HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Some say “it takes a village” to create ultimate success.
Usually, the proverb is used in reference to raising a child. At South Hagerstown, it can also be used in establishing success in the boys lacrosse program.
For years, the Rebels have struggled along, lost in relative obscurity that comes with a pile of losses.
But in 2026, South is moving to the top of the heap with an 8-2 record heading into Thursday night’s home game with Boonsboro. The Rebels are assured their first winning season since lacrosse became a varsity sport.
South did record eight wins in 1997 when lacrosse was a club sport
But like any enduring village, the strength is generational, starting with a modest beginning.
“It felt good to watch a program grow from pretty much just enough kids to play,” said Tim Rockwell, South’s fifth-year coach. “We were right at about 11 kids and it takes 10 to get on the field. I feel a responsibility to make sure that we communicate how the success that we’re having now is kind of built on the sacrifice of some kids who played when we were a little less equipped.
“They stayed process oriented. It was never about a win, or really even the next win or the next loss. it was about winning the next rep, which is something we preach all the time. When you stay that way, you can get over some result-oriented heartache really quickly.”
But it’s a new generation that’s helping South reach new heights. It’s a pack of juniors – The Class of 2027 – that has provided the numbers, a savvy they have learned through playing in youth leagues and a strong sense of camaraderie.
These Rebels have burst on the scene in an effort of erasing a gloomy past. But even at a young age, this group knows what it has accomplished is something special.
“It’s pretty important,” said junior defenseman Carter McChesney. “The team didn’t really get any wins before my class – the ’27 class – showed up. I don’t know, it’s just great to be able to turn it around and start to win.
I mean there are a lot of people that doubt us, you know. I just heard the other day, well, ‘South sucks.’ I mean; I guess it’s normal. There’s always going be haters, but it’s great to be able to finally start winning.”
HUMBLING BEGINNINGS
Early on, single wins – let alone a winning season – were almost impossible to get.
South was an undermanned, under experienced group, battling mightily to be respectable.
By South records, lacrosse changed from club sport to a varsity offering in 2008. The Rebels have played for at that level for 17 of the last 19 seasons, losing 2020 to the COVID shutdown and 2021 because of a lack of players.
In that time, South has won 37 games, finishing at .500 only once – in 2014 when it went 6-6. The Rebels have gone winless seven times and had two wins or less five other times.
Rockwell has led the program to some steady process in his five years, staring with very little success. South was 0-27 in his first two years, but is 15-11 in the last two. His overall record is 17-49.
“It’s great that we’ve got our first winning season as a varsity program,” Rockwell said. “I’m really excited to see what we can do the rest of the year and what we can do next year, based off of all the hard work the kids put in. We’ll have another year of growth and an offseason growth, because we’ve got kids working really hard.
“I’m really excited that being process oriented has led to some nice results. And I’m excited to see where it’s going to go from here.”
CALVARY ARRIVES
While the past South teams held down the fort and did their best to establish Rockwell’s “next rep” culture.
Even though South’s roster has some battle-tested seniors, the junior class has spurred hope for the future with vigor and sheer numbers. They have a little polish to the culture.
“I feel the difference our team is less of a team and more of a family,” said junior attack Jack Burns. “It’s sort of like the locker room dynamic, viewing ourselves as more of a family rather than just strictly a lacrosse team has helped us greatly.”
Part of that comes from the sport itself.
“What’s been the biggest change for us has been, we’re getting kids who fall in love with the sport of lacrosse,” Rockwell said. “They want the stick in their hands. Football kids love the contact part of the sport. But, when they get home from football practice in the fall, they still want a lacrosse stick in their hands.
“When they’re hanging out in the summer, they want to stick in their hand. And it’s not the playing it every day, but it’s the handling the ball a lot more. It’s just like a basketball kid who still wants to get their layups up every day, no matter what the season is.”
BIG THING IN A SMALL PACKAGE
While the illusion of football players playing another rough-and-tumble sport seems to give lacrosse its image, South’s unofficial poster boy for the game shades the image.
His name is Wyatt Roberts.
At a quick glance, the junior seems slightly taller than his lacrosse stick, but he’s a battery that charges the Rebels, albeit AA sized.
“It’s pretty spectacular that we had gone eight years without a win, period,” Rockwell said. “Then we had a 100-pound freshman who had never played lacrosse before and worked his tail off. Wyatt starts at attack on a day in April four years ago and we get our first win in eight years.
“Continue that two years later and now, all of a sudden, he’s a captain. Some of these kids that were playing JV that year, now junior leaders We’re seeing success come for the seniors who were here when we didn’t win a game as freshmen. Their drive and determination and growth in their confidence have been awesome to witness as well.”
Roberts is proof of believing in South and the lacrosse process spawns success.
“This is a big accomplishment for me,” Roberts said of South’s success. “I’m working all year round, doing winter lacrosse, summer lacrosse, fall … doing all that stuff, but it also helps because our team is doing the same thing. We’re all putting work, coming to practice, keeping our grades up.
“When we started, it was rough at first, but then, everyone started enjoying it and liked being around each other. A lot of the kids on the team are from football who came to play lacrosse. It’s kind of like hockey with a football mix, so they kind of like it. Then, we just all came friends, and it more fun for us to come back over the years.”
