Looking at the final score alone, it would appear that the St. Albans (D.C.) boys' lacrosse team had its way with Episcopal (Va.) Tuesday afternoon in Northwest D.C.. However, those in attendance witnessed first hand just how tough the competition in the IAC can be. Although they would eventually lose 10-3, Episcopal scored the first goal of the game, trailed 3-1 at the half and was within three goals with nearly nine minutes to play in the game.
"I told my team that the IAC is tough this year," St Albans Coach Malcolm Lester said. "I want to say that this year is as tough as it's ever been. There are some really good teams, and I wouldn't be surprised if we see some big upsets this year."
Greg McKillop of St. Alban's.
Photo by MIchael Starghill
Considering this is Lester's 17th season as head coach, he probably knows what he's talking about. But the difference between a good team and a great team is how you finish rather than how you start, and St. Albans finished.
After Episcopal's Gray Bryant scored to cut St. Albans' lead to 6-3 with 8:44 left in the game, the Bulldogs would rip off four goals over the next five minutes to put the game away and improve their record to 7-2 on the season and 1-0 in IAC play. Episcopal dropped to 3-2 and 0-1 in conference play, and Coach Scott Conklin pointed to missed opportunities as one of the reasons Episcopal lost.
"We came hoping to win and expecting to win, and that's the way we approach every game," Conklin said. "It really comes down to fundamentals. We weren't able to clear balls today, and when you have to play that much defense against a team like that they're going to score some goals. We just needed to get more possessions and clear the ball when we had opportunities."
One of Episcopal's biggest problems on Tuesday was controlling St. Albans senior Roger Ferguson (Brown). The long-stick middie was all over the field, picking up ground balls and even scored a goal to put St. Albans ahead 2-1.
"We were saying before the game that Roger was one of their better offensive midfielders even though he has a long pole," Conklin added. "He's just so good in between the lines and picking up ground balls. He's hard to plan for. I think we did well defensively against him when he had the ball, but he probably had 12 to 15 ground balls today. It seems like it's innate for him. He's a natural."
Ferguson is quick to stress team performance over individual accolades, but his opponents know what they have to face when Ferguson steps on the field.
"He's the best defender that I've ever gone against," Episcopal junior Hunter de Butts said. "He has athleticism, gets every single ground ball and you have to focus 100 percent when he's guarding you."
Throughout the game de Butts was being covered by Ferguson, but he was able to score two of Episcopal's three goals, proving that he has some talent as well. De Butts also plays football and basketball for Episcopal.
"He's an all-around athlete," Ferguson said. "He's really quick and hard to cover. Even though he's only a junior, he's sort of been carrying the load for Episcopal for a while now. Hunter's a smart lacrosse player and he knows what he's doing out there."
The de Butts' family has a long history at Episcopal. Hunter's father and grandfather went to the school, and his father lives on campus because he is also one of the faculty members.
"I wish we had more guys like Hunter," Conklin added. "He just wants it so bad and works so hard. At the end of the game, he's just so tired and beat up because he gives it everything he has. He understands the game because he plays the game so long."
The two goals de Butts scored came against first-year St. Albans' goalie Bo Johns, who patiently waited his turn in goal. The senior was behind four-year starter Guy Van Sickle (Johns Hopkins), who started 80 consecutive games for the Bulldogs.
"It's hard to go from being the second guy to the starter." Lester said. "He's been great for us. He's been a real leader. In games that we have lost, goaltending has not been the problem."
According to Ferguson, much of the credit belongs to Coach Lester, who finds a way to get the most out of his players.
"I'm not the biggest guy or the strongest, but I have to use what I have," Ferguson said. "Coach Lester has been great in bringing out the best in me. That's what he does. He brings out the best in players. If he doesn't have a guy that is the fastest and the strongest, he'll turn him into a shooter and a good passer."
