Boys lacrosse: Cornax shines as Lourdes beats Red Hook for the Section 9 Class C title

MIDDLETOWN - The morning began for Chris Malet with a solemn moment, thinking about his dad on the anniversary of his passing, and reflecting on some of the things they shared, including a passion for lacrosse.

"I felt today was destiny," the Our Lady of Lourdes boys lacrosse coach said Saturday. "My father died a year ago on this day, and now we're playing for a championship. I thought it was meant to be."

Some tears were shed, and by the afternoon his shirt that was soaked. That was from the celebratory ice bucket dump, though.

Motivated in part by a desire to uplift their coach, the second-seeded Warriors upset Red Hook, 14-10, capturing their first Section 9 Class C championship.

Drew Cornax dominated, tying a career-high with nine goals, and the defense contained an explosive Raiders squad it had lost to last month.

"It's almost surreal to me," said Cornax, a junior. "This is something we've worked so hard toward, going through the ups and downs. All those moments led up to this, and it's an incredible feeling."

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Malet established the boys lacrosse program at the school in 2011 and this was their breakthrough, advancing to a section final for the first time and winning it. This group joined the Lourdes' football and girls and boys soccer teams in winning a title in their inaugural seasons in Section 9.

"This is a big day for us and it's a huge accomplishment for these guys," the coach said. "It's hard to put into words how meaningful this all is, but it's amazing."

The Warriors (11-5) face Section 2's Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake in a subregional on Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. at James I. O'Neill High School.

Nick Miano and Henry McGrath each scored twice, and Alex Crysler had a goal and an assist for Lourdes. Patrick Siegrist added an assist, and Atticus Eglinski made 13 saves. But it was Cornax who shined brightest on this stage.

"He's nuts!" teammate Matthew Krauza said. "We've got a lot of talent on offense and different guys can score. But today was Drew's day and he absolutely killed it."

The midfielder scored five in the first half, helping the Warriors take a 6-4 lead to intermission. He continued to produce, despite being the obvious focus of the defense, and Lourdes extended to a four-goal lead in the third quarter.

"It's an individual stat, but it's something that takes a lot of help from teammates," Cornax said. "It's not possible without Matt winning faceoffs, Atticus hitting those outlet passes, and so on. It's a credit to all of us."

As was holding top-seeded Red Hook to 10. Joe Tempestelli, Connor Irwin, Patrick Faughnan and Connor Wilson contributed to a defense that limited the Raiders' playmaking from behind the "X," clamping better on crease rolls and cuts.

"In the first meeting, we were coming off a big win and I think we were still riding high on that," Malet said of their 15-14 loss to Red Hook on April 21. "This time, we came in very focused."

Mikey Mrzyglod had three goals and two assists, and Gabe Gravino had three goals and an assist for the Raiders (14-3). Brady Kelly added two goals and four assists, Landon Ramsey had a goal and six groundballs, and Yoav Alperson made 12 saves.

Red Hook had a sterling season and was seeking its first section title since 2019. The Raiders surged down the stretch, winning 13 straight to reach the final.

Lourdes also is riding a hot streak, having won nine of 10 since that loss to Red Hook. But this entire season represents for them a drastic turnaround, getting to this point after winning only two games last year.

"I'm grateful for what I've had here," said Krauza, a senior who also starred for the football and wrestling teams. "The success in sports this year has been great for our school."

Malet had challenged this team to reach 10 wins, and they've surpassed that while exceeding the expectations of most.

"I wish he could've been here in person to experience it," he said of his father, "but I know he was here with us in spirit."

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Boys lacrosse: Cornax excels as Lourdes wins first Section 9 title