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The Rockbridge County High School boys lacrosse team secured its first victory of the new season, knocking off Blacksburg 10-3 in the Wildcats’ home opener last Wednesday.
John Brooke totaled three goals and one assist to pace RC, which would cap the week at 1-2 after a 16-5 loss at Region 4D powerhouse E.C. Glass on Thursday.
Quincy Speers notched two goals and one assist for the ’Cats on Wednesday, while Alex Nye recorded one goal and a pair of helpers, and Jayden Layman scored twice. Oliver Raboteau posted one goal and one assist for the Bruins, who ended the week at 0-3, and Jacob Honaker tallied seven saves.
The Wildcats’ defense was the story of the game. Defensive coordinator Scottie Winterton’s newly installed zone scheme limited the Bruins to just two shots on goal through the first three quarters – and only four total attempts on frame for the entire night.
“I think [the zone] really baffles and confuses teams,” said RC head coach Robert Hull. “That’s certainly our hope. We had to do something different after our last game [a 16-5 loss at Salem in the opener on March 13], where we realized we’re not going to athletically match up with every team that we play. Maybe strategically, we can come up with some things that will afford us some opportunities for success.”
Michael Mullins got Blacksburg on the board first, scoring the only goal of the first quarter from a Raboteau feed at the 7:57 mark. Brooke pulled RC even with 8:25 to play in the second period, and Nye’s extra-man goal with 4:10 left would give the ’Cats a 2-1 halftime edge.
The RC offense may have started slowly, but it sprung to life after the break. Better ball movement and shot selection enabled the Wildcats to outscore Blacksburg 4-0 in the third quarter, building up a 6-1 advantage that put the home side in control.
The ’Cats’ youth on the attacking end – all but one of RC’s points on Wednesday came from underclassmen – means that the offense is still developing.
“We’re still learning to get higher lacrosse IQs and sort of read defenses and work together better,” Hull said. “I don’t think they sometimes realize that the more they share the ball, the more they receive the ball, the more they get better opportunities to score.
“Once that [realization] happened, we went on a run – when they started moving the ball and getting their heads up, finding that open man and making that one more pass,” the RC coach added.
Layman opened the secondhalf scoring with back-to-back goals – both assisted by Nye – followed by Speers’s man-up marker and an unassisted tally from Brooke as the Wildcats stretched the lead to 6-1.
Raboteau broke the Bruins’ drought with an extra-man goal with 7:41 remaining in the game. But goals from Brady Cauley and Speers put RC ahead 8-2, and – following Eric Metrey’s long-stick finish for Blacksburg – River Hull and Brooke scored for the Wildcats to close out the game.
The Wildcats outshot the Bruins 44-14, and freshman Andrew Kelly helped RC win 12-of-16 faceoffs in the game. The ’Cats also forced 29 Blacksburg turnovers.
With a talented but youthful group of attackmen and offensive midfielders and a new defensive game plan, the Wildcats’ season is a work in progress. But Wednesday’s victory was a solid step forward.
“I really like the fact that this defense has been doing so well. We’ve got a lot of good leaders back there,” coach Hull said. “Points will still come. We’re still very young on offense.”
Glass 16, RC 5
The Wildcats fell to E.C. Glass 16-5 in Lynchburg on Thursday.
RC was able to hang with the Hilltoppers (1-1) throughout the first half. Nye’s man-up goal gave the ’Cats an early 1-0 lead, while two markers from Speers and another from Kelly enabled the visitors to head into halftime trailing just 5-4.
But Glass, which won the Region 4D title and made another appearance in the Class 4 state semifinals a season ago, used an 8-0 run in the third quarter to take control. Nye would score the Wildcats’ lone second-half goal off an assist from Brooke in the final period.
“I was incredibly pleased with our first-half play,” Hull said. “Our youth and lack of depth was too hard to keep hidden for a whole game. That said, the coaches and I couldn’t be more proud of our effort. We are excited for the direction we are headed and the rest of the season to come.”
RC was scheduled to visit Christiansburg last night, and the Wildcats will travel to Charlottesville on Thursday, starting with junior varsity action at 5:30 p.m.. After spring break next week, the Wildcats will play host to Salem on Wednesday, April 12, starting with JV action at 5:30 p.m., with the varsity game scheduled to follow at 7:15.
