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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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June 2, 2012: A squadron of Saxons — ten players in all — got name and number in the scoring ledger on Saturday in a comfortable 18-5 win at Langley over the AA Region #2 Seed Dominion Titans (13-8) in a quarterfinal engagement of the VHSL State Playoffs in boys lacrosse.  The three-time state titleholders advance to the semi-final stage of the competition where they will face the West/Central Section E. C. Glass Hilltoppers of Lynchburg, 12-1 winners at home over the Northwest Region #2 Seed North Stafford Wolverines, also on Saturday.  The clash between Langley (20-2) and E. C. Glass (17-3) is slated for Wednesday at Westfield High School following the other state tournament semi-final between the Chantilly Chargers (17-3) and Battlefield Bobcats (19-1).        

The Saxons found their winning stride from the start on Saturday, grabbing the game’s first goal less than two minutes from the opening whistle and crafting a convincing 5-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.  The visitors were looking up at a ten-goal deficit with a 12-2 scoreline showing at halftime, and would not get any closer to their opponent for the remainder of the game as they saw a running clock in motion three times during the second half, for the first time just past the middle of the third period.              

The Saxon senior attack force of Josh Sibio, Sean Ahearn and Mike Adams delivered four, three and two goals, respectively.   Sophomore attacker Billy Orme also provided a pair, to go with seven goals from the middie position – two from junior Jack Reilly and single strikes from seniors Hunter Bentz and Clay Rivers, from juniors Andrew Gentry and Luke Salzer, and from sophomore Justin Briggs.  Titan junior Cody Farmer collected four goals while Brett Bushman, also a junior, added one goal late in the game to top off his impressive season production of 58 total goals scored this year for the Sterling-based, Dulles District Dominion.      

Senior Andrew Spivey guarded the Langley net for most of the game and was credited with nine saves before senior Mike Melendez came on as late-game replacement and made one save.  Sophomore Christian Renick turned away a total of six scoring attempts by the Saxons.

Sibio sparked the scoring with the early game-opener, snapping in from just outside the crease off a quick pass from behind the cage by Ahearn, who furnished four assists in the game.   The Titans carved out some good looks early on — these after junior longpole defender Robert Morsch stick-checked Ahearn for the defensive strip of possession and executed the clear — but shots from Bushman, senior middies Robert Wright and Eric Carlson, and sophomore middie Jack Flynn either veered just wide of net or were stopped by Spivey.   Rivers then doubled the lead for Langley just past the midway point of the opening period, leaping to deposit past Renick after venturing through the Dominion opposition.  This was followed quickly by a Gentry strike off a set-up pass from Salzer, and then Sibio’s second of the game, which had the Saxons never really needing to look over their shoulders for the remainder of the contest.

It was not all one-way traffic through the rest of the first quarter, though, as junior Brandon Jakab mounted a counterattack late in the period with the athletic move at the midfield line to secure the quick outlet pass from junior defender Trevor Royce.    The Titan middie maneuvered in to lay off to Farmer for the scoring chance but the attacker’s effort sailed just wide of the target.   The Saxons came back at Renick’s goal with less than a minute remaining in the opening round, with Sibio making the marauding move through the Dominion defenses but the attacker lost his footing, and the ball, just as he set for the shot.  Ahearn was quickest to recover possession near the goal crease, finishing the play by scooping in for the goal and the 5-0 Langley lead to close out the first period.

Farmer got the breakthrough for the Titans early in the second quarter when he fired past Spivey after dodging free to launch the 15-yard bounce shot.  Senior defender Derek Bullock then claimed possession out of the ensuing face-off and managed to set Bushman well for the promising shot but Spivey steered the bid from danger where Saxon junior defender Brad Dotson won possession with alert back-up on the shot attempt.   Bushman created another good chance for his side right after the re-start behind the goal when he separated the ball from Spivey, although the resulting attempt at the unguarded Saxon net was squandered when the Dominion attackman’s chip shot curled harmlessly over the cage.

