Last week the Leonardtown Raiders found they were completely unrivaled after facing the Calvert Cavaliers at Leonardtown for a 16 to 1 victory in boy’s varsity lacrosse. The team’s constant coordination with the ball coupled with the execution of many plays throughout the night left the Cavaliers defenseless to the Raiders.
Within the first eight seconds, attackman Tim Boas, number 4, scored from an assist by midfielder number 20, Mike Hebb. Almost immediately following the goal, Boas put yet another ball in the net.
Although Calvert put up a good fight, with many fast breaks especially in the first quarter, much of the game consisted of constant scoring made by Raider attackmen.
In the first quarter, with 11:08 left, Calvert attackman number 18, Zach Cecil scored against the Raiders making the score 2 to 1. The goal was initially much disputed due to the referee’s slow response in acknowledging it as a goal. L-town’s coaches quickly confronted the referee, who in response said he saw the net move.
During the entire game Calvert’s team had only six or seven players on the sideline available for substitution, leaving many of the players weary and unable to play to their full potential.
After the first half L-town was leading by 7 goals. During half time, Leonardtown’s varsity coach, Matthew Chew said, “You have to know what’s going on. Execute the plays this half.”
In the fourth quarter, at 7:34, there were a few shots on Leonardtown’s goal as well as a good number of fast breaks. Also in the fourth quarter, the team’s attackman number 9, Stephen “Scuba Steve” Norris injured his wrist after attempting to retrieve a ground ball. According to Norris, after falling down, someone fell on top of him, causing his wrist to bend in the wrong direction.
Leonardtown attackmen such as Grant Errington, scoring 2 goals, Tim Boas, scoring 4 goals, and Greg Eastburg scoring 2 goals, were able to work Calvert’s defense and continue the constant lead.
“Today we had a lot of lapses but we picked it up when our defensemen played great and won our face-offs,” said Norris after the game.
Despite the decisive victory, many Leonardtown players felt that their performance was lacking in some areas. “We could’ve done a lot better. We need to do a lot better,” Errington told the Bay Net. When asked about things to work on in practice, Errington said, “we didn’t really shoot that great. We’re hitting the goalie and not seeing the white of the net.”
“Although we were leading in goals by like ten points, we’re just not getting there. We’re not turning on the switch and we need to turn on the switch if we want to go against states,” added attackman number 26, Robert Nelson.