Emotions ran high at Highlander Stadium last Tuesday night, as the Jesuit and Highland Park lacrosse rivalry ensued. For the past few years the match-up has been dominated by Highland Park, but the tide turned last year when Jesuit, the runner-up state champs, brought home a win.
Wanting to repeat last year’s performance, the Jesuit “laxers” have “been doing the work and making the sacrifices necessary to get to [Highland Park’s] level,” as head Coach Surran put it. With their hard-work and determination, the Rangers once again brought home an impressive win over the Scotts.
In a close first-half, both clubs seemed equally matched and at halftime the game remained deadlocked in a 5-5 tie. “We went into the locker room knowing we could do better,” said sophomore midfielder Leon Belland. “We were on a mission to come out with much more energy to start the second half.” And bring more energy they did.
Right out of halftime, midfielder Carson Buell ’13 scored for the Rangers, one of his three goals that night. Not even two minutes later, Duke commit Garret ‘Cargo’ Van de Ven ’13 put another point on the board, starting a third quarter surge by the Rangers.
The remainder of the game was dominated by the Ranger attack men; sophomore Jason Myers, a major contributor to Jesuit’s The Roundup, and junior Zach Coker, each scored thrice. “Myers had some jaw dropping goals where he exhibited great stick skills and excellent footwork,” said Coach Surran.
On top of the Rangers’ offensive surge, the Jesuit defensemen also stopped the typically high-powered Scotts offense, holding them to only two goals in the second half. Van de Ven believed that “Dan [Morris] ’13 played really well, but I think we moved the ball decently and that kept them off offense.” The game concluded with a score of 14-7, with the Rangers dominating the Scotts 9-2 in the second half.
As Jesuit’s lacrosse program continues to improve, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine a three-peat next year in a rivalry where the Rangers are starting to look like the favorites.
Photograph by Kelly McClure