Bentz then drilled in from eight yards to set in motion a six-goal run that doubled the Langley scoring advantage in a span of five minutes.  Dotson got off the precision pass from distance for Ahearn to turn in from the goal doorstep just after sophomore Hunter Yates was busy in the Saxon defensive zone thwarting Titan advances and instigating the Dotson-led transition into attack.  Reilly collected the first of his two for the game less than a minute later, wheeling around Renick’s cage to fire in low from just outside the goal crease for the unassisted strike.  Consecutive man-advantage goals from Salzer and Ahearn, then a flick-in score at close range by Orme at the end of an arrow pass through the mix of players from Sibio, gave Langley the commanding 11-1 margin less than two minutes before halftime.

Adams would add to the Dominion deficit punching in his two for the afternoon – one each side of the intermission – but not before Farmer found the back of the net converting on an assisting pass from Wright.  The Titan middie retrieved the ball after it had rolled between the legs of a Saxon and seemingly away from threat to Spivey’s goal, then turned the action promptly back toward the net for his teammate to deposit the second of his four for the game.  Bushman managed to get off a hopeful, short-range attempt late in the first half but Langley defender Chandler Suk, who adeptly limited the chances for the prolific Dominion sharpshooter throughout the game, provided just enough intervention to coax the effort wide of net.  Dotson then earned his second assist of the game, the longpole defender supplying the sure pass for Adams to register his first goal of the game very late in the second period.

Adams’ second of the game came early in the second half after a prolonged, pass-rich possession for the Saxons culminated in Ahearn providing the assist on the near-crease finish.  Sibio and Farmer each added a pair of goals to complete their respective quartets for the day, with an unassisted score from the Langley attacker just past the half-way point of the third period giving his side the 12-goal margin and the running clock for the first time in the game.  Farmer replied twice in succession from close range, with assists credited to Bushman and Wright, which put a hold on the running clock for the time being.  Sibio then came back at Renick after receiving a long pass from the lively Yates on the fast break, with intention of setting up Adams for the score, but the assist attempt was deflected to the side of the cage where the Sibio re-loaded and snapped in past the Titan goalie for his fourth of the game.

Reilly turned in a pass from Ahearn to trigger the running clock again with the score 16-4 just past the middle of the final quarter.  Bushman finally slipped one by Spivey for his lone goal of the game very soon after the face-off to halt the running clock.  Dominion then was awarded a 60-second man advantage due to a Saxon slashing infraction, but it was Langley getting the score in shorthanded fashion to re-start the running clock.  The move came out of a play sequence starting with a Spivey block of a shot attempt that caromed to Suk, who found Dotson for the clear and transition into attack.  The defender passed on to senior Slater Howell already on his way across midfield.  The Saxon middie then picked out senior Joey Trippi, with the attacker providing the assisting pass on Orme’s second of the game. 

Another Trippi pass with less than three minutes until the final horn set up Briggs nicely to close out the scoring with a five-yard bounce-shot.  Melendez, who had replaced Spivey in goal for Langley, did well making the fine save of a point-blank shot attempt to add punctuation for the Saxons’ husky triumph at the start of the 2012 state play-off campaign.                   

Game Note: The win for Langley is its tenth consecutive victory in state play-off contests going back to 2009 when it qualified for the first time in boys lacrosse.

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May 25, 2012: Chantilly Charger resilience with a spirited comeback effort fell just short in the end leaving the host Langley Saxons to claim a second Northern Region title in boys lacrosse with the 8-6 triumph in the tournament final on Friday.   The Saxons looked to have matters well in hand late in the third period, having forged a convincing  7-2 lead on home soil in no small way due to a defensive posture for the evening that had conceded very little to the Chantilly offense.  

But the Chargers stormed back to reduce the deficit to one goal with almost five minutes remaining in regulation time to jangle nerves along the Langley sideline and among home supporters in the South-side grandstand.  Saxon junior Luke Salzer provided the timely relief, however, the lively middie firing in wrap-around fashion past Chantilly goalie Patrick Meehan just past the 2:58 mark of the final period to restore the two-goal lead that held to the final horn.

