Payton Bezjak had to sit out her junior year of girls’ high school lacrosse after she sustained a torn ACL in her right knee last summer.
She said sitting on the bench and watching as American Heritage-Delray came up short, falling 10-8 to Lake Highland Prep in the FHSAA state finals, was one of the hardest things she’s had to do.
“It was really tough last year watching my teammates play without me,” Bezjak said. “I just have such a really good bond with them … It was really sad but watching them almost win state last year just gave me the motivation to come back stronger.
“It was a non-contact injury,” said Bezjak, who signed with Virginia Tech. “I was just running down the field and I just pivoted wrong, trying to turn, and it popped.”
Bezjak, who recently turned 17, is back and showed the Stallions what they were missing as she scored four times in a recent 15-7 win over visiting IMG Academy. The American Heritage-Delray girls’ lacrosse squad is ranked No. 1 overall in Florida and No. 2 in the Nation, according to high school sports website MaxPreps.com.
The Stallions broke open a tight game in the first half and coasted to the win on March 31. American Heritage-Delray went down early 1-0 and battled back to take a 3-2 lead. They were able to stretch the lead 6-3 at halftime before blowing the game open with five straight goals in the first eight minutes of the second half to effectively put the game away.
IMG was led by Natasha Newport, Jesse Kask and Ava Kitt with two goals apiece and Charlotte Vandenberg with one goal.
American Heritage-Delray was paced by junior Brooke Goldstein and Bezjak with 4 goals each. Junior Chiara Scichilone added three goals, while junior Victoria Tomonto added two, and sophomore Emma Hrzich and senior Dakota Riggio each had one tally.
Scichilone, 16, transferred from Palm Beach Central at the beginning of the year after scoring 101 times and added 16 assists, 59 ground balls, and 161 draw controls for the Broncos. She is also the Broncos’ school record-holder for most goals and points in a season.
“I think there were two differences between American Heritage-Delray and Palm Beach Central,” Scichilone said. “Last year, it was me and my sister (Sophia Scichilone, a three-year varsity captain and Florida Tech signee), and this year, I am surrounded by talent and I have been working to find my place on integrating with a team that has so much talent.
“Now that we are coming to the end of the season,” she added, “I think I have found my place, and I love playing with such talented players because that is making me so much better.”
It is not unlike what she will face in 2024 when she suits up for the University of Florida as a freshman, playing with more established players.
“I am going to be going to UF and all of the girls are going to be talented, so I am going to have to find something to outshine them so I would be able to play,” she said. “I had to work hard here to start … When I came here, I just had to change mentally so that I didn’t have to do anything. That was tough for me, if I didn’t win every draw, it would get in my head and it would shut me down for the rest of the game. Now, I know it is OK and that is what my teammates are for. We all work so well together.”
American Heritage-Delray coach John McClain, who started the girls’ lacrosse program at the school in 2015, is hopeful of another state championship. McClain, who won state championships in 2018 and 2021, believes this is the fastest team he’s ever had at the school.
“Their mentality is amazing,” he said. “They play with a lot of energy and that is what I want them to do, is play with a lot of energy. They are a tremendously talented team and if they play with 50 percent energy, we are going to lose, but if we play with 80 or 90 percent energy, all day long we will win on the field.”
The Stallions (15-1) began the season 7-0 before he lost junior attacker Caroline Byrd to a torn ACL right before the team’s lone loss of the season against Cardinal Gibbons. He has two additional players recovering from a sprained ankle and a knee sprain, so the team had to adjust.
The Stallions led 11-7 at halftime against Cardinal Gibbons (North Carolina) before falling 14-13 at home. They have won eight straight since then.
“After Byrd tore her ACL, we had to make adjustments, and they had to get into the flow of it,” McClain said. “They did great and now we are dialed in, and we are excited about the future here …
“Cardinal Gibbons is a very talented team,” McLain added. “They were one of the best teams we faced all season. They were big, strong and well-coached. It took us for a little bit of a shock. We went to a certain defense, and they scored a few, it wasn’t working out and we put them back in the game.”
Ground ball specialist Alex Dorr, a senior who signed with the University of Denver, believes in her team.
“Our season has been so good, and I think our team works really well together at every position,” Dorr said. “I think we define a team. We work so well, offensive and defensive sides. We always give our best.”
