Soren Dixon and Jack Nelson, two remarkable young men whose love for lacrosse and strong leadership on and off the field, will continue to inspire and support rising student-athletes in the Bay Area. Approaching the one year anniversary of their tragic passing, Oakland Lacrosse Club is honored to announce the creation of the Purple One Scholarship in their memory.
Sharing Their Love of Lacrosse
Soren and Jack were standout four-year varsity players at Piedmont High School, helping lead their team to league titles in 2021, 2022, and 2023. In their senior season, they advanced to the 2023 Division 2 NCS Final as the No. 3 seed, falling just short in double overtime to top-seeded Tamalpais. According to teammate Noah Lindenbaum, Soren and Jack raised the bar for the Piedmont Lacrosse Program:
“In our years as upperclassmen, what had once seemed a dominant sport at Piedmont was beginning to lose steam. Fewer people seemed interested in lacrosse, and enrollment on the team reached a low. Soren and Jack weren’t satisfied with that. They raised the standard of play by emphasizing teamwork and dedication. Doing so turned what seemed to be a small team with dwindling numbers into a powerhouse in our division, worthy of winning a championship.”
Off the field, their leadership and generosity shone even brighter. Both volunteered as youth coaches, mentoring younger players and sharing their passion for the game. Their athleticism and spirit extended far beyond lacrosse.
Jack had a lifelong passion for sports and was a member of multiple travel lacrosse and soccer teams. At Piedmont High, he was a rare three-sport varsity athlete—football, soccer, and lacrosse—where his strength, speed, and leadership made him a force of nature. As captain of the varsity lacrosse team, he played virtually every minute of every game, leading Piedmont to multiple championships and ultimately earning the title of Piedmont High School Athlete of the Year.
Soren was a match for Jack’s spirit and athleticism, also playing three varsity sports and leaving a lasting impact on the team. A fierce competitor and dedicated teammate, Soren started all four years on the varsity lacrosse team and was selected captain his junior and senior seasons. His teammates were drawn to his energy, passion, and unwavering commitment, qualities that made him a leader both on the field and among his inseparable crew of friends.
Jack and Soren left a deep imprint on everyone who knew them, from teammates to coaches to the broader Bay Area lacrosse community. Friend and teammate Nate Carter Fredericks shared:
“Jack and Soren are two of the most positive and driven people I’ve ever played with. They always brought light and laughter to every situation, even when things were tough. Their energy and determination were contagious. You could feel it in every huddle and play.”
In memory of Jack and Soren, friends and family have gifted over $130,000 to Oakland Lacrosse Club. These contributions will carry forward the values these young men exemplified—teamwork, perseverance, and joy in the game—through the Purple One Scholarship and the Helmets Rising Initiative, our new endeavor to expand boys high school lacrosse in Oakland Unified School District.
Purple One Scholarship
Jack and Soren’s bond was rooted in their shared love of sports and the joy they found in playing together. The name of the scholarship, “Purple One,” comes from a play the Piedmont team ran, one that always ended with Soren passing to Jack for the goal. Even when opposing teams had seen it before and tried to stop it, it still worked. The play captured everything about their friendship and teamwork: trust, connection, and the pure joy of competing side by side. Teammate Henry Brayer believes that the Purple One scholarship “an amazing way to honor their legacy while encouraging others to adopt the qualities that made Soren and Jack such amazing teammates and people.”
Launching Spring 2026, this annual scholarship will award two $2,500 scholarships to graduating senior boys’ players from Oakland Lacrosse Club. The scholarship will support the educational pursuits of club participants as they continue their academic journeys.
The Purple One Scholarship celebrates the qualities that defined Jack and Soren on and off the field—qualities Brayer, a teammate for eight years through youth and high school lacrosse, will always appreciate: “Jack was a fearless leader that prioritized the well being of his teammates. Soren was a very selfless player. He chased assists rather than goals and was the first guy to praise his teammates.” Each year, two graduating senior boys from Oakland Lacrosse Club will be selected who embody the same spirit that made Jack and Soren such beloved teammates.
These Oakland players will be recognized for their leadership, the quiet kind that lifts others up and strengthens the whole team. The selection committee will be looking for student-athletes who have heart and hustle, the ones who show up to every practice ready to work hard and inspire those around them. Moreover, recipients will be chosen not for their statistics or records, but for how they show up for their team, school, and community.
Like Soren and Jack, awardees will be great teammates, the kind who earn respect not through words, but through actions, effort, and unwavering positivity. And they’ll be enthusiastic ambassadors of the game, sharing their love of lacrosse with others and helping to grow access and opportunity for the next generation.
Through Purple One, Jack and Soren’s legacy lives on in every player who leads with compassion, plays with joy, and builds community through the game they loved.
The scholarship recipients will be chosen by a panel that includes members of Soren’s and Jack’s families, Piedmont teammates Nate Fredericks, Henry Brayer, and Noah Lindenbaum, and a representative from Oakland Lacrosse. Recipients will be recognized at the Oakland Athletic League (OAL) Championships, celebrating their achievements both on and off the field.
Teammate Noah Lindenbaum sees the scholarships as a passing of the torch, an inheritance of a legacy of excellence, from Soren and Jack:
“For lacrosse, this means playing hard, practicing harder, emphasizing teamwork, and being grateful for every second they’re on the field. Off the field, this means emphasizing academic achievement, serving as a role model for your peers, and living a life that fulfills your passion. Soren and Jack were irreplaceable, and I know they’d be beyond honored to be a part of the Purple One scholarship.”
Helmets Rising Initiative
Through the Helmets Rising Initiative, Oakland Lacrosse is growing from two boys high school programs with twenty players to six schools and 150 players. Jack and Soren’s joy for the game was infectious and they believed deeply in the power of team sports to bring people together. Supporting Oakland Lacrosse in their honor helps open that same world of opportunity to young players who might never otherwise get the chance to pick up a stick.
This initiative aims to establish and expand boys’ lacrosse programming at six Oakland high schools by Spring 2029. Inspired by the teamwork, leadership, and inclusivity Jack and Soren embodied, this initiative ensures that cost and access are never barriers to play.
Through Helmets Rising, Oakland Lacrosse expands holistic programing, combining free access to lacrosse with leadership development, mentoring, college counseling, and a curriculum to strengthen mental health and wellness. By removing financial barriers and providing consistent guidance on and off the field, the program helps young men from Oakland build confidence, resilience, and leadership skills.
Each participant gains access to a caring community of teammates, coaches, mentors, and a powerful network of resources that includes job and networking opportunities, college counseling, and mental wellness resources. We aim to create a safe, structured environment for personal growth. Together, with your support, we can continue what Jack and Soren started, sharing the game they loved and expanding its reach to the next generation of players who will learn, lead, and play with the same heart.
Thank you, Jack and Soren
Soren and Jack remind us why sports matter. “They gave everything they had for the good of the team, always putting others before themselves. I’ll always remember how much heart they
played with and how deeply they cared about the people around them” Fredericks shared. Beyond wins and losses, athletics teach resilience, teamwork, and community building. Lacrosse creates supportive places where young people learn to lead, lift one another up, and find purpose and community.
Oakland Lacrosse is proud to carry forward our shared belief that every young person deserves the chance to play, to thrive, and to belong. Their light, enthusiasm, and passion for the game will forever inspire us to play, teach, and give back—just as they did. The Purple One Scholarship and the Helmets Rising Initiative ensure that Jack and Soren’s love for lacrosse continues to open doors for future generations. To learn more about Oakland Lacrosse Club, visit our website at oaklandlacrosseclub.org.