The Premier Lacrosse League is coming to Baltimore this weekend, and for midfielders Jared Bernhardt and Adam Poitras, it’s a chance to return to the state where they starred in college.
The four-game weekend slate from June 21-22 will be played at Johns Hopkins’ Homewood Field, where Bernhardt and Poitras faced the Blue Jays as part of rival teams. Bernhardt’s Denver Outlaws will face the Utah Archers on June 22. Poitras’ Maryland Whipsnakes will face the Boston Cannons on June 21 and Carolina Chaos on June 22.
Bernhardt appreciates the opportunity to play at such a storied venue.
“It’s one of the historic places in college lacrosse. Being able to play there [during] my college career with our rivalry, it’s been awesome to be able to go back and forth with those guys and just be back in the state of Maryland,” Bernhardt said on Glenn Clark Radio June 18. “With the best fans in the country, it’s definitely going to be exciting to be back and see that support.”
Bernhardt recently made a return to the lacrosse field after a stint in the NFL. The former Maryland star earned the 2021 Tewaaraton Award as the nation’s best men’s college lacrosse player and tallied a program-record 290 points and 202 goals during his five-year career.
Bernhardt transferred to Ferris State in 2021 to play football and led the team to a Division II national championship as the starting quarterback. The Atlanta Falcons signed the 6-foot-1, 189-pounder as an undrafted free-agent wide receiver in 2022. Bernhardt played in two-regular season games that year but retired from football in 2023.
Bernhardt, 27, signed with the Outlaws in June, four years removed from his playing days at Maryland. He notched his first professional goal on June 14 against the Philadelphia Waterdogs but it has still been adjustment after spending such a long time away from playing the sport.
“I think [I’m] definitely rusty not playing for four years. … You can do all the workouts and things, conditioning, there’s nothing like getting back out there and actually playing the game,” Bernhardt said. “It’s been awesome to be back.”
Poitras, a fourth-round pick in the 2024 PLL Draft out of Loyola by the Whipsnakes, also has experience playing at Homewood Field against Hopkins.
“It’s a bit interesting playing at home at Homewood, a place you really disliked in college, but we really all appreciate the Baltimore fans,” Poitras said on GCR June 19. “Baltimore is a hotbed for lacrosse and they get loud and appreciate the league and the sport, which is awesome. So I’m sure this year it’ll be even more fun to come back and be kind of cemented as a home team at Homewood.”
The 23-year-old midfielder was unsure whether he would even make the Whipsnakes roster at first, but Poitras made the most of the opportunity. He served as a key contributor to a Whipsnakes squad that made a run to the 2024 PLL championship game.
Poitras scored 41 goals and notched 15 assists in 15 games as a graduate student at Loyola in 2024. In seven games as a PLL rookie, he posted 10 goals and 3 assists.
“I just felt fortunate and grateful to have coach [Jim] Stagnitta call me and give me a chance, and it was kind of playing with house money at that point going to training camp, not really knowing what to expect,” Poitras said. “But I guess it all worked out from there.”
For more from Bernhardt, listen to the full interview here:
For more from Poitras, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credits: Courtesy of the Premier Lacrosse League