La Salle Captures Second Straight Division I Boys Lax Championship
Matt Metcalf, GoLocalProv High School Sports Contributor
La Salle Captures Second Straight Division I Boys Lax Championship
The Rams dominated Moses Brown from the opening face off, scoring the first six goals of the game and taking a 7-2 lead into the half. In the first half, La Salle was led by senior captain Brady O'Donnell, who netted three goals, while Most Valuable Player Joe Manown scored two, and Sam James and Peter DeSimone scored one apiece.
La Salle head coach Steve O'Donnell knew how critical a strong start to this game was after a mediocre start for his team in the Rams' semifinal game against Barrington.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST“It was very important,” O'Donnell said. “We knew that if they got up, they would slow the game down and take the air out of it. We're a fast-paced team and our guys pushed it. I give them a lot of credit for doing so.”
It was more of the same for the Rams in the second half, as DeSimone found the back of the net just 17 seconds into the third quarter, extending La Salle's lead to 8-2.
Overall, La Salle outscored Moses Brown 7-1 in the second half alone. During that stretch, DeSimone found the back of the net three times, while O'Donnell scored twice, and James and Mike Catarina each scored a goal apiece.
“This is quite the accomplishment for these guys,” O'Donnell said. “They play every team in the league twice, sometimes three times with the playoffs, so it's hard. I give them a lot of credit. I think we got punched in the mouth the other day against Barrington. I'm glad it happened because it woke them up and they came with a purpose today. It was a solid effort and it was very pleasing to watch.”
This marks the first time ever that La Salle has won back-to-back boys lacrosse state championships, as the Rams were finally able to break through and win their first title in program history a year ago.