DURHAM — When the Division II all-state boys lacrosse teams were released shortly after the 2022 high school season ended, Oyster River sophomore Jake Failla was named as an honorable mention.
But his love for the game, paired with receiving all-state recognition, wasn't enough to change Failla's season-long thoughts of walking away from the game.
So, that's what he did. Failla stepped away from a game he started playing in the third grade while living in Florida. He did not play lacrosse in 2023 as a junior.
"I wasn't having fun on the field," Failla said on his decision. "I wasn't looking forward to practices and games. I ended up not playing (club lacrosse) that summer, even though I was signed up. It was kind of like of a mentality thing. I think I just had enough of lacrosse; I overdid myself."
Failla thought maybe he's not the type of kid who wanted to be a year-round club lacrosse player. He had friends on Oyster River's spring track and field team, and decided to run track last spring, competing in the 110-meter hurdles.
But Failla couldn't stay away from lacrosse for long, as his love for the game, friends on the team and the chance to play one more year pulled him back for his senior season.
"So far, it's pretty fun," he said. "I'm glad to be back. It's been pretty fun.
The Bobcats have started the season 2-2 after Wednesday's 13-4 win at Kingswood.
"I like practicing with the guys, it's a good team and I feel comfortable with them," Failla said after Monday's 14-7 loss to Portsmouth. "Good players on attack and good middies. We've got a good defense, good goalie, there's just good chemistry."
Failla was held scoreless in Oyster River's season-opening 17-1 loss to Derryfield, but rebounded with two goals and four assists in an 8-7 win over Windham. He had one assist against Portsmouth, and two goals and four assists against Kingswood.
Failla said there were times he missed playing lacrosse last spring, but he has no regrets.
"I kind of missed (lacrosse) when I saw the guys on the field," he said. "But I knew it was the right decision to make. I needed that time. I was still having fun on the track team, so it wasn't like I was regretting my decision. I had a lot of fun with track. But, I thought this year, I wanted to help the guys out and play my senior year."
Oyster River head coach Ruppy Hailey said Failla's return has made a huge difference.
"It's fun too, because (Failla) has that desire to be on the field again," Hailey said. "You can really see how hungry he is to be out there. He's a senior leader for us, all the guys look up to him. He's played for me for two years. He knows all the offensive systems and stuff, so he kind of just slotted himself right in. He's been a huge weapon offensively."
Hailey said you can sometimes see when a player is getting a little burned out on the field, and the staff kind of saw that with Failla.
"I think the time away did him a world of good," Hailey said. "He's got that fire in his belly again for this sport. We were a different team (without him) last year ... having Jake here is just a huge advantage for us."
Failla said playing the indoor winter lacrosse season got him good and ready to get back into the swing of things for the spring.
"Passing and catching (the ball), it's second nature," he said. "Maybe like some shooting things, but, (it took about) a month. I swung right in nice with Tyler (Callander) and Alex (Moody) on the attack. I've got good chemistry with those guys and we're working on just keep getting better throughout the season."
Hailey compared Failla's return to a professional team signing a top free agent.
"It's almost like there was a collective sigh of relief when he first showed up to the first game, we knew that he was back," Hailey said. "We knew what he brought (to the team). He can play beyond attack as well. We feel very comfortable slotting him in as a defensive mid if we need to. He's very athletic, really strong and his first two-step quickness is fantastic. We really feel he can help us anywhere on the field. To have him back, we as a coaching staff, knew he was going to make a big difference, and I think the players loved the fact that he was coming back."
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