Boys' JV LAX takes IAC title!
The boys' JV lacrosse team won the School's first ever IAC title for lacrosse, beating perennially dominant powerhouse Georgetown Prep 6-5 in a come-from-behind thriller.
The JV Maroon got to the finals—also a first—after a confidence-inspiring run through the initial rounds of the tournament. First, they demolished Bullis 10-2 in the quarterfinals, a match that showed the boys' confidence did not cross into the realm of overconfidence. Next, the Maroon avenged their worst loss of the season, a 7-2 defeat, to beat St. Stephens & St. Agnes 8-4 in a semifinals. After jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead, they caught the Saints off-guard and never looked back.
Coming into the finals, the team's outlook was a mix of excitement and awe. They had lost to the little Little Hoyas 3-5 earlier in the season, so they knew victory was within reach. For the first half of the game, that sense of awe seemed to get the best of EHS. The opposing team cruised to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter, just as EHS had done in dismantling SSSAS.
Then came halftime, and the Maroon machine roared to life. The bench led the cheer: Out-screaming, out-energizing, and overshadowing all other observers of the game, the boys, led by the strong-voiced SS Singh '21, catapulted the on-field field performance of the players with tactical scouting and vocal support. Surely enough, the Maroon began to claw their way back. Every time Prep looked into their rearview, the Maroon machine was closer, clutching the grit to bounce back and hold on.
The Maroon finally took the lead in the fourth quarter, going 5-4 and pushing the dream of victory toward reality. Then Prep scored again, 5-5. Van Avayzian '22 got a hat trick on the day and put EHS up 6-5 on a sweep and a snipe from top left—a high bouncer right over the keeper's shoulder at lightning speed. And then . . . a double-penalty with about two minutes to play. Episcopal was two men down: four on six for 30 seconds, then five on six for another 30. Never underestimate the Maroon, especially when it comes to defense. Anchored by goalkeeper Thomas Gibert '21, the defense held the fort, thanks to the impeccable work, at once both savage and precise, of a four-pole defensive corps: Alec Riddle '22, Graham Riddle '22, Lawson Laverty '21 (who also nabbed a hat trick), and Jason Gibson '21. In retrospect, once it had gotten to that point, the little Little Hoyas didn't stand a chance.
After Gibert denied Prep's sniper attempt on their man-up, it ultimately fell to Andrés Simbeck '21 to run it out. With perfect off-ball movement from his teammates and battling a stomach ailment, run it out he did. At that point, Prep was powerless to stop Episcopal, surrendering the victory.