Roberts has been an important cog for South in his first three years. Although undersized, he has acquired a high IQ for the game to be a major threat.
“I’m more of an attackman in the midfield. Wherever the coach needs me, that’s where I’m at,” he said. “I do face off sometimes. I’m more of the guy creeping around the crease, looking for an open pass, putting myself in the position where I’m looking to score. Putting myself where a defender’s turned his head and I need to find a place where a guy with the ball will see me to take a pass and get a shot off.”
Roberts’ size is his advantage.
“In our previous game, I had a pretty big guy on me, but at that didn’t really stop me,” he said. “I didn’t really look at it that way. I was like ‘OK. I could probably outrun him. I just try to find a spot to see where his weaknesses are when he turns his head.’ Then I go around to the crease, look for the pass, and I always keep my feet on the move.”
South’s process is real.
“It feels great to be on a winning team, but it also feels good that everyone’s working together,” Roberts said. “There’s a difference between a team who works together and a team that’s winning. A team that works together is better than a team that just wins. We all work together, we all put the effort in. It feels great to do both of them at the same time.”
ALL FOR ONE, ONE FOR ALL
While Roberts my be the batter, Burns is the switch.
“I would say I run the offense a little with Wyatt,” he said. “I handle the ball. I’m more a feeder. I feed the ball more than shoot. I try to find my opportunity to attack, but then I also look to feed, I try to find the open guy before I find my shot.”
Burns has been on South’s progressive ride, which had a rocky start in his freshmen season.
“It feels great, honestly,” he said. “They struggled in the first year. We only won two games. Last year, we won seven. We were right on the edge and then this year, we really got over the hump. A lot of people playing in the offseason. It just helps out greatly when you have your stick in your hand year-round.
“People always been really focused on the last game. For us, it’s always the next game. Like, when we got our first win, everybody was hype and it was great. But then we always moved on to the next game and the next game. We never really harped on the losses. We stayed focused always on that next rep, always that next game.”
DIRTY DEEDS
When it comes to seeing the Rebels in action, McChesney’s view isn’t the greatest.
It’s on the far half of the field, away from the ball, since he plays defense.
“I just play defense,” he said. “Usually just take the better player on their offense. I just pretty much do what I’m told to do. I’m not like a lot of guys on the team – no (coverage in the paper) or on leaderboards and all that. I don’t really care.”
McChesney’s approach to the game is another variation off South’s formula to its current success.
“It’s probably just a mindset,” he said. “There’s a lot talk about being unshakable and I guess it’s just not letting people get into our heads and even not letting ourselves get into our own heads. And, it’s just to be able to work together, not let anyone get into our heads and just put points on the board.”
INTERLOCKING PIECES TO THE PUZZLE
South’s Class of 2027 has made a major impact on the Rebels, but Rockwell likes to think it is a bonding link in the lacrosse chain.
“This group – especially this group of juniors – has been able to really feel the rewards of hard work that’s been put in even before they were on varsity or before they were here on campus,” he said. “We had a nice, big class of seniors last year. Those were the kids who, for the most part, were the leaders of the program when we got those first couple wins. Our two leading scores last year were seniors.
“Those kids had to work their tail off because they didn’t have much around them as they were trying to grow. Our (current) seniors, even the ones who aren’t on the field constantly, are just fantastic leaders and great young men to look up to and follow that example. This junior class gets the reward, or a bigger reward, because of the sacrifices being made by others around them.”
NOT DONE YET
This success is viewed as a starting point for the Rebels.
Next is getting a ninth win, the most in school history. Then a 10th victory would be a huge milestone.
“To get to 10 (wins), I’m going to say it again, it’s probably going to keep the stick in your hand and keep improving,” Burns said. “We’ve got to eight wins. After we get the winning season, you can’t just stop practicing when you don’t have practice.”
Rockwell, for one, is just living in the moment.
“It’s rewarding,” the coach said. “I’ve talked to a couple people about it since (April 15’s win over North Hagerstown) and I want to do a better job of appreciating it. But right now, when we’re in the middle of it and we feel like we didn’t play our best game that Wednesday night, it’s hard as a coach to be that excited.
“But I know two things. No. 1, it’s better to learn from a win than a loss, and No. 2, At the end of the season, we can all look back on it and see the results, because we don’t get to focus on the process, sadly, anymore. That what happens when the season ends.”
But others think the Class of 2027 represents the start of big things for South lacrosse.
“From what I know about before we got here, there weren’t really any new kids showing up (to play lacrosse),” McChesney said. “I think when our class showed up, the team skyrocketed in size. We’re getting more young kids. Before I got to South, I didn’t even know what lacrosse was. We’re getting younger kids who figure out what the sport is and they’re playing in youth leagues, getting ready to come here. I think it’s going to continue.”
Can anyone say legacy?
“The thought is to keep all this going after we leave,” Burns said. “The 2027 class has a ton of people, but we just need to constantly be bringing in more people from the youth level. Starting up a youth team is very helpful, which we have had this year and last year. It just about bringing in people and creating more interest in lacrosse.”
It’s all about keeping the village intact.
