STANDING TALL: Hun School boys’ lacrosse goalie Jon Levine guards the net in a game last season. Junior star and Princeton-bound Levine will be a key performer for Hun this spring as it looks to improve on the 13-7 record it posted last year. The Raiders get their 2015 campaign underway this week by hosting Don Bosco on March 25, playing at Somerville on March 28, and then hosting the IMG Academy on March 30. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

The watchword around the Hun School boys’ lacrosse team this spring is trust.

“We need to focus on team building more than ever and developing trust,” said Hun head coach MV Whitlow, who guided the Raiders to a 13-7 record last year and a second straight appearance in the state Prep A championship game.

“We need to exhibit a level of character and we need to to trust in each other, trust in the process, trust in the coaches, and trust in the players.”

To help develop that trust, Hun traveled back to Arizona this month for its annual preseason trip.

“It was a great trip, we had a lot of time on the field to practice and did a lot of things together off the field,” said Whitlow.

“We did horseback riding on the Verde river and climbed Camelback Mountain again. We are emphasizing being the best version of ourselves in everything that we do.”

Whitlow will be looking to some key veterans to help Hun be at its best in the midfield as senior Brendan Black, junior Owen Black, senior Cole West, senior Julian Williams, junior Chris Andrews, and junior Patrick Brake give the Raiders a lot of firepower in that unit.

“We have two main midfield units that we are running,” said Whitlow, whose team opens the season by hosting Don Bosco on March 25.

“Brendan and Owen Black are on one line, they are looking very, very good. Cole West and Julian Williams are together on another. Chris Andrews and Pat Brake are on another line, they put up points last year. We have increased depth.”

On the defensive end of the field, Hun boasts some battled-tested performers in senior Tucker Stevenson, sophomore Chris Fake, and senior goalie Jon Levine.

“Tucker is one of our captains; he is a dynamic player,” asserted Whitlow. “We will play him up top and down low. We can play him all over the field. He’s a seven-year guy at Hun, he came in together with Brendan Black. Chris Fake is a sophomore, he is real talented. Another captain, Jon Levine, is back in goal. He is looking real strong.”

If the Raiders can get on the same page, they should be a very strong team this spring.

“We need to come together as a team,” said Whitlow, noting that offensive coordinator Jeff Snow has implemented a new offensive scheme that should result in a more up-tempo attack.

“I think the guys are very committed to the team success and not individual stuff. We have high character guys who care a lot for each other. A theme we have shared is to focus on the process, consistent winning comes from the process; not focusing on the outcome. We have ramped up the schedule and the guys are hungry and ready to take the next step.”