Former Clayton Lacrosse Player Returns to Coach Highly Ranked Team

*Editor's note: An earlier version of this article and a subheadline incorrectly identified Clayton's preseason ranking. Those rankings are not yet available. This article has been updated to reflect that information.

Ben Hjelle discovered lacrosse on a whim as a student at . Now, he's head coach of the school's club team, which last year achieved a No. 5 ranking statewide.*

"I was a basketball player growing up and I got very little playing time," Hjelle said Monday. "So I thought to myself after my freshman year, 'I want to try something new.'"

He went on to become a lacrosse captain at CHS and to play the sport at the University of Wisconsin. He coached in California before returning to St. Louis to coach under Michael O'Brien, who last year transferred management of the Clayton lacrosse team to Hjelle.

The sport, Hjelle said, gave him "a whole new look on my athletic ability" and has been "a ton of fun for me."

A strong season
Last year, Clayton proved surprising. No one expected the school, which has offered lacrosse since 1997, to make the list of the state's top 10 clubs.

"People were kind of expecting us to be a middling team," Hjelle said.

But it wasn't. Clayton became a top Division 1 seed, had a seven-game winning streak and recorded first-ever defeats of teams such as , and .

"For us to kind of break into that, I think it shows what a public school can do," he said.

Saint Louis University High School (SLUH) defeated Clayton in the quarterfinals.

A building year
Clayton enters the season having lost numerous varsity players to graduation. The team will get about 45 players—roughly 20 of whom are freshmen—and turn none of them away. Instead, they will be divided into junior varsity and varsity squads.

By contrast, schools such as SLUH can get upward of 100 lacrosse applicants.

"It allows me to really test my coaching meddle and my ability," Hjelle said. This year, the focus will be to develop new players and to turn them into productive and confident athletes who love the game so the team can continue operating near the top of the rankings.

Practice begins Feb. 27 at .

Key players
John Matheny is a senior who Hjelle describes as person who is accessible, nice and determined. He has been on the varsity squad for four years and will be able to work with incoming freshmen.

"He's just like a grown man already," said Hjelle, joking that Matheny is known among team members for his beard.

He also pointed to Jimmy O'Reilly, a sophomore who he said has lost weight and learned the skills set necessary to be part of the team.

"For me, at least, he's a guy that's just put in so much work," Hjelle said.

Competition and strategy
The fan base gets excited about the Clayton- lacrosse game, which is scheduled for May at Gay Field.

This year, Clayton also will face three state lacrosse champions—from Missouri, Kansas and Wisconsin.

The team will focus on getting up and down the field in transition, among other aspects of play.

"We like to play a lot of deliberate offense," Hjelle said.

People should look out for Clayton, he said. While lacrosse is on the fringe of athletics in many parts of the U.S., he wants to see it become Clayton's No. 1 spring sport.

"I really take pride in being a small school that can still run with the big boys and beat them," Hjelle said.