The Mountain View boys lacrosse team poses after its final game of the season, an overtime win over Galena High School in Reno, Nevada.

The 2021 boys lacrosse season proved to Mountain View coach Dan Marut the value of high school athletics.

Despite the uncertainty of what could happen with Oregon high school lacrosse, which was coming off a canceled year due to the pandemic, Mountain View and Summit boys were able to turn in great records this spring.

“This year really showcased what youth sports are all about,” Marut said. “It was about learning life lessons. They came to practice knowing that the season could be canceled.”

Collectively, the two programs went 19-2 on the season, with Summit winning all eight of its games.

When it came time to gear up and hit the field, the teams felt ready after working throughout the long offseason.

“The beauty of this season is it gave us a sense of urgency,” said Summit boys lacrosse coach Luke Hansen. “Every moment counted. Everything was important. It was a level of focus and appreciation that doesn’t always find its way late into the spring season.”

The Oregon High School Lacrosse Association instituted a 150-mile radius travel restriction for the season. That meant that the Central Oregon high school teams — Summit, Mountain View, Bend, Ridgeview and Sisters, all playing in the High Desert League — could not play against the Portland-area squads, which are considered the top teams in the state.

Typically, the best Central Oregon teams would compete in a postseason tournament against Portland-area teams and other teams from throughout Oregon. Not long ago, in 2016, Summit advanced all the way to the semifinals of the tournament.

This year that wasn’t an option because of the mileage restrictions.

“We love playing Portland teams,” Hansen said. “We hope to pick that up next year.”

While Summit finished with an unblemished record, Mountain View spent the final week of the season playing in a tournament in Reno, Nevada, where the Cougars won all three of their games, including an overtime victory in the final game against Reno’s Galena High School.

It was not a bad way to wrap up the season, despite not being able to participate in what would have been the program’s first state tournament appearance.

“Still an amazing season,” Marut said. “They exceeded the goals we had for this year. This year was about overcoming adversity, working around masks or face shields, and not knowing what is going to happen.”

Both coaches raved about their seniors being the driving force behind keeping the programs afloat during the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mountain View was led by Graham Koops, John McGuire and Luke Roberts, while Summit was led by Cody Collins, Liam Ross, Dylan Kane, Cole Montoya and Zach Jepson.

“The senior class took a lot of pride in being Summit varsity lacrosse players,” Hansen said. “They knew they were a special group and could raise the bar of the program.”