They can run, they can pass, they can shoot and they can score, but this weekend, the lacrosse players from Paul VI High School in Fairfax worked together to prove they can do something much harder — move an 80-ton cargo plane. Players from the team, along with friends and family members, spent Saturday competing in the 17th annual Plane Pull at the Dulles Day Festival at Dulles International Airport in Chantilly.

The students formed a team of 25 and competed in a tug-of-war style battle against the plane. The goal was to see how quickly they could move the plane 12 feet. For the lacrosse players, it took 10.543 seconds.

“It looked really easy and then it became hard,” said freshman Will Shourds, after the pull. “It was a lot of work, but it was fun.”

According to Casey Hopkins, father of freshman team member Coleman Hopkins, the event was planned to go along with Paul VI’s various community service efforts.

“It’s part of the PVI commitment to be a part of the community and contribute to various causes,” he said.

The students, who raised money with the help of their families and neighbors, raised $2,990 for the Special Olympics athletes. Out of more than 60 teams, the Paul VI lacrosse players came in fourth place for the amount of money raised.

“It was short, but really fun,” said freshman Will Bragi after the players took their turn pulling. “It was for a good cause and a good way to get service hours.”

Coach Vic Goeller said he wanted the team to participate in the plane pull as a way to keep them involved in the community.

“Especially at a private school, the community is really small and it’s important for them to see the community is bigger than their friends and family,” he said. “I wanted to give them a sense of being a part of something bigger than what is around them every day.”

This is not the first time the lacrosse team has worked to help the Special Olympics. The team raised money for last year’s plane pull, before the event was cancelled due to bad weather. Later in the year, the team volunteered at a Special Olympics swim meet.

This year, Goeller opened up the program to incoming freshman interested in playing on the lacrosse team. He hopes working with the Special Olympics will expose the students to a different point of view on athletics.

“As athletes, I think it’s important for them to see the Special Olympics kids and how much thrill and excitement they get out of competing,” he said. “For them, it’s not about winning, it’s about competing.”