Both teams had already qualified for the VHSL state play-offs by virtue of their semi-final away wins the previous evening – Langley defeating the Oakton Cougars 18-12 and the Chargers slipping past the W. T. Woodson Cavaliers 7-6 in overtime.  The win on Friday in the Region Final gives Head Coach Earl Brewer’s Saxons (19-2) the first-seed position from the Northern Region in the state competition, and with that a quarterfinal home game on Saturday, June 2.  Langley’s opponent in that game will be the loser of the AA Northern Region final this Tuesday that features the Dominion Titans (13-6) hosting the Woodgrove Wolverines (14-5).   As Northern Region second seed, Chantilly Head Coach Kevin Broderick will take his squad (16-3) for the road trip on June 2 to face the winner of the Titan-Wolverine clash.       

The scoring ledger showed balance at two apiece midway through the second quarter when the Liberty District champions started to impose some authority on the contest, generating a five-goal run that carried over to the second half of play.  Two goals from senior attackman Sean Ahearn, with assists from Salzer on the first and senior Josh Sibio on the second, were followed by an unassisted strike from Sibio to give the home side the 5-2 advantage at halftime.   The latter goal came out of an interception of a Charger pass by Saxon goalie Andre Spivey during a man-up situation for Chantilly, which ignited the fast-break counter leading to the attacker’s short-handed goal at the other end.   

The Saxons grabbed another two early in the second half but not before Sibio hit the pipe and senior middie Clay Rivers, then attacker Mike Adams, each got off attempts that had flags flying for defensive fouls by the Chargers.  It was during the attack for the second man-up situation that Langley sophomore J. T. Meyer dispatched past Meehan  for the 6-2 lead, off of an assisting pass from Ahearn working behind the cage.  Adams then pounced less than a minute later to make it 7-2, the senior taking the set-up pass from Rivers and using a feint move with head-dodge at the crease before flicking in past the goalie for the score.

Meehan soon after had more success with the stop on Salzer’s promising shot, followed by a fine point-blank save by the sophomore netminder to deny Adams getting a second goal for the night.  Chantilly then was awarded a man advantage for a holding call on the Saxons, and began to apply more consistent pressure on Langley defenses, although senior longpoleman Nick Rifken made the vital intercept of the incoming pass to thwart the attack on Spivey’s goal.

That intervention gave the Saxons only a temporary reprieve, however, as the visitors mounted further assault resulting in senior Luke Bowers punching in late in the third quarter the second of his two goals for the night.  Senior Dan DeCenzo was alert to block a Langley clearing pass, recover the groundball and furnish the assisting pass for his attacking line-mate to convert past Spivey.  Senior Cole Fitzgerald kept the Saxon netminder busy, getting off shots as time was winding down in the period, but the Chantilly middie’s efforts went wide or were saved by the senior goalie.

Rivers triggered the first shot in the final period but that clanked off of the goal pipe and away from danger to the Chargers, who then renewed their operations in front of the Saxon goal in search of scoring chances.  A man-up situation for Chantilly yielded a couple more shots from Fitzgerald – the first going wide and the other saved by Spivey – and ended with junior defender Brad Dotson deploying a stick-check to steal possession from the Chargers.

DeCenzo snapped in for Chantilly’s fourth goal after the attacker saw Spivey turn away his initial shot moments earlier. 

Adams had thoughts of getting a second goal when he collected the loose ball at the other end in front of Meehan’s cage but his reaction shot sailed well over the net, followed by a second chance off of a set-up pass from the outside but the result for Adams was the same.  Ahearn, Salzer, and Adams again, tested Meehan but none of the shots got through.  The Chargers brought the action to the other end and put Spivey to work in front of net, as well had defender Langley defender Chandler Suk in the way of a wicked shot on goal from distance.  The senior showed some discomfort from the blast but promptly headed back into the fray to defend.  

