Falling short of history: Boys varsity lacrosse team loses in heartbreaker at state finals
by Aiden Witkopf
After going 16-0 in the regular season with top scorer Josh Ameo accumulating 42 goals, the boy’s lacrosse team went into the playoffs the first seed against Spartanburg High school but ultimately lost the state championship game to Wando High 21-9 on April 30th.
The team had high hopes, especially after Owen Ameo returned from a season-ending leg injury last season, but despite an exciting winning season, the Falcons’ second trip to the state championship ended in a loss to Wando again. The Falcons took a trip to the final game, the game that would change their life.
They took an hour and a half trip down to Irmo High School, outside of Columba SC where the Class AAAAA Boys Lacrosse State Championship was held against the Wando Warriors. The Falcons came out in the first five minutes of the game with two goals right off the bat. The Warriors mirrored and came right back minutes later. Long-stick midfielder Ben Walzack (‘23)exited the field in an ambulance after a blindside hit seconds after a faceoff in the second quarter.
“It definitely took a little bit out of us,” Coach Cory Turner said. Wando did not stop there, putting up nine more points before the end of the half making the score 11-9 Wando.
The Falcons didn’t score a single goal in the second half. Wando put on the gas putting up 10 more before the horn ending the game at 21-9. Nation Ford was devastated. One game away from making history and bringing the program’s first state championship and undefeated season home.
“It hurts. It stings. But at the end of the day, we showed up and gave all we had. And that’s all that matters,” Turner said.
The road to the state championship wasn’t easy. After beating the Vikings 16-3 the Falcons went into the second round with confidence. Riverside High School being their next opponent the Falcons prepared their game plan with two days of practice. On Saturday, April 23 the Falcons came prepared and sent the Warriors home and took the win 11-7. The game was a rollercoaster of a game, with the score within 3 points all 48 minutes of the game.
After the close game, the Falcons were on their toes heading into the upper state championship against the defending state champions the J.L Mann Patriots. In the first half, the Falcons came out swinging with a 7-0 lead. The Patriots did not take it nicely and came back making it a one-goal game in the fourth quarter. With a score of 8-7, the Falcons held the patriots, it was a fight all the way to the last second.
“Words can’t even describe how close of a game that was,” Midfielder Tyler Demarco (‘22) said. The Boys Lacrosse Team losing only 5 seniors this year, next year are expected to come back better than before.
