TAMPA, Fla. — A Florida high school lacrosse team got a surprise this week during a practice session when an alligator decided to stroll across the field.
The Ravens of Tampa’s Alonso High School, ranked 13th in Florida’s first Class 2A poll of the season, kept a respectful distance as the alligator swaggered across the grassy field, WFLA-TV reported.
The team uploaded a video to its Instagram and Twitter accounts, with Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” providing an appropriate musical background.
The alligator reportedly walked 200 yards across the practice area toward the game field and then sauntered beneath the stadium bleachers, WFLA reported. The reptile then found a gap in the field’s fence and then left the field, according to the television station.
“First a fish falls from the sky, now a gator comes to visit,” the team wrote on social media. “Looks like it’s time for a new team award!”
It’s not the first time an alligator has disrupted an Alonso practice session. In April 2021, a gator walked across the field when the school’s track team was practicing, WTSP-TV reported.
“Absent from photo are the Raven athletes whose track speed was never better,” the team tweeted at the time, according to the television station.
The surprise guest did not rattle this year’s lacrosse team. The Ravens improved to 4-1 with a 16-5 victory against the Sickles High School Gryphons on Saturday, according to MaxPreps.