Junior middie Conrad Unterkofler then got Saxon supporters shifting nervously in their seats when he fought through the Langley defenses for the bounce-shot goal that brought the Chargers to within two goals with a 7-5 score-line.  Senior Nico Alcalde added to the home-side unease 17 seconds later when the Chantilly middie bolted in toward Spivey to deliver the unassisted score that brought the Chargers to within a goal of tying the game.  But Salzer settled matters at just past the three-minute mark of regulation time to assure his Saxons a path to victory and its second Northern Region title.

In addition to Ahearn’s pair and single goals from Adams, Meyer, Salzer and Sibio, Langley got first-period strikes from senior middie Hunter Bentz and sophomore attacker Billy Orme.   Senior attacker Stephen Klein claimed the game-opening goal for Chantilly, to go with Bowers’ two for the game and the solo shots from Alcalde, DeCenzo and Unterkofler during the late-game fightback.

Meehan was credited with six saves while Spivey kept out a dozen scoring attempts on goal.   Langley senior Spencer Gorham prevailed on 11 of the 18 face-offs during the contest.                     

Game Note: Reliable video evidence has now identified the perpetrator of major midfield pilferage at approximately the eight-minute mark of the final period of the Thursday contest at Oakton.  The suspect was observed wearing a Saxon lacrosse jersey and chasing down a Cougar entering the Langley defensive zone with apparent intent to inflict goal-scoring harm on the visiting Saxons.  Enhanced imaging techniques now clearly show the number 19 on the suspect’s game shirt, and reveal the intense hustling, adept stick-check and timely take-away that promptly turned action into the other direction, to the great delight of the Langley throng on the field, along the sideline and in the grandstand. A former Saxon-in-Chief would surely have appreciated the move as the appropriate response to the call of duty for a Northern Region semi-final.

Team Notes: Speaking of that Chief, former Langley middie Alex Devlin (Class of 2009), now at Colorado State, helped his Rams hoist the MCLA (Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association) national title hardware this past May 19 with a 7-5 finals win over the Cal Poly Mustangs, in Greenville, South Carolina.   Devlin, who finished the MCLA season with 18 Goals and 12 Assists, scored the game-opening and eventual game-winning (CSU’s sixth) goal against the Mustangs, and this season has earned MCLA “All Tournament” Midfield, MCLA Second Team All-America Midfield, and RMLC (Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference) Second Team “All Conference” Midfield honors.   Congratulations to Alex – and to his parents Karen and Patrick.

http://csulacrosse.com/2012/05/20/colorado-state-wins-fifth-mcla-title-with-7-5-win-over-cal-poly/

And, in other action of note, former Langley longpole defender Thomas Robinson (Class of 2010) joins his Greyhound squad in battle against the University of Maryland Terrapins, with Robinson’s Loyola of Maryland having advanced to the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Lacrosse Final on Memorial Day Monday in Foxboro, Massachusetts by virtue of a semifinal victory over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday.  Our very best wishes go out to Thomas and his Greyhounds, as well as to his parents Andy and Isabelle.

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May 24, 2012: The Langley Saxons booked their passage to the Northern Region Boys Lacrosse Final, and with that a trip to the VHSL State Play-offs for the fourth year running, by virtue of a 16-12 Region semifinal victory over the Oakton Cougars at Oakton on Thursday.   The Saxons will meet the Chantilly Chargers, 7-6 winners in overtime against the W. T. Woodson Cavaliers in the other semifinal on Thursday, with Langley hosting the Region final on Friday night.  With only two state competition slots allotted to Northern Region teams starting this year, the loss on Thursday ends a Cougar campaign just short of advancing beyond Regional play, but with a Concorde District title and a key district play-off road win over Chantilly added to the Oakton boys lacrosse resume.      

Oakton had the upper hand for much of the first half of play on Thursday, keeping the Saxons on the back foot for a good stretch of time leading up to a promising 7-3 lead with less than a minute remaining until half-time.  But Langley sharpshooter Mike Adams – who ended up adding seven goals to his scoring account for the season — popped up to snap in a couple in the remaining 28 seconds before the intermission to re-adjust the score-line to 7-5. 

