As a reigning state championship title holder, there is an automatic sense of pressure than gets placed on a team when it comes to the following season, especially if that same team has won a title for three consecutive years. For the Guilford girls’ lacrosse team, it is hopeful of pushing past all those hurdles and getting back to hoisting that plaque in June.

John Climie, who served as the junior varsity (JV) coach for the Grizzlies last spring, took over the program this year as the ring leader and has high expectations to get his squad, currently 5-1 on the season, back to prominence once again in both the SCC and state brackets.

“We graduated four wonderful players that played on each of the two previous championship teams, and they went out and won a third last year. We have leaders on midfield, attack, and defensively more so,” said Climie. “We have a thin group of upperclassmen, however, a number of freshmen who have played multiple minutes so far this year. We are leaning on the young kids to learn on the fly.”

Guilford is led this spring by three senior captains in Payton Root (attack), Isabella Blanco (defender), and Maya Stoddard (goaltender). Climie is confident in every single one of them and their ability to come together as strong leaders for their underclassman counterparts.

“Payton has been an incredible player and has played lacrosse most of her life. She is a leader on the field, our go-to player when we are playing the game, and everyone looks up to her,” Climie said. “This is Isabella’s second year as a starter, and she is one of our leaders on defense; steady, thoughtful, and high effort kid. This is Maya’s second full season starting for us. She is a multifaceted kid; she was in the production for Legally Blonde. She is one of a kind and the heart and soul of our team. We are very lucky that she is anchoring us back there.”

The Grizzlies compete in Division I in the Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) and they are also in Class L. Facing some tough competition, they are still finding ways to win early on.

On April 4, the Grizzlies traveled to Branford and won by a final score of 8-5.

Then, on April 8, Guilford hosted Lauralton Hall and grabbed an 8-5 win. Root played a key part in this conference matchup, totaling five goals.

As the Grizzlies stay locked in and focused on adding yet another state title to their resume, Climie is excited to see the productivity of several athletes on his squad, including Tea Gambardella (junior, midfielder/defender), Colby Atwater (sophomore, midfielder), and Tanya Evans (senior, attack).

“There are a couple of kids who are thrust into more important roles. Tea is a really incredible athlete and has taken a bigger role this year because we graduated so many strong players,” said Climie. “Colby is an intense competitor and finds her way to most ground balls. Tanya is another leader; she has played a lot of lacrosse in her life and played in a lot of big games before.”

On April 10, the Grizzlies faced Sheehan and defeated the opponent 11-4. Root contributed highly to this win with six goals, and Atwater played a key role on the circle with seven draw controls.

The Grizzlies then met Fairfield Ludlowe on April 13 and took a 13-3 loss. Root scored two goals, and Stoddard had eight saves in front of the net.

There were seven seniors that graduated last year that all played a huge role in the overall success of the program over the past few years. This year, Climie looks to all of the upperclassmen, as well as a few underclassmen, to keep up its reputation as a highly competitive program.

“We have four freshmen that have started in a number of our games. They play summer lacrosse, and they are used to good skill and competition. It is different; eighth grade to the high school level, it is night and day,” said Climie. “We did just lose a strong freshman to a season-ending injury that is a big blow for our team in general. We are young, and we have a lot of willing kids. That is the only way that you get better.”

With Climie in his first year at the helm, he knows there is an adjustment period and learning curve that comes with it. He wants his athletes to learn with him and focus on improving their individual game along the way.

“A goal is really just to look at this as a year to learn - to look at everybody to see what it is like to be hunted and be Guilford,” said Climie. “We know that we are going to get everyone’s best efforts even though most of our top contributors have graduated. It’s about learning how I coach, learning my expectations, and trying to continue to build this culture. Also, we have to continue to not so much look at results, but learn how to play the game, trust each other, and remember that it is supposed to be fun.”

Climie is assisted by Lindsay Wargo (assistant coach) and Bridget Smestad (JV coach).

The Grizzlies full roster is comprised of Blanco, Evans, Grace Reilly (senior, attack), Root, Stoddard, Addison Widlitz (senior, attack), Evelyn Bertolini (junior, midfielder), Gambardella, Cambelle Jacobson (junior, midfielder), Giada Mezzanotte (junior, attack), Kaycee Spencer (junior, defender), Atwater, Sophie Alberti (freshman, midfielder), Gabby Chen (freshman, attack), Neave Coyne (freshman, midfielder), Allie Michna (freshman, midfielder), Maddie Welch (freshman, midfielder), and Emelia Votto (freshman, defender).

Guilford Grizzlies Girls Lacrosse 2024 Regular Season Results and Schedule:

April 2: Guilford 10, Mercy 6

April 4: Guilford 8, Branford 5

April 8: Guilford 11, Lauralton Hall 8

April 10: Guilford 11, Sheehan 4

April 13: Fairfield Ludlowe 13, Guilford 3

April 15: Guilford 13, Sacred Heart Academy 8

April 18: Guilford 10, East Lyme 9

Monday April 22: vs Daniel Hand at 6 p.m.

Wednesday April 24: vs Avon at 4 p.m.

Monday April 29: vs Amity at 4:30 p.m.

Thursday May 2: vs St. Joseph at 4 p.m.

Saturday May 4: vs Simsbury at 10 a.m.

Monday May 6: vs Cheshire at 6 p.m.

Wednesday May 8: vs North Haven at 6 p.m.

Saturday May 11: vs Wilton at 10 a.m. *pending to change time to 12 p.m.

Tuesday May 14: vs Greenwich at 6 p.m.