Speed changed everything for Cookeville Cavaliers lacrosse player Isaac Loghry.
The senior did not grow up playing lacrosse. Football was his first sport. But before his freshman year, Loghry said a friend convinced him to give lacrosse a try, a decision that reshaped his high school career. Now, Loghry is a key piece of the lacrosse program, anchoring the defensive midfield as the Cavaliers build on the most successful season in school history.
“You have to be very fast,” Loghry said. “You have to be in shape, very in shape, to play. People think football is like a super physical sport, which it is and people think lacrosse, oh it’s not intense or anything, but once you actually put the pads on it gets super intense, really physical.”
As a defensive midfielder, Loghry said he thrives in transition, sprinting between the offensive and defensive ends, matching up with opposing attackers and fighting for possession. His impact shows up in the details: 36 ground balls and 17 takeaways across his varsity career, along with seven total points. After recording two assists as a sophomore, Loghry opened his junior season with four early goals and an assist, signaling increased confidence on both ends of the field. But Loghry said the growth did not happen overnight.
“I would say my sophomore year when we first started the first few games, I didn’t play at my best with what I thought I could,” Lockry said. “But throughout the season I definitely progressed in a way that I would say is unlike anything else on my team.”
That progression mirrored the team’s rise. Last season, Cookeville reached the state tournament for the first time in program history — a breakthrough moment for a still-growing lacrosse program.
With another year of experience and confidence, Loghry enters his junior season not just as a role player, but as a tone-setter in the midfield. His speed fuels transition. His physicality disrupts opponents. And his steady development reflects the trajectory of the Cavaliers themselves.
“[Football] definitely physically helps me stay in shape,” Lockry said. “It helps me be more physical to everything around me and it shows.”
For Loghry, what started as a suggestion from a friend has become something much bigger, a chance to help push Cookeville lacrosse into its next chapter.