Submitted by Langley Lacrosse:
June 6, 2012: The Langley Saxons powered their way to a fourth consecutive VHSL State Final in boys lacrosse with a robust 11-5 win over the E. C. Glass Hilltoppers on Wednesday night at Westfield High School. The Chantilly Chargers (18-3) earlier in the evening had punched their ticket to the season finale on Saturday in a 12-10 defeat of the Northwest Region #1 Seed Battlefield Bobcats (19-2) in the other state semifinal at Westfield. The Langley-Chantilly matchup this weekend is the third time in four years the two teams will compete for the Commonwealth’s boys lacrosse title. The defending-champion Saxons (22-2) have claimed the state crown for the past three seasons.
The Lynchburg-based Hilltoppers (17-4) came into the semifinal contest hoping to build on their most recent accomplishment of being the first Southwest Virginia boys lacrosse team to advance beyond the quarterfinal stage of the competition. Last Saturday’s decisive, 12-1 home victory over the Northwest Region #2 Seed North Stafford Wolverines (12-8), on top of a credible, 6-5 defeat of the Northern Region W. T. Woodson Cavaliers (13-4) at Lynchburg College in April, offered some reason to believe that the “SOVA” brand of lacrosse just might travel well even into the heart of Northern Virginia. The return to game action for previously-injured senior strike partners Robbie Bryant (30 goals scored this season prior to Wednesday) and Louis Burton (35 goals) could only help the cause of the AA Region West/Central champions going up against Head Coach Earl Brewer’s State and Northern Region titleholders. Langley on this day, however, would prove far too formidable an obstacle for the E. C. Glass troops.
What appeared to be shaping up to be a defensive-minded, low-scoring affair — the game remained scoreless for more than eight minutes from the opening whistle with only few sniffs of goal at either end – turned over as the Saxons erupted for four quick goals by the close of the opening period. The Hilltoppers would finally reply with a pair of goals to keep their deficit to a tolerable three with the scoreboard showing a 5-2 Langley advantage at the end of the first half. Recovery for Glass was not in the script, though. A second-half run of five Saxon goals took matters beyond the reach of Head Coach Eddie Ranuska’s Hilltoppers, with the last three of the five piled in within little more than a minute at the start of the final period to settle matters well before the final horn.
Langley senior Spencer Gorham grabbed the face-off win at the start of the fourth quarter – the middie led the center-spot re-start battle with the Saxons taking 13 of 18 face-offs decisions – and with possession senior attackman Mike Adams soon slung in low past Glass goalie Brian Davies for the 8-2 Langley lead. About 70 seconds later junior Luke Salzer, the scorer of the game-opener late in the first period, distributed the ball to sophomore J. T. Meyer, who then set up junior Andrew Gentry for the finish that snuck in past Davies on the bounce. Gorham prevailed in the ensuing face-off, and the middie needed just four seconds of game time to fire in his one goal of the game past the Hilltopper keeper for the unassisted score and a commanding 10-2 margin for Langley.
Senior Sean Ahearn, who delivered four goals on the night for the Saxons, would add the eleventh for Langley, but not before Glass struck back for a pair just past the five-minute mark of the last period. Senior Sam Craighill collected his second of the night, the Hilltopper middie sneaking his shot into goal past senior Andrew Spivey for the unassisted score, followed shortly by junior middie Hunt McCarthy rocketing in a left-hand shot from 15 yards, with senior Matt Riordan earning the assist on the goal.
The two goals for Glass came much against the run of play as the Saxons were the stingier in defense and busier on offense in the late stages. Senior longpole Nick Rifken worked a vital turnover in defense that Langley teammate Brad Dotson, a junior, cleared smartly from the defensive zone. The subsequent transition led to attempts by junior middies Brian Ochoa and Jack Reilly, but those sailed over or wide of Davies’ cage, and an apparent goal scored by senior Slater Howell off a fine pass from Rifken was whistled out due to a time-out request from the Langley sideline just as middie was starting his delivery. Howell then saw his next bid carom well away from danger to the Glass defense corps as the ball clanked off a Hilltopper helmet and back to the midfield line.
Salzer had his shot from just outside the crease saved well by Davies, but Ahearn had more success about a minute later converting the set-up pass from senior attack linemate Josh Sibio during a transition into attack putting the Saxons up by 11-4. Glass pressed the play in the other direction with Burton forcing a nice save from Spivey, but the Langley keeper was unable to stop Bryant from snapping in just as the final horn signaled conclusion of the contest and the Hilltoppers outstanding 2012 campaign.
