BOCA RATON — The wait is over.
The Bobcats won their first regional boys lacrosse playoff game in a decade on Thursday night, defeating Martin County 17-7.
Joining the ranks of Boca (13-4) leadership three years ago, head coach Zach Pasko set out to foster a culture of growth for the sport in the city.
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“I can tell you right now, I didn’t build it by myself,” Pasko said. “I have a great group of coaches. It’s all about these kids. They had to buy in. You can try to create a culture as much as you want, but it takes the buy-in from the kids. I’m just the coach.”
Thursday’s victory was the latest example of that plan producing dividends, and the stars of the regional match showed why they’ve earned their nicknames.
Finding his team in an early 3-1 hole, Bobcats’ Anthony “Antman” Hicks put together a three-goal first quarter that galvanized his squad, part of a game-high eight-goal performance.
While Anthony was thought of as an underdog, his father coined the nickname based on the movie.