Adams’ quick work in the dying moments of the opening half would serve as a warning sign of things to come, as the Saxons proceeded to unload into the Oakton net that was ably guarded by senior Connor Anderson for much of the front end of the contest.   Three strikes in a span of 20 seconds midway through the third quarter put Langley into the passing lane.   Senior attacker Sean Ahearn furnished the second of his three goals for the night, followed by Adams’ third goal of the game right from the ensuing face-off – senior Spencer Gorham winning the re-start, with passes through sophomore Billy Orme and fellow attacker Ahearn on to the senior attackman for the game-tier in a matter of eight seconds.  The following face-off led to sophomore attacker J. T. Meyer drilling in past Anderson only 11 seconds later putting the Saxons in front for good.

Senior Clay Rivers added his one for the night to make it 9-7 just a couple of minutes later, the Langley middie launching from ten yards after a long possession and patient build-up by the Saxons on offense.

The Cougars seemed to have settled the commotion in front of Anderson’s cage as the third period neared completion, even to the point of forcing Langley goalie Andrew Spivey into action at the other end with a couple of saves and an interception of an incoming pass.  But the Saxons conspired to sneak another one by the Oakton netminder with less than a second left in the quarter, out of a scoring move that started with a cross-field volley by Spivey as the clock time neared zero.  Ahearn collected the loose ball that trickled from the crease-side skirmish between a Cougar defender and Langley attacker Josh Sibio, to deposit past Anderson with a fraction of a second still showing on the game clock.     

Sibio converted less than 11 seconds later in game time at the very start of the final period giving the Saxons a convincing four-goal lead.  Again, Gorham with the face-off win — the middie prevailed on two-thirds of the game’s center-spot re-starts — and passes to Meyer then on to the Langley senior for the sure finish.  

Adams topped off the nine-goal run with his fourth of the night soon after on an assist from Ahearn, staking his side to a commanding five-goal edge with a little more than eight minutes left in the game.   The remainder of the encounter featured back-and-forth moves and scoring in rainy, often slick conditions with Oakton getting no closer than three goals behind as the fate of its season came down to a 16-12 home defeat.                  

In addition to seven from Adams and Ahearn’s three for the night, the Saxons got a pair of goals from Meyer and senior middie Slater Howell, as well as the solo strikes from Rivers and Sibio.   Three Cougar attackers delivered hat-tricks in the game – seniors Evan Lalande and Sean Schweiker, and junior Jack Harris – to go with single goals from three middies — seniors Michael Durst and Stephen Lambrides, and sophomore Cory Harris.

Spivey was credited with six saves in goal while Anderson turned away 11 goal-bound shots. 

Notes: The Cougars (13-7) have now fallen to the Saxons (18-2) in six straight meetings – including three in Regional Tournament play – since the Oakton win at Langley in a 2008 Region quarterfinal that sent the Saxons to clean out their lockers that season. 

The 28 total goals scored on Thursday is the most scored in a Langley game since the 31 in a 25-6 Saxon win over the Marshall Statesmen on May 23, 2001, and eclipses the 27 goals scored in the 23-4 Langley victory over the Fairfax Rebels on May 20, 2004.

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May 18, 2012: Junior Luke Salzer rocketed in a trio of goals that sparked the offense but it was a stalwart defense that carried the Saxons to a 9-4 triumph over the Stallions from South County in a Northern Region quarterfinal bout in boys lacrosse on Friday evening at Langley.   The Saxons advance to a semifinal battle — and a chance to secure a slot in the VHSL state tournament in June – on the road against the Oakton Cougars (13-6) on Thursday.   For Coach John Nolan’s Stallions (13-3), the play-off defeat ends a positively productive season that saw vast improvement with nine more wins and less than half the number of losses of a year ago, and a team record 13 victories for the spring campaign.

