On Sunday, May 8, 2011, Mother’s Day took a backseat to the biggest lacrosse game of the year. The Jesuit Rangers met the Coppell Cowboys for the state championship, a highly anticipated matchup between two of the best teams in the state. After a 13-1 season, the Rangers took down Episcopal School of Dallas in the state semifinal in a 7-4 defensive struggle to advance to the championship.
Surprisingly, the Rangers did not get the coveted chance at a rematch with St. Mark’s, the only team to defeat the Rangers in the regular season. Instead, the Rangers took on Coppell, which took down the Lions of St. Mark’s in an 11-10 thriller.
Coppell and Jesuit had met earlier in the year, with the Rangers taking that matchup fairly handily. Coppell was somewhat of a surprise to reach the finals, but they proved they were no fluke. After surrendering four goals and three assists to two-time All-American senior Buck McClure in their first matchup, Coppell managed to hold McClure to only one goal. Senior Richie Sapp carried the load offensively for the Rangers, scoring four goals in the game, but it was not enough, as the Rangers fell 10-8.
Coppell’s most highly touted player, Brandon Mullins, who will be attending Syracuse next year, was charged with the seemingly impossible task of shutting down McClure, but he did his job well and made the rest of the team score. Senior Nick McVay answered the call with two goals, but Jesuit was unable to get enough contributions from their other players.
Jesuit pulled within 10-8 with six minutes remaining after a goal from senior midfielder Jimmy Nawalaniec off the feed from junior Matt Miller. Sophomore sensation Dan Morris, a Maryland commit, kept the Rangers in the game with steady play in goal, but Jesuit was unable to find the net for the remainder of the game.
This is the second year in a row that Jesuit has been defeated in the state championship, losing 19-4 to a classless Highland Park squad last year. With seniors Richie Sapp and Buck McClure leaving to play at the Air Force Academy, the Rangers’ attack will turn to new faces for their offense. However, juniors Michael McCarney and Nico Esteve will return to anchor one of the most dominant defenses in the sate.
Congratulations to this year’s Jesuit Ranger lacrosse team on another great season, and things look promising for them to repeat their run next year.
