Deja Vu: Jays Repeat as State Champs
Led by MVPs Wil Frischertz and Hank Aucoin, the Jesuit Lacrosse team secured it's second consecutive state title against Catholic B.R. in a score of 9-8.
Even before the playoffs began, there was no doubt that the lacrosse team was in the middle of a truly excellent year. Coming off a state championship the year before, the team faced mounting expectations of repeating as the state’s best. How did they respond? The Jays won against every opponent that they faced. Newman? Win. St. Thomas Moore. Win. Catholic? Win. It seemed as if they could not be stopped. These hard-fought wins gave the Jays a lot of momentum going into the playoffs. Opening with a victory against local rival Brother Martin, the Jays would face their toughest challenge yet against St. Thomas Moore. Knowing that they had already secured a victory against the Cougars, the Jays knew they could do it again. They did just that by posting a score of 17-2. The win led to what was expected from the beginning - the opportunity to play against Catholic in the State Championship. Here is the story.
The Jays went on the field looking like they owned it. The Gizzard was hype, and the players were ready. Jesuit got the possession on the first faceoff, which ultimately led to the first score of the game. Catholic retaliated and went to post a score, making it a 1-1 game. A barrage of scoring followed with the Jays and Bears exchanging goals at a blistering pace. However, it would not be the Jays who came out on top at the end of the half. Catholic headed into the break up by a score of 6-4.
Perhaps there is no mark of a championship caliber team, quite like how they respond to adversity. Unfortunately for the Bears, a fire was growing in the Jays during Coach Pall’s halftime speech. The Jays came out the half energized and refused to slow down. The Jays went on to put up two points on the board bringing the game to even at 6. Then a series of back-and-forth scoring occurred, and the game ended up tied at 8 at about the 4-minute mark in the 4th quarter.
“All the glory goes to God for the ability to play the sport, have the skill, and have a good team.” - Wilson Frischertz
It would be Jesuit who would finally break the tie on a terrific offensive play to put the Jays on top 9-8. The lead felt nice, but the Jays still needed to hold off the Bears, who were becoming increasingly desperate to even the score. However, like they have all year, the Jays responded by keeping possession of the ball until the clock struck 0:00. The Jays did just that as they kept the ball moving on offense and were able to secure the final win 9-8.
At the closing ceremony, the Jays had both the offensive and defensive MVPs, juniors Wilson Frischertz and Henry “Hank” Aucoin respectively. Both players went on to say how proud they were of the team and being able to play on and rally behind them. Frischertz summed up the unreal experience stating, “All the glory goes to God for the ability to play the sport, have the skill, and have a good team.” Both coaches and players are looking for a three-peat next year and the Blue Jay will be sure to follow. Congratulations to the Jesuit lacrosse team on claiming their second consecutive state title!
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