On Friday night, the boys’ lacrosse team defeated the Stevenson Pirates in the first round of the playoffs by a score of 12-6. The Bears are the only public school in the CCS Open Division and are now onto the second round.
Stevenson got off to a red-hot start, as they took a 2-0 lead after only five minutes of the first quarter. M-A got on the board with 2:40 left in the quarter when senior Mikey Sanford snuck one in the bottom corner from close range. Senior Peter Koren struck right after Sanford to tie the game at two as the quarter wound down. Finally, junior Colin Kryger ripped an incredible shot with his left hand into the top left corner of the goal from a near-impossible angle to give M-A a 3-2 lead.
Colin Kryger said, “Going down by two early was not easy, but we have been in that situation before and we just stuck with each other and took it one goal at a time.”
The second quarter got off to a slow start for both teams, but the Pirates tied the game at three with a goal six minutes in. The tie lasted less than a minute though, as senior Calvin Annison restored the Bears’ lead off an amazing assist from freshman Ford Long. Right after Annison’s goal, Sanford added his second goal of the night with just 40 seconds left in the half, establishing a 5-3 lead for M-A.
The M-A offense continued its potency in the third quarter with Koren tacking on a second goal of his own. However, once again the Pirates refused to shy away, and an impressive streak of passes in rapid succession led to an open goal for them to bring the score back to 6-4.
Senior Jack Kryger got in on the goal-scoring action in a crucial moment, as he roped in a shot from distance, and was quickly followed by Koren’s third goal of the night. Colin Kryger scored the ninth goal for the Bears with mere seconds left on the clock, and M-A led 9-4 as the third quarter came to a close.
Stevenson tried to mount a comeback early in the fourth quarter with a quick goal, but the Bears were determined to slam the door on the Pirates. Goals from Koren and senior Ben Timm were the final nail in the coffin for Stevenson, and the final buzzer sounded with M-A winning 12-6.
After the game, Sanford said, “We went out there knowing it was going to be a battle, but our hard work paid off and we were able to get the win in the end.”
The Bears now face the Sacred Heart Prep Gators, one of the premier teams in California, in the second round of playoffs. The game will be played this Wednesday at 5:30 pm.
Junior and star face-off guy Eric Torre stated, “We just have to come out with energy and do what we have been doing this whole season: beat up on schools that underestimate us. I think we have a real shot if we stick to our identity.”
