A year after finishing in second place in the Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan Division, the Los Gatos High School boys lacrosse team ended the regular-season with an emphatic finish, dominating Palma 11-4 on May 7.
The Wildcats (13-6 overall, 8-0 league) earned the No. 7 seed in the Central Coast Section I playoffs and plays No. 2 seed Sacred Heart Prep on May 12. Since the playoff matchups weren’t determined until three days after the Palma contest, Lehman didn’t know where his team would be slotted.
“I’m hoping D1,” he said. “We get to see some pretty strong teams there, some of these teams these guys have seen before. If they play like they know how to, there’s always a good fighting chance.”
Utilizing an irregular lineup due to Senior Night—Los Gatos has 24 seniors on the roster—the Wildcats started slow before outscoring the Chieftains 6-0 in the third quarter to put things out of reach. Sophomore Justin Buran scored a match-high five goals—all in succession spanning the third and fourth quarters—while Ben Reilly and Asher Rooney tallied twice each.
“In the third quarter, we kind of shook off the dust and started playing ball like we know how to,” Wildcats coach Davis Lehman said. “We started running a little more consistently and started picking it up, but still not quite what we’re hoping for. I mean, we could’ve doubled up that score, but we also recognize we want to get better as a team. So getting guys in and getting them reps and playing time is meaningful for us as a team.”
The score was 1-1 at halftime when Los Gatos unleashed a scoring binge. First, it was the sophomore Rooney who scored on a wraparound shot just 1 minute, 11 seconds into the third quarter. The next several goals came in rapid-fire succession, each separated by two minutes or less. Trevor Ankaitis delivered a pinpoint pass to an unmarked Reilly, who scored from a couple of feet away.
After that, Los Gatos started to shoot from distance, as Zach Gouldrup and Matvey Barkhatov both scored from 25 yards out with laser-like shots. Buran scored the team’s next five goals on a variety of jukes, turnaround shots and occasions when Palma simply left him unmarked.
“Justin is a great offensive power for us,” Lehman said. “He’s one of our younger leaders and it’s been great to see the season he’s having.”
Lehman praised the leadership on the team, especially from the large senior group. With 60 total players spread across the varsity and junior varsity squads, the Los Gatos boys lacrosse program is thriving from a participation standpoint. Part of that reason stems from athletes who don’t have a lot of experience in the sport choosing to pick up a stick in their senior year.
“A lot of those guys are guys who haven’t picked up a stick in a couple of years or who haven’t played lacrosse before,” Lehman said. “But we’ve got a ton of leaders on this team, some good athletes, and the seniors are definitely a big part of that.”
Zach Otoupal is a three-time PCAL Defensive Player of the Year and towers above the competition—literally. At 6-foot-5, Otoupal uses his athleticism, agility, long reach and speed to create turnovers and help the team maintain possession for long stretches at a time. Goalie Rodean Doroodian made a couple of big-time saves to keep Palma at bay, while defenders Jack Harrington, Liam Carlin and Johnny Cavallini made sure to stifle any offensive player that approached the Los Gatos goal.
Los Gatos has had some tremendous success in the last few years, winning the Division II championship in 2024 and reaching the semifinals last season. For a repeat run at the title, Lehman said the team will need to be on top of things both physically and mentally.
“I would really like to see us push a little more in the transition game,” he said. “I think we had some missed opportunities tonight that we didn’t follow through on. And one of the big things we’re looking to change is getting these guys to have the mindset that it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re going to play the way we know how. And that means staying consistent and disciplined in everything we do.”
Lehman appreciated how the players have bought into the program despite a numbers game that could’ve been a hindrance.
“We’ve got 60 guys and there’s three of us (coaches),” he said. “That’s a 1-to-20 ratio, which is not super ideal. It only works if you get buy-in and you have other guys step up. I can’t speak highly enough of these guys. They’re going to go very far in life because they show up and know how to be a team player.”
