historic run for the program, and we proved that we can play with anyone in the state.”