Salzer blasted in a pair from distance in quick succession early in the second half of play putting some space between the two sides after a scoreless first period had slowly given way to a slender 2-1 Langley advantage by the opening minutes of the third quarter.  South County responded well to pull within one goal on strikes from senior attackers Peter Basnight and Taylor Wirth.  The teams traded goals in the waning moments of the third period – senior attacker Sean Ahearn delivered for the Saxons while Basnight grabbed his second of the night – to keep matters close at 5-4 in Langley’s favor to start the final period.

But the Saxon rearguard and solid goalkeeping by Andrew Spivey kept the Stallion offensive corps corralled while the Langley attack at the other end mounted a four-goal scoring run that sealed the victory for the hosts.  Senior attacker Mike Adams snapped in a pair to go with Ahearn’s second of the game and a third from Salzer for the hat-trick and the game’s closing goal to add some gloss to the playoff triumph.  Spivey and Saxon longpole defenders — seniors Chandler Suk and Nick Rifken, and juniors Brad Dotson and Robbie Byrne — masterfully kept the scoring ledger clean for the whole of the first half of play and the fourth quarter. 

The Langley netminder was credited with seven saves while his counterpart in front of the opposite net – senior Connor Cunningham – made eight saves.

Goals were at a premium in the early stages, and nearly 16 minutes of game clock time elapsed before defenses were breached on either side for the game-opening goal.   The opening period offered South County some good early looks at Spivey’s goal with several attempts that the senior netminder turned aside or snared.  Dotson provided a key block on a Basnight scoring bid late in the quarter while Cunningham on the other end managed a timely intercept of a threatening pass from behind his cage triggered by senior attacker Josh Sibio.  

The Saxons came out the brighter to start the second period and saw a promising bid from senior Tyler Baskins parried by the Stallion keeper, followed by shots from Ahearn and sophomore attacker J. T. Meyer that just missed the target. 

But then Ahearn behind Cunningham’s cage picked out attacker Billy Orme slipping clear of his defensive marker near the crease.  The sophomore turned in the assisting pass at close range for the game-opening strike less than four minutes into the second quarter.

The visitors looked to have a counter-attack advantage building soon after the ensuing face-off but a Baskins body-block detached ball from opponent, with the middie then collecting the groundball for the turnover that promptly put Langley on attack once again. The Saxons doubled their lead moments later when senior middie Hunter Bentz sliced the space between Cunningham and his net frame for the unassisted score from eight yards out.

Langley maintained the offensive pressure on the Stallion defenses with junior Jack Reilly dodging in to shoot from close range, but the middie’s effort found only the side netting.  Meyer then shot just wide of net while Sibio forced Cunningham into another smart save, followed by a bounce shot from senior middie Clay Rivers that missed narrowly to the right of the South County cage.

It was not all one-way traffic, though, as the Stallions grabbed some time in their offensive area late in the first half.   But Byrne shut down one foray with the check, steal and clear, then made the vital intercept of a pass coming out from behind Spivey’s cage and toward awaiting South County attackers during the first man-advantage situation of the contest.  For their part, Stallion defenders did as well to keep the scoring limited, in the latter part of the first half putting together a crisp sequence of long-pole passing and the clearing move involving seniors Dale Marcot and Stephen Rowley, and junior Connor Smith.          

Luke Gladys supplied the scoring breakthrough for the Stallions at the start of the second half, the senior middie shooting in high past Spivey from six yards off of a fine assisting pass from senior line-mate Travis Gordon.   South County then was awarded a one-minute man advantage but the Saxons were the ones to provide the surge with Salzer’s first of the night.   The middie fired in the left-handed shot from 15 yards, then repeated that less than a minute later with a similar blast from nearly the same spot giving Langley the 4-1 lead.

Ahearn tested Cunningham from close range on two occasions but the Stallion goalie was equal to both challenges.  South County was not in the mood for retreat and charged back with a pair of goals to close the gap to one goal.  Basnight dodged through a crowd of defenders and flicked in past Spivey for the first, followed by Wirth’s finish from just outside the crease.  The attacker saw Spivey deny his initial attempt on goal, but the rebound fell back nicely for a successful strike at the second time of asking.  

