Sticking With It: Windermere Prep's Bennett breaks long-standing school record

Lacrosse is a sport not many understand. Its popularity is confined to a limited geographic area; Maryland is one of the few states where lacrosse is possibly even more popular than football among the kids. Most kids have a stick in their hands from an early age and play well into high school.  

Jackson Bennett plays both football and lacrosse. Although he is quick to say football is his first love, he also loves playing lacrosse. Being born in the Old Line State, it was natural he would gravitate toward the sport. 

Now, Bennett’s natural talent has earned him local accolades. Bennett is Windermere Prep’s new all-time leading scorer; he broke the record held by Davis Crayner. He broke the record while scoring seven goals during the Lakers’ 21-1 thrashing of Lake Buena Vista Feb. 17. 

“It feels really good to do something that will leave a legacy behind me,” Bennett said. “It’s nice to be able to get recognized with something like that, but I have to give all the credit to my teammates for allowing me the opportunity to do it.” 

The seven goals he scored against LBV gave him 138 career goals — five more than Crayner’s 133. 

“It’s always a cool thing to do to break a record and set your own records, especially since we’ve only had two games so far,” said Brooks Bennett, Jackson’s father. “He has the rest of this year and all of next year to add to the total. We never thought about it until his coach brought it up at the beginning of the year.” 

Brooks Bennett and his wife, Dahlia, both played lacrosse. That passion for the sport passed down to their children. Their two oldest daughters, Payton and Kaeley, both played in high school. Payton currently plays lacrosse for Rhodes College in Memphis and has been one of the top 20 scorers for Division III the last two seasons. Kaeley also played at Rhodes before retiring halfway through school.  

“(Jackson) didn’t really have much of a choice on what sport he was going to play,” Brooks Bennett said. “He plays football in the fall. In the spring, it was going to be lacrosse. It’s a family affair.” 

The Bennetts came to the Windermere Prep community when Jackson was in seventh grade. His talent was evident right away, so much that the coaches wanted him to start on the varsity team as a seventh-grader. However, his parents wanted to ease him in. That decision seems to have paid off. 

“There was no reason to play on varsity right away,” Dahlia Bennett said. “He had already made friends in the summer because of football. Now we’re in the spring, and they said he was going to play varsity. Jackson said, ‘No, I want to play with my friends.’ They finally let me convince them to let him practice a day or two with the middle school team. At the end of first practice, he came home and said it wasn’t going to work, because he was that much better.” 

Even when you’re on top, there is always someone who can come around and topple you. Jackson Bennett already has someone in mind whom he feels will break his record: freshman Broden Dold. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if by his senior year, he’s doing the same thing as I did,” Jackson Bennett said. “He’s advanced for his age, one of the best in the state, honestly.”