Final impressions on the week in boys lacrosse
The boys lacrosse season came to an end Wednesday night when South River wrapped up the Class 4A-3A state title with a sturdy 11-5 win over Urbana.
The week left plenty of lasting impressions.
Let's start with the best, and that was No. 1 Gilman, who came out fast in Monday's Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference championship game against talented Calvert Hall and simply overwhelmed the Cardinals with a faster pace and determined approach that netted a surprisingly comfortable 13-7 win. After losing by a goal to Loyola in last year's title game, the senior-dominated Greyhounds were not to be denied, despite the fact that every team in the country's best league was gunning for them.
The B Conference title game -- Annapolis Area Christian's thrilling 14-13 double overtime win against John Carroll -- featured seven ties and an impressive first half from Eagles senior Matt Soldano, who scored all five of his team's goals unassisted to stake the would-be champs to a 5-3 halftime lead. Soldano went on to finish with seven goals and one assist.
Among the publc schools, Pikesville's impressive run to the Class 2A-1A championship -- a 6-5 win over Queen Anne's -- featured a gritty 17-save effort from goalie Erick Zarzecki. When teammate Max Kinkoff described Zarzecki as a 'brick wall' in the post-game news conference, adding how confident the team also played knowing he was behind them, you could see in Zarzecki's face how much that meant to him. The big kid was smiling and even blushing a bit.
And how about South River, who overcame a sluggish first half against Urbana and played their best quarter of the season -- five unanswered goals in the third en route to the comfortable win -- when it was needed the most. I watched the Seahawks beat Severna Park for the first time in 17 tries to capture the Anne Arundel County championship, and the fans swarmed the field like the team won the state title. The Seahawks made sure to give their strong supporters the chance to celebrate again with Wednesday night's impressive performance.