Ahearn then collected a groundball during an unsettled situation and fought his way to a spot for lashing in past Cunningham to restore a two-goal margin for the Saxons with about a minute remaining in the third period.  But Basnight responded quickly getting his second goal of the evening when he drilled in past Spivey off the precise pass from Wirth stationed behind the cage.  

The 5-4 difference to start the final quarter of regulation time gave the encounter the flavor of a nail-biter to the finish but Langley took command in its attack zone to settle matters well before the final horn.  A passing sequence from defender Suk to Byrne, then on to Salzer set up Adams well for his first of the night less than two minutes into the period.  Adams then became the provider with an assisting pass for Ahearn to punch in less than a minute later. 

The Stallions were again with the man-advantage and Basnight, Wirth then Gladys managed to put shots on goal but none got past Spivey.   Salzer initiated the clear late in the penalty that led to Adams’ second goal, this with a feint and dodge in front of Cunningham to open up just enough space for depositing past the keeper.

Another man-up opportunity for South County coming out of a non-releasable penalty infraction by the Saxons with about five minutes remaining offered some hope of recovery for the Stallions but Dotson quickly reversed that with a key check, steal of possession and clear from the defensive zone.  And Salzer was busy less than a half–minute later completing his hat trick for the night, which assured Langley (17-2) of moving on to the Region semi-final, and with that the prospect of claiming a spot in the VHSL State Tournament for the fourth year running.

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Submitted by Langley Lacrosse:

April 25, 2012: The Langley Saxons edged closer to securing Liberty top spot for the boys lacrosse district play-offs next month with a 9-6 home win over the Stone Bridge Bulldogs on Wednesday.  A victory on Friday against their next opponent – the Thomas Jefferson Colonials (7-2 overall, 4-1 in Liberty District) – would assure the Saxons (10-2, 5-0) no worse than a tie for first place in the district, with the added benefit of having already defeated the Bulldogs (6-5, 4-1), the only Liberty side that would then remain with fewer than two losses in district play this season.  Langley concludes its regular season schedule with a home game on Monday against the South Lakes Seahawks (6-4, 3-2). 

Stone Bridge junior sharpshooter Dylan Maltz checked in with three goals on Wednesday, and saw his Bulldogs mount an inspired effort through the central part of the night’s hostilities, but those were not enough to overcome Langley mastery during the front and back-ends of the contest.  Freshman attacker Gus Capace delivered two goals, the first of which sparked a productive second-quarter uprising by Stone Bridge that senior middie Matthew Vincent escalated with his solo strike.

Senior Mike Adams was the headline goal scorer for Langley, the attacker firing in three late in the game, with the final two providing the margin that assured his troops would cross the finish line without having to engage in panic defending to the final horn.   Senior attacker Sean Ahearn supplied a pair of second-half goals to go with five assists throughout the game while middies Hunter Bentz and Luke Salzer, and attackmen Josh Sibio and J. T. Meyer, added one goal apiece to their season scoring accounts.

The Saxons found the perfect start right from the opening face-off, claiming the game’s first three goals and thoroughly dominating possession throughout the first period.   The Bulldogs were not impressed, however, and proceeded to grab the next four goals and a 4-3 lead by halftime.   The combatants traded goals during a turbulent second half that eventually gave way to a Langley four-goal surge in the final quarter to settle matters.

Andrew Spivey guarded the Saxon net making a total of 15 saves in a busy night of work for the senior while his counterpart at the other end, senior Jesse Southward, was credited with seven stops.  The hosts supervised the face-off circle winning 13 of 16 center-spot starts, the vast majority taken by Langley senior middie Spencer Gorham.

More to come….

Game Note: With his two goals and five assists, senior Sean Ahearn has now accumulated a total of 217 points (118 goals and 99 assists) during his four-season career as a varsity-team Saxon, pushing one point beyond an “unofficial” total for former Langley attacker Robbie Maclay (154 goals and 62 assists in 2003 through 2006).

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