A seemingly effortless win against Mount Si heralded the start of a new season for the Bainbridge High varsity boys lacrosse team Friday, March 9, and a triumphant trumpet it was, too.

In the 14-1 win at home, the Spartans jumped out front early and stayed solidly ahead throughout.

Friday’s scoring effort was led by junior Merritt McMahon, who put up four. Senior Ethan Peloquin managed three goals throughout the night, and sophomore Andrew Kenny chipped in two.

Goals were also scored by junior Max McLeod, sophomores Alex Goon and Charlie Hughes and freshman Jaden Mass.

Junior goalie Dawson Friers managed to stop all five shots Mount Si made in his 24 minutes in the net. Returning senior, and team co-captain Charlie Shrout went 4-for-5 during his tenure.

In addition to Shrout, the team is led on the field this year by senior co-captains Carl Swan, Michael Greenwood and Gavin Jakubik.

Returning to helm the squad is longtime Head Coach Jack Visco, and assistants Kris Skotheim, Andy Constan and Jacob Hayashi.

This year’s team is especially thick in the middle age groups, boasting eight seniors: Carson Byron, Greenwood, Jacob Hogger, Jakubik, Peloquin, Shrout, Jared Stahl and Swan; six juniors: Niko Constan, Cole Emerson, Macario Foster, McLeod and McMahon; nine sophomores: Caleb Carlisle, Friers, Goon, Charlie Hughes, Kenny, Penn Maroni, Andrew McDonald, Ian Morosoff and Drew Needham; and just two freshman: Wyatt von Bereghy and Mass.

The first outing of the season is always a surprise, team spokesman Hayashi said Friday, but the Spartans were so far looking strong and he and the other coaches were very optimistic about the year to come.

“It was good,” he said. “We didn’t know what we had. Pleasant surprise, I suppose.”

“The boys look pretty good,” he added. “A good start.”

It was the team’s first time ever playing against the Wildcats.

“We didn’t know what to expect, we’d never played them before,” Hayashi said. “It was good for them.”

Even more important than the win, the assistant coach said, was to begin strengthening the team’s cohesion.

“Firming up what we’ve been working on,” he said. “See if we have somewhat of a concept of what we’ve been working on in practice. I think they did a pretty good job.”

Overall, this year’s squad of Spartans is a jocular bunch, Hayashi said.

“They’re a pretty fun, young group of guys,” he said. “It’s a good group.”

The goal, of course, is to play your best by playoffs, Hayashi said, and to not peak too soon or too late. The team will be taking it one week at a time, not putting too much emphasis on any one win or loss.

“Basically by playoffs, that’s when you want to be firing on all cylinders,” he said. “We just want to improve every week and see where it gets us; work hard.”