By Todd Bradley, DCSportsFan.com
Special to MaxPreps.com
Two hours before Tuesday’s championship game began at the University of Maryland’s Ludwig Field, Good Counsel’s varsity boys lacrosse team warmed up without an opponent in sight. DeMatha, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, had yet to arrive. The Stags didn’t arrive until the girls’ finale between Bishop Ireton and Good Counsel had ended.
“We were at school watching “Braveheart,” DeMatha senior Mike Smail said. “We were talking with the coaches and going over e-mails that alumni had sent in. When we got here we were just ready to go.”
Although the content of those e-mails was not revealed, the message must have been crystal clear to the young men sitting in Hyattsville. The Stags scored seven goals in the first quarter, including four from senior and game MVP Shane Ryznar, as the regular season champions built an insurmountable lead.
“Shane stepped it up and came out with four goals in the first quarter, which really set the tone for the rest of us,” Smail said. “Once we got the early momentum, we just kept going from there.”
In addition to Ryznar’s four first-quarter goals, Stephen Tepsick, Ryan Belka and Patrick Harberson also found the back of the net. The second quarter played out much like the first with DeMatha scoring an additional six goals. Smail, who was named the league MVP last week, matched Ryznar’s first quarter performance with four goals of his own. Sean McKenna added in two goals while Mike Rogers scored one. Smail attributed the team’s performance to an intense rivalry between the two schools.
“What has started with football has carried over to lacrosse,” Smail said. “We were pumped up so much, and even though the score wasn’t close it was a very physical game.”
Although the offensive onslaught slowed in the third quarter, DeMatha outscored Good Counsel 2-0 to increase their lead to 15-1. Patrick Fletcher and Bryce Dabbs (two goals) were able to score late goals for the Falcons in the final quarter, but DeMatha’s ninth championship in 10 years was inevitable.
“There was no better way to go out than with a championship,” Smail said. “It was a perfect ending to my DeMatha career.”
Even with the lopsided loss, Good Counsel has plenty to be proud of. The team made it to the WCAC championship under the direction of Matt Durkin, and the second-year coach believes the team should hold their heads high.
“I was very proud of what we were able to accomplish this year,” Durkin said. “For the players to be able to experience this and see that they can get here was one of the best memories for me.”
More fond memories are expected for Durkin. The team returns 20 players from this year’s roster.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
DeMatha Goal (9:06): Shane Ryznar, 1-0
DeMatha Goal (6:37): Shane Ryznar, 2-0
DeMatha Goal (6:26): Stephen Tepsick, 3-0
DeMatha Goal (6:04): Ryan Belka, 4-0
DeMatha Goal (5:11): Shane Ryznar, 5-0
DeMatha Goal (2:36): Patrick Harbeson, 6-0
DeMatha Goal (1:49): Shane Ryznar, 7-0
Second Quarter
DeMatha Goal (10:57): Mike Smail, 8-0
Good Counsel Goal (10:08): Bryce Dabbs, 1-8
DeMatha Goal (8:10): Sean McKenna, 9-1
DeMatha Goal (4:42): Sean McKenna, 10-1
DeMatha Goal (2:54): Mike Rogers, 11-1
DeMatha Goal (37.3): Mike Smail, 12-1
DeMatha Goal (18.1): Mike Smail, 13-1
Third Quarter
DeMatha Goal (2:50): Shane Ryznar, 14-1
DeMatha Goal (1:33): Mike Williams, 15-1
Fourth Quarter
Good Counsel Goal (11:51): Patrick Fletcher, 2-15
DeMatha Goal (10:55): Mike Smail, 16-2
Good Counsel Goal (4:37): Bryce Dabbs, 3-16
DeMatha Goal (4:10): Mike Williams, 17-3
DeMatha Goal (2:17): Matt Manion, 18-3
Todd Bradley is the Editor-in-Chief of www.dcsportsfan.com, which covers high school athletics in the Washington, D.C. area. E-mail Todd at editor@dcsportsfan.com.
