Grand Rapids Forest Hills overcomes early deficit to take Division 2 boys lacrosse final
EAST GRAND RAPIDS — Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central has won back-to-back Michigan Division 2 boys lacrosse state championships.
The Rangers overcame an early deficit and never looked back. They were led by Magnus Salmon and Jonah McConnel, who combined for eight goals in the team's 11-6 victory over Birmingham Detroit Country Day.
Head coach Andy Shira said the motivation to stay on top following last year's win came from within the program.
"You're at the top, they've experienced it," Shira said. "They want to stay there. Fortunately, our program has had a pretty well tradition of success, so it's not new to the guys. They kind of know what the expectation is."
Country Day's Caden Daley had a valiant effort despite his team's loss, scoring half of the Yellowjackets' goals.
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Country Day maintained early possession, building a 2-0 lead thanks to an initial goal from Mason Gal and one from Daley that caught Forest Hills defenders off guard. They added on quickly on a close-range goal from Will Thompson.
Despite the slow start, Shira wasn't worried about his team's ability to compete, trusting in their previous big-game performance.
"Just settle down, relax a bit," Shira said. "We've been in big games all year. We played really good competition. Take a deep breath, patience on offense, communicate on defense. We've been here before. Settle in. Take a breath."
Forest Hills got on the board toward the end of the first quarter, finally getting past Country Day goalie Kellen Curby after he kept them scoreless early on. Nolan Hartl found the net first for the Rangers, followed by Salmon, who slung the ball from far center field to cut the deficit to one.
The game remained competitive throughout the first half. Country Day's Oliver Aaron fired a rocket past the Forest Hills goalie, before Salmon answered with three goals of his own to make up for the early deficit and give the Rangers a 5-4 lead. McConnel scored to send Forest Hills into the locker room at halftime with a two-goal lead.
"Magnus is a very strong player for us," Shira said. "It was nice. He actually left for a little bit and then came back to Forest Hills Central earlier this year, so pleased to have him back. Phenomenal kid, great kid, works his butt off, and he doesn't let things keep him down. When we're down, he steps up with his play."
Shira added that Salmon and McConnel balance each other out on offense, freeing up one or other to get in the best scoring position possible.
"They play on opposite sides of the field, so they kind of help out offense keep balanced that way too," Shira said. "When Country Day is playing a zone defense like that, we can kind of get them to rotate."
The Rangers came out swinging in the second half.
McConnel seemed to be unguardable, hitting two goals in the third quarter. Forest Hills goals from Graham Bennett and Hartl also aided the cause, but two goals from Daley kept the Yellowjackets within striking distance heading into the final quarter, despite trailing 10-6.
The teams remained in a defensive stalemate for most of the fourth quarter, until McConnel ended the scoring drought with just over two minutes to play with a shot from the left side. The insurance goal was more than enough to seal the title for the Rangers.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Forest Hills defeats Country Day 11-6 for 2nd straight lacrosse title
