Rosemount boys lacrosse builds momentum through nine consecutive wins

Leading the South Suburban Conference in boys lacrosse is not an easy feat, but Rosemount is doing so in commanding fashion. The Irish are 9-0, with four conference wins and major victories against Section 6 opponents.

Rosemount beat conference opponent Lakeville South 15-0 on May 5 and has earned quality victories this season against Prior Lake, Bloomington Jefferson and Moorhead. This season marked the Irish’s first victory over Prior Lake in eight years.

Rosemount has been a force in Section 6, which includes Prior Lake, Jefferson, Edina and Eden Prairie.

“Our section is really tough. So those are really quality section and conference wins,” Rosemount head coach Lance Kuehn said.

Rosemount and the aforementioned Section 6 opponents are all ranked among the top 15 teams in the state, so Rosemount’s early season wins are indicative of the program’s rising prominence in Minnesota.

Kuehn credits the team’s improvement from their 11-4 record last season to the large group of returning players. The Irish graduated one defender from last year’s team and returned nearly all of their offense. Rosemount has 13 seniors on this year’s roster, along with a batch of sophomores in starting roles.

Through nine games, Rosemount’s defense has been particularly strong and keen at causing turnovers. A point of emphasis in off-season training was to ensure the defense denies opportunities.

“It’s kind of a mantra of ours,” Kuehn said.

Max Jones is one of the team’s key defenders, and goaltender Jack Noonan recently notched his 400th career save.

Offensively, the team’s strategy is attacking in layers, “like a cake,” said Kuehn, referencing attackers Jack Lenmark, Cooper Sorensen and Payton Sickel. Lenmark not long ago earned his 100th career goal, a milestone Sickel has already achieved.

“Our attack is a three-headed monster,” Kuehn said.

Rosemount’s last two games of the regular season are against Farmington and Stillwater, currently ranked first and second in the state. The Irish plan to use these games to identify areas of improvement before the section playoffs, where they hope to emerge victorious.

“I know what type of team it takes to make it deep … and I think this is a special class and a special team that we have that can make a really deep run, and can make a really good splash at state," Kuehn said.