OHSAA boys lacrosse: Upper Arlington beats Dublin Jerome for 17th state championship
The Upper Arlington boys lacrosse team had to correct Ohio High School Athletic Association representative Tyler Brooks during the presentation of the Division I state championship trophy June 4.
Brooks said the Golden Bears’ title was their first — which it was, but only since the OHSAA began sanctioning lacrosse in 2017.
It also was the first for all the Bears’ players and head coach Kyle Olson, but all were quick to note after a 12-10 win over Dublin Jerome at Historic Crew Stadium that it was the program’s 17th overall.
Girls: New Albany tops Upper Arlington for first Division I state title
Leo Caine’s four goals and three from Tommy Janowicz paced UA, which finished 22-1 and won its first title since 2016. The Bears also avenged a 12-11 loss to the Celtics in last year’s final.
“The guys took ownership. This was the 50th season for this program and we wanted to end it right,” Olson said. “The first half, we played uncharacteristically on offense. We rushed things and our shot selection was not great …
“We had to start the second half a man down (because of a penalty), then we got the first goal. It goes back to the captains and the execution.”
The game was tied at 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 before Caine and Janowicz scored in a 26-second span midway through the fourth quarter. Chris Mazzaferri added an insurance goal with 4 minutes, 6 seconds left to make it 12-9, the largest lead of the game for either team.
Jerome’s Xander Johnson made it a two-goal game with 1:13 left.
Both goalies, UA’s Tyler Burkhart and Jerome’s Brady White, made 14 saves. The Bears outshot the Celtics 39-36.
“I could not be happier, especially after last year,” Caine said. “They didn’t have a ton of depth in some areas and with me specifically, it didn’t seem like they wanted to slide. They attacked me as a feeder so it gave me an opening to dodge when I wanted to and see what would work out.”
Preston Everhart had three goals and Chase Everhart added two for Jerome, which finished 19-3.
“They outplayed us today in the middle of the field,” Celtics coach Andy Asmo said. “They had a good game plan and great players and they just made a few more plays than we did. They’re very good. We didn’t bring our best and to beat UA, you have to bring your best.”
dpurpura@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekDave
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Upper Arlington boys lacrosse team wins 17th state title