A balanced opening of hostilities showed promise early on for the Glass squad as tight defending kept the scoreboard quiet and the Saxon artillery from launching. Hilltopper senior Connor Marks had to be quick early in the opening quarter when Adams managed to slip by him and move toward Davies’ goal for the close-in chance but the defender deployed a vital stick-check to dislodge the ball from the attacker’s stickhead. Glass senior middie Jim Moore collected the groundball and passed along to Marks for the confident clear. Spivey was looking for a clear of his own at the other end moments later but Burton popped up for the interception at midfield to foil a possible Langley counterattack. The Saxons enjoyed sustained possession in offense midway through period only to have junior defender Austin McCory gobble up a loose ball for the timely turnover and clear from the Hilltopper defensive area.
But in what seemed like a blink of the eye the Langley strike-force would assert itself for the breakthrough late in the opening period. Salzer reversed his direction to lose his mark and drill in from the left side at ten yards to spark a four-goal outburst. Ahearn followed soon with a close-in shot that whistled barely wide, but came back again when Salzer zipped in a pass from the outside that gave the Saxon attacker the space to snap in past the Glass goalie for the second goal. Ahearn was then the provider of the cross-crease assist pass that gave Sibio the edge against Davies for the 3-0 Langley lead with a minute remaining in the period. Meyer lashed high into the net with less than six seconds showing on the game clock for the quarter, the attacking middie gladly accepting the pass from Adams working the space behind the cage.
The Hilltoppers pressed their play in attack when play resumed in the second quarter but would have to work hard for any good looks at Spivey’s goal. One Glass offensive foray ended abruptly when junior defender Robbie Byrne intercepted a crossing pass and turned the action in the other direction. Moore managed to get off shots but the first sailed over the net and the second was triggered too close into the crease area and drew an encroachment call from the officials. Junior Dan Kosowski then saw his crease-side effort denied by Spivey with the point-blank stop. Riordan took his turn firing at the Saxon cage with Spivey saving the initial attempt. The attacker came back only a half-minute later to deposit past the keeper to get the Hilltoppers on the scoreboard. Ahearn cancelled that out very quickly with an unassisted strike less than a minute later for the 5-1 lead.
McCarthy and Riordan each volleyed in toward Spivey, who was busiest during the second stanza getting credit for six saves out of his 12 in all for the game. Senior Hunter Bentz did not want to leave Davies without work to do, and the Glass junior was equal to the challenge on his net unleashed by the Langley middie. Davies was then very alert to the threat from Adams late in the first half, the attacker looking to submarine his shot attempt low through the mix of players only to see the keeper make the sure stop, one of his six for the game.
Craighill dodged his way through the Saxon defenses to flick in past Spivey from five yards out to get the score to 5-2 with less than 17 seconds remaining in the first half. Moore then came back at Spivey with a tricky bounce shot that the Langley goalie managed to deflect upwards, then retrieve for possession with Bryant lurking near the crease ready to pounce on any loose ball.
The Hilltoppers came out of the second-half face-off with possession and purpose showing intentions of erasing the three-goal deficit, but the early effort foundered. Saxon senior Clay Rivers had the shooting chance at the other end but the middie’s effort sliced wide of Davies net, followed by Ahearn volleying over the cage. Glass then mounted another sustained attack but sophomore middie Hunter Yates grabbed possession behind Spivey’s goal and made the vigorous clearing run to end the Hilltopper threat.
That transition led to Gentry going at the Glass keeper but the middie had his scoring bid clang off the goal pipe. Langley retained possession, and moments later Ahearn re-directed Meyer’s crossing pass in past Davies for a hat-trick goal and a 6-2 edge for the Saxons. Bentz added his one goal of the game less than a minute later on an angled shot, snapped in high to low for the unassisted score.
Ahearn and Adams continued to pepper shots at goal but these sailed over or wide. Davies then came up with the interception of a set-up pass intended for Ahearn, but struggled to get a clean clearance while under riding pressure from the attacker. Glass defenders senior Joe Vincent and junior Holmes Laughon came to the rescue with a sequence of sure passing to move the action away from their defensive territory.
A man-up situation for the Hilltoppers late in the third period offered a hint of hope for the team on the wrong side of the 7-2 scoreline. The Langley man-down team had other ideas, though, as Byrne, Dotson, Rifken, senior middie Max Mullen and junior defender Ty Kovacs stifled the best efforts of the Glass attacking corps, which set the stage for the Saxon offensive barrage to start the final period of play.
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