Owen Wright, a senior athlete at Orchard Park High School, is a member of the Varsity soccer and Varsity Lacrosse teams. Lacrosse has been a significant part of his life, and it has brought him so many great accomplishments and opportunities, one of those being his plan to continue his lacrosse journey in college. I was able to sit down and talk with him to find out what led him to where he is today and how he plans to go about his future.
GR: Who got you into lacrosse, and when did you start playing?
OW: I started playing lacrosse when I was 4 years old, and my dad was the one that got me into it.
GR: What other sports have you played, and when was the moment you realized lacrosse stood out above the others?
OW: Baseball. Soccer, basketball, football, and that’s it. Probably 7th grade was when I realized lacrosse was for me.
GR: What is your reason for playing? Why do you do it?
OW: I love being on a team sport and being able to make friends and compete with them
GR: What are 3 adjectives you would use to describe yourself on the field?
OW: Smart, athletic, and encouraging
GR: How do you prepare yourself for high-pressure situations? Do you have any pre-game rituals?
OW: For pre-game rituals, I guess I just listen to music, mostly upbeat or rap. I kinda take a lot of deep breaths and trust myself.
GR: What type of sacrifices have you had to make in your life because of your lacrosse commitments?
OW: I’ve had to leave a lot of teams and friends I’ve made through other sports, um, and also missing out on key tournaments.
GR: Do you have any role models in your life? Who played the biggest role in getting you to where you are today?
OW: I’d say my biggest role model is my dad. He has done a lot for the game of lacrosse in the community and has helped me build many relationships and got a lot of my friends into playing the sport.
GR: Do you have a favorite lacrosse team/player? A team you look up to?
OW: My favorite player of all time is Ryan Brown because he was a really good shooter and played for Johns Hopkins.
GR: What is your dream for your athletic future? Your end goal…?
OW: My dream is to start at Division 1 and help my team to win the Conference Championship.
GR: When did you realize that D1 college lacrosse was an obtainable goal?
OW: I’d say my 8th-grade year, coming out of modified. I have made big steps of improvement and broken school records, and this was kind of the kind I realized I had a shot.
GR: You’ll be attending St. Bonaventure in the fall. What stood out about St Bonaventure that made it a perfect fit for you?
OW: I liked that it was close enough to home that I could come back, and my parents could come to the games, and I really liked the smaller campus feel and everything alumni had to say about the school.
GR: What are your goals going into your freshman season?
OW: I want to try to start by the end of the year.
GR: What is your current position, and do you hope to play the same position in college, or do you expect it to change? How will you adapt to that change if it happens?
OW: I am currently playing attack. I hope to play the same position in college, but I feel that as an underclassman, I will play mostly midfield. I’ve played midfield for most of my life, so it isn’t much of a change for me.
GR: What is the single greatest moment in your lacrosse career so far?
OW: 2 summers ago, when I had a braveheart overtime, a game-winner.
GR: If you could go back to when it all began, would you do it all again? Would you change anything?
OW: I would do it all again and wouldn’t change a thing.
Owen Wright had a great season this year and has really shown his potential throughout his high school career. Now that he’s off to college for the sport he grew up playing, OP can’t wait to see all the new opportunities the future holds for him.
