By Washington Post Staff / Kyle Melnick
Over the past five years, Bowie has established itself as Prince George’s County’s dominant lacrosse program, routinely winning by double digits. That success has propelled the Bulldogs to the past two Maryland 4A semifinals.
Now, Bowie is attempting to take the next step. The Bulldogs (5-1) are again controlling their county, but Coach Richard Perry believed establishing a local youth program would draw more talent and help his team compete outside of the league. Most of Bowie’s players had never picked up a lacrosse stick before high school.
“Our thoughts are: We have not gotten better,” said Perry, who has coached Bowie since 2016. “We haven’t gotten more experienced lacrosse players.”
In its first semifinal appearance in 2019, Bowie lost to Howard, 15-2. Perry believes the coronavirus pandemic canceling the 2020 campaign halted Bowie’s momentum and limited the players’ interest. Last season, the Bulldogs were undefeated until suffering a 17-1 loss to Catonsville in the state semifinals.
Bowie’s three returning contributors are teaching their skills to younger teammates. Perry has scheduled a handful of out-of-county opponents to introduce high-level lacrosse to his players. Against their strongest opponent, the Bulldogs lost to Pallotti, 16-5, on Saturday.
“It’s really to help the younger guys know to change their expectation of what lacrosse is supposed to be like,” Perry said. “That’s my hope.”
