A Review of ‘The Mighty Oaks’: A pretty sporting documentary about a gritty school Lacrosse team
A small Californian school team faces various challenges while playing the sport of Lacrosse over the duration of a season.
‘The Mighty Oaks’: A pretty sporting documentary about a gritty school Lacrosse team
Cast: Brad Ledwith, Nolan Ledwith, Ben Ledwith, Gary Rosyski, Ryan Forbis, Kenyen Castro, Gavin Herr, Victor Castro, Jeanne Castro, Jordan “Jo” Evanger, Amelya Forbis, Jake Marciniak, Luke Richey, Tanner Holeman, Dorian Garcia, Rich Hubbell, Trevor Baptiste, Sam Ellingson, Kyle Carmichael, Dan Carmichael, Nicole Carmichael, Collin Fisher, Aimee Ledwith, Lucas Richey, Paul Richey, Ed Hattler
Critic’s Rating: 3 Stars out of 5
Director: Brendan Harty
Duration: 1 hour, 41 minutes
Genre: Documentary, Sports
Language: English
Release: 2025
What’s it about?
A small Californian school team faces various challenges while playing the sport of Lacrosse over the duration of a season.
Review:
As far as sports documentaries go, The Mighty Oaks scores to moderate extent as it follows a dramatic season in the life of a high school Lacrosse team. This fairly appealing little film invites viewers to join in on the journey of the Live Oak “Acorns” from the Northern California town of Morgan Hill as they bid for championship glory. Along the way, we also get to meet the forces behind them and learn the role that community, passion and mentorship play in their story. However, there is nothing particularly unique in the themes and messages explored here, especially when it comes to the attitude conveyed by the team’s support staff. Still, the sumptuous display of voice-over, visuals and sound-bytes work well for the most part to make for a decent experience.
The film adequately documents the Acorns’ vicissitudes across an epic season stretching from February to May 2024, while capturing suspense from most of the featured games. We see the Live Oak team tackle opponents in a total of 16 encounters, some which are drab drubbings like against Leland and Moutain View, and others like versus Palo Alto, which turn out to be highly-competitive match-ups. But the film doesn’t properly explain the format of the season’s league stage and its lead-up to the play-off phase. Also, viewers who are not familiar with Lacrosse might struggle to understand the nuances of on-field play. However, there is a demonstration of the sport’s crucial “face off” aspect - courtesy a visit by professional player Trevor Baptiste. Plus, a few strategic moves come from the vociferous tongue of team head coach Gavin Herr. These plays are intriguingly code-named “Rambo!” and “Air Traffic Control!”
Apart from some of the sporting action, what keeps the film buoyant are individual stories of Live Oak players and management. The team’s genesis is traced to sports enthusiast Brad Ledwith and his collaborator Gary Rosyski as they infuse Lacrosse into Morgan Hill’s schooling culture. Then, we see how Ledwith’s small sons - Nolan and Ben - evolve with the town’s interest in the sport to become part of the Live Oak High School team. We also hear moving stories of their fellow senior school players Kenyen Castro and Tanner Holeman. True tales of familial trouble and bereavement surface followed by the therapeutic influence of the Acorns team and the community at large.
Shedding more light on the player’s predicaments come from their parents who also briefly explain the benefits of Lacrosse to their children’s lives. However, Coach Herr’s motivational words, before and during games, sometimes go into over-drive. This is except when he points to the school’s girls’ lacrosse team to emphasise an important lesson. Also, Herr’s mantra of “heads high, no dipped chins” emerges as a refreshing perspective on dealing with lost games. Meanwhile, we also get to know how well Herr marshals his resources, like when he finds suitable roles for the sluggish runner Kyle Carmichael and the aggressive dodger Lucas Richey. Plus, the film covers the pertinent aspect of senior players passing on their skills and advice to their sophomore team-mates.
The Mighty Oaks writer-director Brendan Harty occasionally uses articulate voice-over to narrate the on-going games. This is evident in the quotable quote, “(the opponent team) has kicked the beehive and the Acorns have come out buzzing!” Meanwhile, senior player Ryan Forbis has his moment of glory when he explains what a team game actually means. The film’s cinematography usually boasts of a professional quality, though at times it’s a tad hard to follow the movement of the ball. Also, some bytes, especially by the players’ parents seem a bit abrupt and we don’t get to know them as well as we should. However, the film’s overarching theme of never losing heart even in the face of heart-break makes the Might Oaks what they are - giving them the resolve to stand tall… just as Oaks do.
